Deep Water

I love a good disaster movie. When it’s done right, it shows humanity at both its best and its worst. Most of the time, you end up picking sides—who you want to survive and who… well, you’re not exactly rooting for. It might not be the nicest thing to admit, but we all do it. It’s hard to cheer for bad people. In Renny Harlin’s Deep Water, we’re thrown into a “disaster squared” scenario, where the only thing worse than a plane crash is crashing into shark-infested waters.

On a flight bound for Shanghai, First Officer Ben (Aaron Eckhart) is dealing with some personal and family issues. Still, he shows up ready to do his job alongside Captain Richard (Ben Kingsley) on what should be a routine trip. The plane is filled with a mix of passengers, including an instantly unlikable Dan (Angus Sampson) and Cora (Molly Wright), who’s tasked with keeping an eye on her younger stepbrother, Finn (Elijah Tamati)—a role she’s still adjusting to.

Things take a turn when Dan’s charging cord sparks a fire in the cargo hold. A series of failures in the suppression system leads to the worst-case scenario: the plane goes down in the ocean. But surviving the crash is only the beginning. Sharks quickly make their presence known, turning the surrounding waters into a nightmare. Now the survivors have a new problem—stay out of the water and somehow make it home alive.

Written by a team of writers, Deep Water feels like the kind of movie Irwin Allen would’ve loved—part disaster spectacle, part survival thriller. The first act sets up the passengers, clearly pointing out who you’re meant to root for (and who you’re not). About thirty minutes in, the disaster hits, and Harlin doesn’t hold back. The crash sequence is easily one of the film’s highlights—chaotic, intense, and genuinely terrifying. It’s a standout moment, and honestly, one of the better plane crash scenes I’ve seen in a while.

From there, though, the film shifts into survival mode, and that’s where it loses a bit of steam. Deep Water may not be especially deep, but it definitely scratches that disaster movie itch. The tension works best when everyone is in full panic mode, forced to make split-second decisions to stay alive. The quieter, more emotional moments don’t hit as hard, and some of the added conflicts feel unnecessary.

Let’s be honest—most people aren’t showing up for deep character work here. They’re here for the chaos… and the sharks. On that front, the movie delivers. There’s plenty of blood, plenty of suspense, and enough thrills to keep you engaged.

Deep Water might not do everything perfectly, but it understands the assignment—for the most part— still, it was nice to see Renny Harlin take a dip back in the type of waters he waded in in the 90’s.

Brian Taylor

Member of the North Texas Film Critics Association, and lover of all things Cinema