A spine-chilling horror thriller set to make viewers think twice about venturing into the water is set to air on Film 4 tonight. The Dive, a 2023 remake, recounts a terrifying event deep beneath the ocean’s surface.
Sisters Drew and May embark on a deep-sea diving adventure in one of the most isolated spots on earth.
However, their trip takes a horrifying turn when a massive landslide sends enormous rocks crashing into the sea.
One of the plummeting boulders strikes May, leaving her trapped 28 metres below the ocean’s surface, immobilised and with critically low oxygen levels.
It becomes a desperate race against time for Drew to save her sister’s life, but in doing so, she risks her own and could pay the ultimate price.
But with no help forthcoming, what other option does she have?
The Dive is a German-Maltese production, both penned and helmed by Maximilian Erlenwein, reports <a href= »https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/thriller-set-under-ocean-tense-36474276″ rel= »Follow » target= »_self »>the Mirror</a>.
Whilst this relatively obscure film failed to achieve major box office success, it struck a chord with reviewers upon its debut, who commended both its suspenseful atmosphere and striking subaquatic cinematography.
One critic said: « While perhaps not quite striking enough in style or incident to leave a lasting impression, this very well-crafted remake should particularly impress with its underwater photography on the big screen. »
Another added: « Keeping to a fleet running time helps, and the breathless pace becomes snappy and relentless thanks to the excellent performances by both Louisa Krause and Sophie Lowe, who fully inhabit their characters and make convincing siblings. »
Nevertheless, the past two years have proven unkind to the production, with it maintaining merely a 66 per cent approval rating on the film review aggregator platform, Rotten Tomatoes.
One reviewer said: « Infinite blue is the color of a true hell, an omnipresent danger that crushes the girls with the same force as it does the viewer. »
Another critic added: « Flashbacks while in the water to the often harsh treatment of the girls by their overbearing father are more intrusive than informative. In the end, The Dive is an admirable niche film for a limited audience. »
A third wrote: « Intermittent moments of fleeting suspense punctuate literal and figurative murkiness (I gave up trying to figure out what was going on) as it flails around trying to pad itself out to feature length. »
Audiences proved even less enthusiastic about the film, awarding it merely a 40 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One viewer said: « Awful plot, boring characters, and stupid choices made by the two girls. Acting was terrible, I did not believe they had a single honest conversation. It felt like both actresses lines were dubbed in. »
Nevertheless, some viewers offered more favourable assessments, with one praising: « Terrific movie. Great cinematography, excellent acting (basically a 2-person show), and very realistic depiction of people in crisis, battling their way through that crisis/emergency – making things up on the fly, trying and failing, battling panic, trying their best to keep thinking rationally. Really enjoyed it. »
Another viewer said: « The Dive is deserving of praise for its emotionally moving conclusion, its talented cast, its engrossing plot, and its overall impact. It does an excellent job of capturing the unbreakable bond that exists between two sisters as they defy the obstacles that stand in their way. The Dive is a thrilling tale of sisterhood and survival that is definitely worth watching. I would recommend this film to fans of survival thrillers and anyone who enjoys a good story about the strength of the human spirit. »
You can make your own mind up as The Dive is airing on Film 4 at 9pm on Monday, January 5.
or the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website
