Movie · 2020 · Horror, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure · 1h 35m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.0/10 (110.6K ratings)
7 miles below the ocean surface something has awakened
Overview
After an earthquake destroys their underwater station, six researchers must navigate two miles along the dangerous, unknown depths of the ocean floor to make it to safety in a race against time.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.0/10
IMDb: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
Metacritic: 48
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
William Eubank
Production
Chernin Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, TSG Entertainment
Cast
Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, T.J. Miller, John Gallagher Jr., Jessica Henwick, Gunner Wright, Fiona Rene, Amanda Troop
Where to watch
fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, high-tension underwater creature feature that works best as a brisk survival thriller with strong production design, sharp sound, and a committed lead performance. It’s thin on character and sometimes visually murky, but if you want a fast, nasty, old-school monster movie with modern polish, it delivers.
Best for
fans of claustrophobic survival horror
viewers who like creature features and alien-style suspense
people who enjoy tense, efficient B-movies with strong atmosphere
audiences looking for a short, propulsive genre ride
Skip if
you need clear, spacious visuals and easy-to-follow action
you dislike thin characterization or familiar plot beats
you want a more cerebral sci-fi concept than pure survival panic
you’re not in the mood for grim, pressure-cooker horror
Overview
Underwater is the kind of studio genre movie that knows exactly what it is: a panic attack in a pressure suit. It wastes almost no time getting to the disaster, then keeps tightening the screws with collapsing corridors, failing systems, and the constant threat of something moving just out of sight. The result is less a mystery than a survival sprint, and that urgency is a big part of its appeal.
Worth noting
The movie’s biggest asset is its mood. The production design, lighting, and sound create a genuinely oppressive sense of depth and confinement, and the creature work lands when the film finally lets you see it. Kristen Stewart gives the movie a sturdy center, playing exhaustion and resolve without overexplaining either.
Bottom line
It’s not especially original in structure, and some of the supporting characters are sketched so lightly that the film feels like it’s pruning them for speed. But as a streamlined, nasty, old-fashioned monster movie with a modern sheen, it’s effective more often than not. If you like your sci-fi horror tense, wet, and mean, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
mia lee vicino · 2659 likes
first thing tj miller (🤢) says to kristen stewart (😍) after she rescues him is “you sweet, flat-chested elven creature.” tapped out at that point to play chess.com on my phone for the remaining 80 minutes
aaron (3.5★) · 2073 likes
kristen stewart with a blonde buzzcut killing sea monsters in her underwear is something very pleasing to me
davidehrlich (3★) · 1304 likes
A shallow but satisfying creature feature that splits the difference between classic disaster movies and Lovecraftian horror, William Eubank’s “Underwater” is a film out of its time. For one thing, it was shot almost three years ago, back when bonafide disaster artist T.J. Miller was still vaguely cast-able (i.e. before he became so toxic that Mucinex fired him as the company’s spokes-snot). For another, it’s an expensive, original, multiplex-ready B-movie in an era when virtually anything with an $80 million… more A shallow but satisfying creature feature that splits the difference between classic disaster movies and Lovecraftian horror, William Eubank’s “Underwater” is a film out of its time. For one thing, it was shot almost three years ago, back when bonafide disaster artist T.J. Miller was still vaguely cast-able (i.e. before he became so toxic that Mucinex fired him as the company’s spokes-snot). For another, it’s an expensive, original, multiplex-ready B-movie in an era when virtually anything with an $80 million… more
matt lynch (3.5★) · 1104 likes
Brisk, tense, and pretty gnarly and that's before the scary monsters show up. Certainly one of the best and leanest ALIEN knockoffs I've ever seen, with a very welcome and economical self-awareness. Stewart absolutely kills it, simultaneously confident and terrified, she's 60% of this tight little blast.
elaina (3★) · 1072 likes
when we found out Kristen Stewart’s character was straight my mom said “oh, well that’s not believable at all”