‘47 Meters Down’ is quick, lean and effective

I have nothing but the utmost respect for sharks. They have managed to evolve to remain the apex predator of the seas, despite the interaction with stupid humans who seem to think the ocean is their backyard pool.

They are fast, silent and amazingly efficient in every way, laser-focused on survival (even if they don’t have lasers affixed to their heads like Dr. Evil wished for).

It’s perhaps why I could never really get into the CGI-crafted crapfests put out by the Syfy Network that reduce shark behavior to teeth-gnashing cartoons, as they are much more complex than that.

And while sharks feature predominantly in the marketing of the thriller “47 Meters Down,” they are far from the focus. Instead, director Johannes Roberts tends to focus on the fear and dread of a more primal level as our trapped protagonists look for ways to survive.

It’s not revolutionary, but it’s far better than the majority of films of its ilk, be they “dumb American tourists make bad choices abroad” (“Turistas”) or “preparing to be human chum” (“The Shallows”). Lisa (played by Mandy Moore) and Kate (played by Claire Holt) are two sisters who head down Mexico way to rebound from Kate’s recent breakup. The two meet some hunky locals who operate a cage-diving boat and, in their tipsy state of trying to impress, mention they are experienced divers and agree to a shark-watching trip the following day. It’s not ruining a thing to mention that the trip goes south - literally, as the boat’s winch breaks and they land on the ocean floor, 47 meters down ... hey, that’s the name of the film!

Pop star Mandy Moore and Claire Holt - this is really their show - act sufficiently terrified through most of the film. The women do a commendable job portraying dread, desperation and claustrophobia, considering most of their performance is seen through cumbersome breathing apparatus. Moore and Holt manage to carry the bulk of the picture as they maneuver from one chaotic episode to the next.

As a survivor of an ill-fated Bahamian diving excursion (no one died, but the boat did sink), I can attest to the level of hesitation that accompanies such endeavors, and the level of panic that ensues once you realize you may have to fend for yourself. Roberts captures it all with his choices of camerawork and editing, creating a phobia which lingers in the inky black waters, awaiting the emergence of the unknown from its well.

“47 Meters Down” is quick, lean and effective, much like the sharks that circle around our heroines. It has a singular purpose and does not care to sit around and chew the fat.