JP Nunez
I love sharks. I don’t ever want to meet one in person, but seeing them on my TV screen is always a fun experience. They’re just majestic creatures. It’s no surprise they’ve become horror staples almost on par with vampires and slashers. When done right, shark movies can rank right up there with the most beloved cult classics of all time. I was instantly intrigued when I caught got wind of The Last Breath. The film promised to take a somewhat unique approach to this time-honored subgenre, and I couldn’t wait to see what underwater thrills it had in store.
Directed by Joachim Hedén, The Last Breath stars Kim Spearman, Jack Parr, Alex Arnold, Erin Mullen, Arlo Carter, and Julian Sands (in his final credited film on IMDb). In the movie, the USS Charlotte was a World War II warship that sank in the middle of the ocean, and it’s never been seen again…until now. A recent storm shifted the sands at the bottom of the sea and the ship has become visible for the first time in decades.
Noah and an aging expat named Levi are the first ones to find it. When Noah’s four friends–Sam, Brett, Logan, and Riley–go to visit their old pal, he takes them on a once-in-a-lifetime diving adventure. They swim down to the remains of the USS Charlotte, and at first, the group has an absolute blast. However, they soon get lost in the wreck, and as their air supply begins to dwindle, they realize that a hungry shark has also found its way into the sunken ship.
The Last Breath spends almost the entire first half its runtime letting us get to know its characters, and to be frank, Noah and his friends are basically a bunch of horror film cliches. Brett is the rich asshole, Logan is the clown of the group, and Noah and Sam are the former couple who broke up because they wanted different things. And Riley…well, she doesn’t get to say or do much, so she’s kind of just there.
In most movies, that would kill the experience right away, but thankfully, this is one of the few exceptions. The cast manages to imbue these characters with the kind of charm that makes you want to watch them no matter what’s going on at the moment. They keep the film afloat while you wait for the “good stuff.”
Then, about ten minutes or so after these characters swim down to explore the USS Charlotte, we finally meet our antagonist. The shark first makes its presence known in less overt ways, like blocking the sunlight for a second as it swims by. We may know what’s going on, but Noah and his friends don’t. Those somewhat subtle hints at the divers’ dangerous companion are fun. Unfortunately, they’re pretty much the high point of The Last Breath.
The shark makes its initial appearance with a jump scare that has the potential to knock your socks off, but you can see it coming a mile away. I’m not going to tell you exactly what happens, but trust me, when the time comes, you won’t be caught off guard. It’s one of the biggest lost opportunities in recent genre memory, and from there, The Last Breath doesn’t get much better.
To be fair, the shark doesn’t look bad. When it’s just minding its own business and slowly gliding through the water, you might be tempted to suspect that director Joachim Hedén filmed a real shark a la Open Water.
As the shark moves quickly, it becomes painfully obvious that it’s CGI. This fish’s movements aren’t nearly as smooth as those of a real shark, and that took me out of the film every time the creature went on the attack. It saps those scenes of almost all their effectiveness, so it’s nearly impossible to buy into the characters’ plight.
On top of that, Noah and his friends also become much more grating in this part of The Last Breath. They continue to be little more than cardboard cutouts, and they behave exactly the way you’d expect. For example, Brett continues to be such a complete jerk that his charm starts to fade, and Riley remains just “the other girl” in the group.
Even worse, Noah and Sam’s relationship plays out in the most predictable way possible. I don’t want to explicitly spoil anything, but if you’ve ever seen a movie with this kind of romantic dynamic, it’s not hard to guess what happens to these former lovebirds. It’s about as generic as you can get, so you can almost write the script in your head before you see it transpire on screen.
I’m sad to report that I wouldn’t recommend The Last Breath. Sure, if you’re a shark fanatic who loves seeing these majestic creatures rip through innocent victims, you can have a decent time with this film if you turn your brain off and just accept it for what it is.
But unfortunately, that’s the best I can say about The Last Breath. The premise had the potential to be an underwater version of A Quiet Place or Don’t Breathe, but instead, the weak characters and unconvincing attack scenes makes this just another generic shark thriller that doesn’t do nearly enough to separate itself from the Jaws-inspired pack.
The Last Breath is set to hit theaters and VOD on July 26.
