Rating: ***
Review Date: 3/26/17
Cast: Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott, Josh Brolin
Sometimes, you just want to see Jessica Alba in a bikini, and if that's your sole viewing criteria, then look no further. However, if you're looking for something more, the film falls a little short. Jared (Paul Walker) and Sam (Jessica Alba) are the perfect young couple: ridiculously attractive, happily in love, living on a beach in The Bahamas, and doing whatever they can to scrape out a meager living. Unfortunately, things go all to hell when Jared's despicable jackass friend Bryce (Scott Caan) comes to visit and they happen to find a sunken plane wreck full of cocaine while diving. Bryce and his equally deplorable girlfriend Amanda (Ashley Scott) decide to try and sell the cocaine, which gets everyone in trouble with the nefarious owner of the plane. Jared is forced into retrieving the remaining contraband, with Sam's life on the line.
The film is absolutely gorgeous, and serves as a travelogue for The Bahamas more than anything else. The underwater photography is stunning and the crystal clear waters of The Bahamas are breathtaking. The dive sequences are wonderful (unless you have a fear of drowning), although the characters can hold their breath for a panic-inducing amount of time. The sea life is amazing and the actors are actually in the water with live reef sharks for many scenes, courtesy of the Bahamian shark tourism industry. Sadly, the film sputters and dies whenever the action comes out of the water and you're forced to listen to the inane dialog. Bryce's character is a toxic and self-absorbed prick, and reminiscent of so many people I try to actively avoid. The film would have been so much more enjoyable if it just focused on Jared and Sam diving for sunken treasure and wistfully dreaming of the future. Paul Walker actually does a pretty decent job as a dive bum, while a playful and sun-kissed Jessica Alba is flawlessly and effortlessly gorgeous. Except for those awful low riding flare jeans which were popular at the time... Much like the young and attractive cast, "Into The Blue" is a mindlessly entertaining thriller that gets by on its looks and little else. And sometimes, that's enough.