Introduction:

Imagine, you’re working on an underwater drilling facility deep in the Mariana Trench called Kepler 822, when suddenly, a huge ‘earthquake’ floods the building causing hundreds of your coworkers to die, and the only way to escape is to walk along the ocean floor. Pretty unsettling right? “Underwater,” a sci-fi film about the unknown, human greed, and emotional turmoil, takes you to the dark depths of the sea where monsters linger in the shadows. Today we talk about emotional symbolism within the film and how a simple plot can change perspective on life. 

Summary:

Norah Price works on the underwater drilling facility called Kepler 822, when a sudden ‘earthquake’ happens causing the building to flood in on itself. Finding only five other people out of the rubble, the group decides their best bet at escaping is to walk along the ocean floor to the drill site Roebuck to find escape pods. Throughout the film we see each emotional turmoil the characters have been going through, and the creatures that reign deep in the dark. 

Spoilers Ahead!

Emotional Meaning: 

The film starts with Norah brushing her teeth, telling viewers what life is like living in the deepest part of the ocean. Later, in the middle of the movie, we see a glimpse of what she had to go through before coming to the drill site. Her late boyfriend was lost at sea in a surfing accident. This helps her character development as she gives her final speech in the last scene, we see she has recognized her purpose to defeat the creature and save her friends, sacrificing herself.

Other characters, such as Paul and the Captain, can also be seen having troubles within the deep. We see Paul carrying a bunny around as a reminder that life has to run its course, and it was actually a live bunny in the earlier scenes, they eventually switched it out because of the multiple underwater takes. We can discover Captain’s backstory throughout Norah, as she asks him about his daughter. When asked by Emily, the Captain says his daughter is 14, Norah corrects him saying that she must be her age. Norah later finds out, after the Captain’s death, that his daughter died when she was 14, keepsaking her obituary in one of his uniforms. Norah also discovers that he knew something was off about Roebuck the whole time, finding a map with multiple sightings of the creatures that attacked them.

Everyone in this movie seemed to be going through something emotional caused on the surface. When you trap yourself underwater for such a long time, it seems to be ironic in stopping yourself from ever recovering from the emotional damage caused. The ocean in this movie can be seen as a purgatory for the characters. Never seeming to advance in their emotional struggles, stuck in one place. The ‘earthquake’ caused them to actually walk through their problems and talk about them with their fellow crew members.

Environmental Meaning: 

Drilling in the deepest part of the ocean, known to man, can have significant effects. Since we have no idea what lingers in the bottom of the ocean, “Underwater” developed creatures similar to mer-men with an alien twist. And if you drill deep enough, maybe you will uncover something that should never be awakened.

The monster in the movie symbolized what happens when humans take too much from the earth, the earth starts to fight back, in this case, in the form of a towering underwater monster similar to Godzilla. 

Maybe the point Eubank was trying to make was, don’t wake the beast. 

Conclusion: 

The 2020 film “Underwater” was a suspenseful oceanic sci-fi movie that challenged characters in unprecedented ways, forcing them to overcome their emotional struggles by talking with their remaining crew members all whilst walking along the seafloor being chased by alien like mer-men. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes underwater movies and situational films.