Into the Blue

I never really thought about it, but there are actually quite a few movies about people looking for shipwrecks/underwater treasure. If you’re a fan of these stories (I hesitate to call it a genre), or you just want to see some pretty people digging for gold at the bottom of the sea in their bathing suits, you’ll enjoy “Into the Blue”.

Jared (Paul Walker) and Sam (Jessica Alba) are amateur treasure hunters facing tough times. When Jared’s brother Bryce (Scott Caan) and his latest squeeze Amanda (Ashley Scott) come for a visit, the four of them accidentally discover two sets of riches: one is a downed plane carrying dozens of bricks of cocaine, the other is a sunken ship that could hold millions in gold. Jared and Sam want nothing to do with the drugs but Bryce and Amanda see it as a quick way to get cash. Soon the four of them are sucked into a sea of trouble.

I wouldn’t call “Into the Blue” a great film, but it is entertaining. Paul Walker and Jessica Alba have some good chemistry and their characters are likable. While Bryce and Amanda are foolish enough to believe they can get away with selling the drugs, it’s not long before you forgive their mistake and we are introduced to the villains of the film, who are amply sinister.

Call me shallow, but I also can’t deny the appeal of a film who features leads that all look this at all of the leads in this picture look visually appealing in their bathing suits. While there isn’t any nudity, you won’t have much trouble winning the game of “spot the nipple” and there are many loving shots of Paul Walker’s chest and abdomen. As far as the eye candy goes, there's more to it than just the gorgeous human specimens. It’s difficult not to get some beautiful cinematography out of the ocean floor, the fish that swim there and the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas, but it's worth mentioning that the film looks great whenever people are underwater.

Also working in the film’s favor are a couple of nice twists towards the end and an exciting climax. You wouldn’t guess it from the cover, but this film’s got a pretty high body count and a surprising amount of action in the final confrontation between the friends and the drug dealers. For everything that’s working here I give the movie a recommendation if you feel like you can get past the flaws I will mention below.

I’m not sure if there is a single great underwater treasure-hunting film out there that everyone is trying to imitate. This is one of the better examples of this story that I’ve seen. That said, “Into the Blue” has issues that need to be addressed. Jessica Alba; she’s beautiful and has some good moments with the male lead but when it comes to the serious dramatic bits, she’s not quite up to the task. There are also some moments where the movie is too obvious. When you see a guy and there’s the slightest hint that he might be a tad slimy, he’s going to be a villain. There are some convenient developments at least twice, which I can somewhat believe, but when your plan of escape depends on a character you’re not looking at turning away from you so you can jump them from behind, suspension of disbelief only goes so far. It's a shame. For the most part, I thought the film was pretty smart.

While “Into the Blue” drops the ball a couple of times and has some problems when it comes to the plot, it’s nothing so serious that you can’t watch it casually and have a good time with it. The cinematography, the gorgeous people in their swimsuits and the climax are enough for me to give “Into the Blue” a mild recommendation. (Full-screen version on DVD, December 30, 2013)