Into the Blue
March 2006 Reviewed by: Mischa Hayek Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Jared (Paul Walker) and Sam (Jessica Alba) are lovers who lead a poor but idyllic existence in and about the warm, azure waters of the Bahamas. Sam is employed as a guide and shark-feeder at a hotel while Jared works sporadically as a dive master for local scuba operators. Both share a concern for the undersea environment and a love of its dangerous inhabitants.

Trouble arrives in the person of Bryce (Scott Caan), a college buddy of Jared’s, and Bryce’s new girlfriend, Amanda (Ashley Scott), whom he has met 14 hours earlier. Bryce is one of those friends that no one needs. He continually screws up, begs forgiveness, and then screws up again. Scott Caan has played that same role in several films, and he does it so well I have my doubts whether or not he is, in fact, acting. Bryce is on vacation and has use of a client’s home and cabin cruiser, and the two couples get together for a week of diving and drinking and partying.

On one of their dives, Jared spies a flashing light in the distance, which turns out to be a sunken plane, complete with marauding sharks, decomposing bodies and a cargo-load of cocaine. Bryce and Amanda see the drugs as an easy score while Jared and Sam want nothing to do with it. The group agrees to notify the authorities about the plane. However, Bryce and Amanda are impatient, secretly take some of the cocaine, and try to sell it to local drug dealers. This brings Jared and Sam into conflict with their friends and with the drug dealers as well.

Into the Blue is a good action-adventure flick with something for everyone. Anyone who has ever snorkeled or scuba dived in the warm Caribbean waters will love it. The voyeur in us will love it too because sun, white sand, and azure water do little to encourage full dress. Despite this, Into the Blue retains its PG-13 rating.

The DVD includes these special features: closed captions; a director’s scene-by-scene analysis of the film; many deleted scenes also with director’s commentary; a 20-minute special with the actors on the making of the film; plus three actors’ screen tests. The director’s commentary is interesting as Stockwell expounds on the difficulties of filming above and below the water. The special has its moments, especially in one scene when a large shark heads for Scott Caan only to be batted away at the last second by a safety diver in chain mail. Special effects are used only twice in the film; the actors are truly in the water with the sharks.

The sound in general is fair. The bass is certainly deep, and the overall level of clarity quite good, but it lacks some punch. The picture quality is better, which isn’t surprising given the lavish filming locations. The colors are vibrant, well saturated, and punchy.

The characters are intelligent, the dialogue makes sense, and the underwater photography is stunning. Sharks are always lurking nearby, keeping suspense high. John Stockwell, who previously directed the surf film Blue Crush, has once again shown his proficiency in making an entertaining, exciting film with the ocean as a backdrop. Enjoy it on a cold winter night and the next day you may be booking a vacation south.

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