
No Way Up brings forth a new twist to its horror genre hence it is set on a showdown between the waves and the great whites. But unfortunately, the film is more of a thriller than a horror genre and that is where the film seems to fall. As brazen as the film rips off Final Destination, its bloody scenes are truly effective, and many would disagree. But then there are several foreseeable bad decisions that lead to a lack of character development and No Way Up failing to achieve its greatness. However, out of every logical sense that the film makes, the sharks do fly in the No Way Up meaning the film sticks to its theme rather than extracting value out of it.
Ava is the daughter of the billionaire and is flying to Mexico with her boyfriend Jed, his friend Kyle, and her bodyguard Brandon. Unfortunately, this group has an awful run-in with a plane crash. Luck would have it that Ava and her gang managed to get out of the plane crash but everyone else, struggling in the debris of the shattered plane, is battling for life, and the painted backdrop sharks are stuffing their noses into the wreckage trying to make a buffet out of it. The movie starts off alright but gradually as the plot thickens, the audience is given no reason to curb their expectations or originality and the result is a movie that is average in every sense of the word.
If it was able to crank up the camp a bit it would have been endearing but for such a plot-driven movie not surprised most of it is dark in tone. There is so much that is in this movie that is not amusing. The performances were tepid and hit or miss type and the same with the direction. I wouldn’t call the screenplay highly forgettable, but it is fairly low in impact. Any plot element that can be made interesting goes very early on which is probably the reason the audience isn’t engaged in the movie at all.
The execution may have been done well, but the sequence of dying lacks anything humorous or engaging about it. The No Way Up sequence’s plane crash does stand out, but even so, it does not portray realism as well as one would hope it to. What stands out is the insultingly bad attempt to portray humor, No Way Up missed the mark on being funny by a large margin. The other two characters who appear in it other than Brandon have more complex plots than those given to them. Unfortunately for the viewers, with Brandon not being on screen just one or two scenes bridged the gap. There is a class sensation that permeates throughout the plot since at the start of the movie Brandon was already given an intriguing character arc that one would expect to follow through. It comes off as disappointing how most likely the producers Did Not Want Meany because he is almost flung throughout the movie. The movie all but is driven by Brandon, whose story is half told, but is still left untold. When Brandon is not present, the world inevitably falls short of being fully immersive.
There are those who would say that with a little training, determination, and some survival skills, he would become an excellent bodyguard, thus making so many believe that he is the protagonist. However, this seems to be unnecessary or shall we say a red herring. His sudden death is in fact detrimental to the story of the film.
Nana (Phyllis Logan) wisely stays in the film long enough to show herself more of a strong-willed grandmother than required. Due to her enormous talents, Phyllis Logan is probably as talented as No Way Up in that respect. However, the performances of Sophie McIntosh and Darcy Attenborough (Ava and Kyle respectively) do not meet the same level of excellence. The woman who is most experienced in this field, McIntosh, is more than adequate and ready for that task but does not bring the right amount of emotion into the part intended for her in this film. As a victim of a non-existent character, Attenborough is as ineffective as the word ‘do’ and so is Amoore.
The flaws in the story are far too great for me to even care about the ending, which is quite cool nonetheless. Leading up to the introduction of Ava’s father, a lot of suspense is built up, but in the end, it’s pointless. Nana is still the highlight of the picture despite her lack of development. She is a grandma whose husband has died, and who will do anything to protect her granddaughter, which is pretty much the extent of it. It’s worth noting that when certain characters do die, which happens with unnerving regularity, audiences feel as if they have been robbed as there has been little or no investment in that character. It would be harsh to say that No Way Up is boring, and neither is it right to go too easy on it. On the other hand, it could be an entertaining popcorn film after two or more beers, although a large chunk of the audience is likely to leave it somewhere after a party. Films like Piranha 3D did a better job of shaking viewers than this movie. There were several moments in this film but there was nothing that was shocking. No Way Up suffers from cut ‘n’ paste plot syndrome and is all too familiar and hence quite predictable so for others like me, this film won’t seem one of a kind.
The deaths are clearly savage to the graphical standards of that time however, the fact that they feel so pragmatic, is the reason No Way Up stands out. The funky click-shooting is certainly based on fun, but it doesn’t do or show anything innovative. Currently, it looks like No Way Up barely just passes the grade for films in its category without achieving anything more.
Andy Mason’s No Way Up is a movie that never should have been made. In a single breath, you can say that not amazing but at the same time not terrible that would be the movie’s summary as a whole. Recent implementations of Fabio Guerra that contradict the ideas are likely to be the only class- wow. So, let’s talk about the technically other many facets that measure the film: It is all rated B except for C grading in the impact which’s got B as well. The level of danger is simply set so low and because of this everything is pretty dull and yes, that was the problem. No Way Up is well described by its title still as it depicts the kind of situations that people are forced to go into but don’t really want to. It came, spent the usual 90 minutes, and went, like most other movies so No Way Up probably had little to no thrills to offer.
Just like the other 47 Meters Down, No Way Up was also the work of the same producers. And just like in the above episode, they seemed to be trying to sell the idea of people trapped in a natural jail surrounded by water and sharks. In this sense, it still would have been better if No Way Up did not copy anyhow for instance other parts of history. For those who did watch 47 Meters Down or any other shark movie for that matter, it wouldn’t be of any significance if No Way Up features planes filled with sharks. No Way Up, however, tried to combine such an attacking style with the modern one of the shark movie 47 Meters Down with what the first part in the Final Destination tried but the end result appear to be quite the reverse. There is more bloodshed in the film than in 47 Meters Down but it fails to be memorable within the context of an R-rated film
Shark attack films can be quite entertaining but I’ve never seen a shark attack nor am I privy to the full extent of the oceans, so maybe there’s a possibility for me to be entertained by No Way Up. As so many thrilling shark encounter movies have come and gone this film had virtually no anticipation surrounding its release so we’re left wondering whether No Way Up brings anything new to the table or remains a mediocre shark horror thriller. The outspoken concept that such a film could achieve within the genre remains baffling but with that being said No Way Up has more to show than a classic overused storyline and visuals from a producer’s POV. Maybe there’s unseen magic that Kerry and Miles have tried to showcase, and if there is, then odds are only time can determine it’s tangible existence. The budget for No Way Up did exceed well into the multiple millions range which implies that it could very much prove me wrong. Don’t misunderstand me, amusing shark-attacking movies are always in the suggestion since I’ve always been a lover of action films but in the end, it all perishes on the floor when I ask myself what is No Way Up really trying to portray. Set in the devastatingly beautiful Bahamas the visuals alone made it hard to not fall in love with the islands. To reinforce the stereotype that puzzled my Social friends while The Bahamas is prominent for its colorful tranquil waters. No Way Up uses them exclusively throughout the film, so one would assume that it would work to its advantage.
If you happen to watch No Way Up don’t set your expectations high as its sense of creativity is lacking; however, it does provide an entertaining experience. What we do get alongside the sharks is a dramatic airplane disaster along with the crew and some amnesia-fueled members, but overall not much is given. For those who don’t want to think too much and rather want to witness some action with sharks, No Way Up is made for them. I would not say it has bad elements but rather say all the elements are there but poorly put together. A movie has potential and even the idea sounds good, till you decide to watch A Pool of Sharks, which has the turning point But once you start watching you find out that No Way Up utterly has quite an enthusiasm-filling concept, the plot can feel new and creative if the twist is grand and the outlandish spin satisfies the viewer but the movie fails to live up to that standard.
The characters are allowed to just remain a faint outline of who they once were while the plot is predictably stale and borderline old-fashioned. No Way Up cannot be characterized as a high-volume film, and it is almost hard to recall any of its scenes. A No Way Up film is a standard shark frenzy movie, suitable for any creative spectator, and features the standard beginning of Up movies.
For more movies like No Way Up visit 123movies.