It was in January 2020: ‘Underwater – It’s Awakened’, a new Hollywood production with a star cast, was released. The whole thing looked quite interesting in the trailer and on the poster – they promised some kind of blend of the James Cameron blockbusters “Aliens” and “Abyss”. Yet almost no one saw the thriller, which was somewhere between science fiction, horror and action, at the time. Today you have the chance to catch up on what you missed on television:
‘Underwater – It is Awakened’ can be seen tonight from February 18 to 19, 2024 at 0:30 on RTL. If that’s too late for you, you can watch the film anytime as part of your Disney+ subscription.
Alternatively, online retailers such as Amazon are offering the FSK 16 title on Blu-ray/DVD and as paid video-on-demand for streaming:
‘Underwater’ on RTL: that is the story
The clever Norah (Kristen Stewart) works as a mechanic at a huge high-tech research station located more than seven miles below sea level in the western Pacific Ocean. Then the monotonous, claustrophobic life she and the other people there lead is shaken by an unannounced seaquake that seriously damages the exterior of the complex.
Large amounts of water immediately rush in, killing most of the crew. Panicked, Norah and her colleagues Paul (TJ Miller) and Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie) look for other survivors. Together with Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel), the marine biologist Emily (Jessica Henwick) and a few others, they finally want to save themselves in diving suits across the seabed to a nearby oil rig.
In this desperate and extremely dangerous attempt, they not only have to deal with the enormous deep pressure, the darkness and further aftershocks. Suddenly they are confronted with attacks from mysterious creatures apparently unleashed by the strong vibrations from the mass of the Earth…
Kristen Stewart & Co. were simply ignored.
In the person of Kristen Stewart, who became world famous through the ‘Twilight’ saga, a real star heads the cast of ‘Underwater – Awakened’. Other popular mimes include TJ Miller, who played the title hero’s funny sidekick in “Deadpool 1+2,” as well as “Hass” and “The Crimson Rivers” veteran Vincent Cassel. Yet The Signal and Paranormal Activity 7 director William Eubank’s attempt reportedly failed at $80 million at the US box office. Not even a quarter of the budget could be recovered there.
In Germany, when it was published at the same time, things looked even bleaker. Also because virtually no cinema wanted to show the film at all. In large parts of the republic there was simply no chance of seeing him. Even in a metropolis like Hamburg, it only ran for a few days in the smallest hall of a suburban multiplex. All other cinemas in the Hanseatic city simply ignored the start and preferred to show the very weak reboot of “The Grudge”, which was also released on January 9, 2020, or the blockbusters “Star Wars 9” and “Jumanji 2”, which were released in December .
Read our FILMSTARTS review of author Janick Nolting’s “Underwater,” who gave it an average of two and a half stars, and decide if you want to watch the film tonight. Even though there is little substantive happening and the characters are very thinly drawn, there is at least something there. a convincingly claustrophobic atmosphere and a lot of tension.
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