A science-fiction thriller monster movie makes an amateur horror film.
“What Lies Below” is a mystery thriller released in 2020. Newly added onto Netflix and securing the number three spot on the Top 10 in the U.S Today, is it worthy of that place?
No, definitely not.
The sci-fi thriller “What Lies Below” follows 16-year-old Liberty Wells (Ema Horvath) who is coming home from summer camp. When she arrives at her mother’s (Mena Suvari) lake-house, she discovers that her mother has a new boyfriend, (Trey Tucker). Her mother’s new boyfriend, John, is an aquatics geneticist who is currently living with her mother, Michelle, as he works to help fresh-water creatures adapt to saltwater habitats. The more time Liberty spends with John, the more she begins to realize that he is not so perfect.
“What Lies Below,” absolutely nothing! The first 30 minutes start off moderately okay. The mystery is heightened and has the audience eager to see why John is such a weird dude. However, nothing special happens after that. All of the tension and mystery are sucked dry, leaving nothing but a pool of confusion.
Directed by Braden R. Duemmler, “What Lies Below” has more plot holes than there are fish in the sea. The characters are bland and lack originality. Not to mention the leading antagonist starts off being fishy and literally ends being fishy. The only clear point that the movie has is that John is some Creature of the Black Lagoon who can shapeshift into a man.
That is it. Nothing past that point is clarified. Duemmler keeps throwing twists at the audience and hoping something sticks. Yet, the twists fall flat as nothing is explained which leaves the audience utterly confused. It comes to a point where there seems to be no linear plot line.
Duemmler has an interesting idea that goes against the typically psycho-killer thriller, but it was not executed well. The story lacks substance and only skims the surface. The movie is basically an idea that needs a lot more time to be developed.
Even just the basic structure of the antagonist’s character was not fully thought out. He is connected to the aquatic community, that much is understood. However, everything else about him is left for the viewers to decipher. Does he want to repopulate the fresh-water community and is that the reason for being with Liberty’s mom? Is he some new hybrid sent out to help find women for reproduction? Why are there clones of John?
Yes, you heard me, CLONES! I would say this is a spoiler, but it really is not since it never gets explained anyways. How does having red hair connect at all to the victims being chosen? Is there even a connection or was that just a stylistic choice? If you are confused just reading my questioning, you are not far from the feeling I had watching this film.
The film ends before anything can be properly explained and makes absolutely no sense at all. “What Lies Below” tries too hard to be an edgy-mystery thriller but completely fails on all fronts. The only mystery is why people are even watching this movie to begin with!
The Beat @APU 