No Way Up has an intriguing premise that seems to be a new take on the shark attack subgenre of horror. Ufortunately, this thriller sinks more often than it swims. The movie opens with a riff on Final Destination, and it’s a well-done sequence of carnage, but it fails to live up to its premise. There are so many choices made that hinder No Way Up’s chance at greatness, like characters who are given development but then abruptly taken away. Sharks get onto a plane in No Way Up, but the film is more comfortable with sitting in its own mediocrity than using this schlocky selling point to stand out.
No Way Up follows Ava, the daughter of a billionaire who is about to embark on a trip to Mexico with her boyfriend Jed (Jeremias Amoore), his buddy Kyle (Will Attenborough), and Ava’s bodyguard Brandon (Colm Meaney). Unfortunately, the group’s plane crashes into the ocean. While Ava and her party miraculously survived the crash, everyone still breathing in the plane’s wreckage find themselves fighting for their lives against sharks who are hungrily trying to turn the plane into an all-they-can-eat smorgasbord. No Way Up starts off strong, but the film soon offers little surprises and originality, making it passable at best.
No Way Up Took Itself Too Seriously for Its Own GoodNo Way Up Official Trailer (Trailer)
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No Way Up could have succeeded if it dialed up the camp, but for a film with such an outrageous premise, No Way Up is deadly serious. Almost everything about it is lackluster. The performances are mostly dry, the screenplay is forgettable, and the direction is inconsistent. Every aspect that could have been something worthwhile is thrown away early on, leaving the audience with little to no intrigue throughout the film’s runtime.
There isn’t much gore or depth to the death scenes. The plane crash is No Way Up’s most inventive sequence, but it’s not very realistic, even when it tries to be. There is essentially no humor in No Way Up, and the jokes that are made come across as cheesy. The characters carry almost zero depth, except for Brandon, who only appears in the film’s first act. The absence of Brandon for most of the film’s runtime is highly disappointing because his character is the most detailed in the opening scenes. This made the choice to drop him feel out of left field, almost as if the budget could not afford Meaney for the duration of the shoot. Brandon seemingly guides the story, so when he disappears, the whole narrative is thrown off and becomes disengaging. Brandon is supposed to be a highly trained bodyguard with lots of useful survival skills, so perhaps it was supposed to be a shock to the viewer that he ends up not being a central character. Even so, his sudden death really just hurts the narrative flow of the film. Thankfully, Nana (Phyllis Logan) sticks around long enough to make an impact as a headstrong grandmother. Logan fully commits to an otherwise subpar script, and is probably the best thing No Way Up has to offer. However, the performances from Sophie McIntosh and Attenborough (Ava and Kyle, respectively) don’t quite measure up. McIntosh, who leads the film, is adequate but doesn’t deliver the proper emotion that this film needs from a leading performance. Attenborough is forgettable in a paper-thin role, and the same can be said for Amoore.
It’s hard to care what happens at the end of No Way Up when there is such a lack of depth. There is all this build-up regarding Ava’s wealthy father, but it leads nowhere. And while Nana delivers the best performance, she’s still underwritten. She is a grandmother desperately trying to protect her granddaughter after losing her husband, and that’s about it. When characters do die, the viewer is left feeling empty because there is no exploration into who they are. A positive to be said about No Way Up is that it isn’t boring. It could even serve as a decent popcorn flick after more than a few drinks, but will be forgotten after a night by most. There are some nice gory sequences, but nothing that will rattle people the way that a similar and more frenetic fish-attack movie like Piranha 3D might. No Way Up is extremely predictable and offers little that most horror buffs haven’t seen before. The deaths are quick, but if they were more extreme, No Way Up may have stood out more. The shark carnage is entertaining, but it doesn’t do or show anything new. As it is now, No Way Up hits all the minimum requirements for a film like this, but does little else to truly succeed.
No Way Up Is Just Another Derivative Shark Attack Movie
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No Way Up’s screenplay (written by Andy Mason) is one-note, and feels like it could have been written for a made-for-Syfy film from the 2000s. The direction from Claudio Fäh is competent, but never adds up to anything wholly notable. No Way Up is a B movie that should be taken at surface value. The film is thoroughly watchable with a few moments of intrigue, but the narrative is not terribly compelling because nothing is layered. No Way Up is simply about people fighting to escape a dire situation, but the stakes are relatively low because the development of the plot and characters is barely there. Thankfully, No Way Up is a brisk 90-minute watch, so it never overstays its welcome. However, if subplots or anything else (such as fun kills and action) were added to fill up the empty storyline, then the movie could have actually benefited from a longer runtime. No Way Up is inoffensive, but insipid.
No Way Up was made by the same producers as the 47 Meters Down films. It seemed like they wanted to repeat the success of the latter by recycling and mildly tweaking the formula of trapping survivors in an inescapable underwater prison surrounded by sharks. But instead of trying to replicate something that came before, it would have been a better idea if No Way Up mixed things up. Those who’ve seen 47 Meters Down or any shark movie for that matter would have no interest in No Way Up, even if it shook things up by putting sharks in a plane. No Way Up tried to combine a modern shark attack movie like 47 Meters Down with the thrills of the first Final Destination, but the final product just feels like more of the same. The movie is bloodier than 47 Meters Down, but still feels massively toned down for an R-rated affair.
No Way Up has several ideas up its sleeve, but abandons them all to be a simplistic shark thriller that fails to stand out from all the rest. The disaster element that No Way Up incorporated in its opening is its strongest idea, but after that, it descends into painfully familiar territory. Viewers may watch No Way Up all the way through, hoping to be surprised, but they’ll just be left disappointed by what is an easily digestible but almost recycled shark attack movie. For a movie that takes place underwater, No Way Up misses the opportunity to feature stunning cinematography. No Way Up is too dark for much of its runtime, and there aren’t nearly enough shots of the creatures of the deep. Some of the shark effects are decently designed, but the camera never lingers on them long enough to make the shark scenes truly worthwhile.The sharks are also not vicious enough for the audience to believe that they are bloodthirsty predators, further adding to the improbability of No Way Up. Some of the brief underwater shots are visually appealing, but there aren’t nearly enough of them to make No Way Up aesthetically memorable. The movie’s editing is simplistic, like most of its other aspects. The soundtrack is typical and easy to forget.
No Way Up Offered Little Beyond Its Interesting Premise
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Almost every component of No Way Up is mediocre, but it’s still a fun watch if the viewer isn’t expecting much.No Way Up features a plane crash and survivors fighting for their lives against sharks in the sunken plane, but that’s it. If a viewer is looking for a quick and mindless way to pass the time with a silly shark thriller, No Way Up is the movie for them. It isn’t terrible, but it’s just so ordinary that it’s almost painful. No Way Up delivers a standard shark attack film when it, given its central gimmick, could have been so much more. No Way Up’s lack of creativity or an appropriately bizarre twist only made it feel more dated than intended. The characters are underdeveloped, and the plot is extremely predictable. No Way Up is slightly entertaining, but entirely unmemorable. No Way Up is a run-of-the-mill shark attack with a promising premise, but a disappointing execution.
