A review of ‘No Way Up’

Does having sharks on a plane seem too far-fetched a premise for a movie? Leave it to Hollywood to figure out how to do it because it did, and the result is the suspense thriller No Way Up.

The film stars Sophie Macintosh as Ava, a young college girl born with a silver spoon, who is on her way to a holiday weekend with her friends in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The plane encounters a very serious problem and is forced into the sea, leaving her and a handful of lucky passengers to fend for their lives against, you guessed it, sharks.

The plot is simple and very linear, with the survivors fighting to escape their watery imprisonment and get to the surface. For every good idea they have, something else comes up that sets them back or forces them to rethink their plan. It is fairly predictable, but it manages to be suspenseful and keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Veteran actor Colm Meaney, best known as Chief Miles O’brien on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, lends some star power to the cast as Ava’s confidant and bodyguard. Also doing some heavy lifting is Phyllis Logan of Downton Abbey fame, a kind old grandmother going on a trip with her husband and granddaughter.

The movie is a peculiar mix between disaster movie and survival horror, playing with elements of both to unique effect. For the most part, it all works, and the film can blend the aspects of both genres, with pregnant pauses and jump scares enough to satisfy suspensehungry audiences.

Get ready to hold your breath, as No Way Up is showing in theaters now.