Adrift (2018)

Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Thomas
Runtime: 96 minutes

Synopsis: The true story of Tami Oldham who, while on a boat trip with her boyfriend, had to face a hurricane that completely destroyed their ship.   

• Performances: 6/10

Why? In a movie that relied a lot on Woodley and Claflin's performances to showcase their respective characters' desperation and mental status, I felt that the acting was too two dimensional, especially from Claflin's part, too truly deliver these feelings. Woodley had some strong scenes, though. 

• Screenplay: 3/10

Why? While the story of Tami is one that deserves a big screen adaptation without a doubt, the screenwriters made the weird decision to focus a lot on her romance with Richard, to the point of altering her actual story to better include it. The film turned into a Nicholas Spark-like romance flick really fast, and I didn't care for it at all. 

• Special Effects: 5/10

Why? Not a lot of special effects shots used. The scenes of the hurricane weren't really convincing in my opinion.

• Costumes/Makeup: 5/10

Why? The outfits worn by the two main characters reflected well the times and situations they were in. However, the makeup used for the cuts they received during the accident wasn't convincing at all.

• Editing: 3/10

Why? The decision to tell a nonlinear story where they kept jumping from the survival situation to a cheesy romance is one I don't get at all. The two narratives don't mix well, and one is much more interesting than the other.

• Cinematography: 7/10

Why? By far the best aspect of the film. The cinematographer captured a lot of gorgeous wide shots that did the job of making the audience aware of the situation of the two main characters. Plus, that long opening scene shot in one take was absolutely insane. My issue with it comes in the romance parts where, much like everything else in the movie, it kind of lost its beauty and became much safer and unspecial.  

• Score/Soundtrack: 5/10

Why? The score didn't add anything to the story but also didn't bring it down. It was just there, and I barely noticed it at all.

FINAL GRADE: 4/10