The Last Breath – Movie Review (3/5)

THE LAST BREATH is a new shark thriller with a simple and very decent plot. It also uses shark special effects and CGI in a limited way that makes for a much better result. Read our full The Last Breath movie review here!

THE LAST BREATH is coming out in theaters and On Demand. If you’re a fan of shark movies, then this is one for you. For me, efficient shark thriller or horror movies work best when CGI is kept at a minimum, which is the case with this one.

You will see sharks, but the use of shadow and light along with sharks at a distance is used to build suspense throughout. Very efficiently so, I might add. The runtime is 1 hour and 36 minutes, which also works for it. The ending may be a bit too easy-going, but I still liked it.

Continue reading our The Last Breath movie review below. Find it in theaters and On Demand from July 26, 2024.

From wreck diving to shark survival

After finding the long-lost wreck of the warship USS Charlotte, two people working a tourist dive business finally catch a break. It’s been the lifelong pursuit of Levi (Julian Sands), who owns the tourist dive business in the British Virgin Islands, and now he succeeded.

Along with the recent college dropout Noah (Jack Parr), they are considering their options to make a fortune before contacting authorities. When Noah learns that Levi owes money (a lot of money), he sells a once-in-a-lifetime experience to one of his very wealthy friends.

With the money from this dive, Levi will manage to get the diving business out of the red, and things will look up financially again.

Of course, the wealthy friend needs to first survive the epic dive, which will prove difficult as sharks show up in and around the wreck.

The final movie of Julian Sands

In The Last Breath, no one is thinking about sharks as they go diving to explore a wreck. In fact, sharks have not been spotted in the area for quite some time, so it isn’t something to worry about. Usually!

This ended up being the last movie starring Julian Sands, who passed away while on a hike. To me, Julian Sands has always been Warlock (1989), though he has done so many iconic movies. Including Arachnophobia (1990) and David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

His character in The Last Breath is constantly knitting and wears a red hat like famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Also, I couldn’t help but think of Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws (1975) which I assume was also the intention though that character wore a dark blue knitted hat.

Whichever was intentional (I hope both), it was a nice touch.

Levi (Julian Sands) stays on the boat, while everyone else is underwater inside the wreck. This is where they encounter the sharks, which makes for a claustrophobic battle for survival. One where each is deeply reliant on their oxygen as well, which will be crucial.

As revealed by the title!

Watch The Last Breath in Theaters or on Demand

The Last Breath is directed by award-winning filmmaker Joachim Hedén. He also directed another underwater thriller titled Breaking Surface (2020), which was remade in 2023 as The Dive. The screenplay comes from writers Andrew Prendergast and Nick Saltrese.

Along with Julian Sands, in what would become his final role, we have a small cast that delivers good performances. No small feat when acting underwater for most of the movie. The cast includes Kim Spearman (As I Am), Jack Parr (Peaky Blinders), Alexander Arnold (Yesterday), Erin Mullen, and Arlo Carter.

Admittedly, it’s quite easy to guess the order in which people will die, so there’s no huge shock in that sense. However, is that a prerequisite for a shark thriller to be good? It would make it better maybe, but it’s still good as is. Also, the use of shark footage works impressively well!

THE LAST BREATH is out in theaters and on demand on July 26, 2024.

Details

Director: Joachim Hedén
Writer: Nick Saltrese
Cast: Kim Spearman, Jack Parr, Alex Arnold, Erin Mullen, Arlo Carter, Julian Sands