Sinking "Into the Blue"
Buff Bodies Can't Rescue This Waterlogged Thriller
By Jenny Peters

The camera rolls caressingly up Jessica Alba's sleek legs, closing in on her taut, bikini-clad backside. Then there's a shot of Paul Walker's rock-hard abs and broad shoulders. Sound good? It is, for a little while, since both actors are great eye candy as they frolic in the crystal-blue waters of the Bahamas. Unfortunately, their good looks and decent acting chops can't save "Into the Blue" from digging its own watery grave.

The film, helmed by "Blue Crush" director John Stockwell, begins well enough with gorgeous underwater footage of tropical fish, brilliant coral, and majestic sharks luring us into believing that this might just be a fun ride. But as dive master Jared (Paul Walker) quits his job and dreams of searching for treasure-laden wrecks (despite his lack of funds) the film quickly drowns in an ocean of clichés, plot holes and regurgitated story lines.

Along with his lover (Alba), Jared teams up with his rich pal (Caan) and his brand-new galpal (Ashley Scott, whose body is also lovingly photographed from every possible angle) for an undersea treasure hunt, only to find a cocaine-filled plane wreck. While the foursome tries to figure out what to do with their discovery, the bad guys start to surface.

As the film builds to its gore-filled climax in which love triumphs over greed (surprise!), there are a couple of good, scary above- and under-water fight sequences, with Alba proving that she's got what it takes to become a real action heroine. But it takes so long to get there, without a moment of suspense as to which beautiful people are going to come out of the tangled drug-deal-gone-wrong alive, that the audience actually starts making wisecracks at the screen. In the end, this is a lame thriller, barely redeemed by all those beautiful tanned bodies, which are definitely not worth paying ten bucks to see.