One of the most underrated films coming out this summer is The Shallows , and it really shouldn’t be. It looks absolutely amazing and has been generating a lot of attention in the past couple of weeks, and that is due, in large part, to the great marketing campaign. Unfortunately, all good things must have a snag now and then which is what has happened with the newest poster which shows star Blake Lively photoshopped into oblivion.
Bloody-Disgusting has brought notice to a brand new poster which has been released for the shark thriller called The Shallows , and well, it’s quite frightening. No, it isn’t scary as in the movie is going to be scary, but for how bad it looks.
As you can see, there are a lot of problems with this poster and it’s hard to know which one to start with when detailing the issues. While movie posters often receive a lot of touch-ups and photoshop, there is far too much in this one for The Shallows.
First of all, Blake Lively’s eyes make her look strung out on drugs instead of caught up in fear. Her cheek bones are sunken in so much that she looks like she hasn’t eaten in at least two weeks. While on the subject of lack of nutrition, it’s not hard to notice that her ribs look like they were caught up in a washing machine.
Bloody-Disgusting made a valid point that Lively actually looks more like a zombie in the poster that sees a shark approaching in the background. A shark that wasn’t in the original image from the film which has been circulating for a number of weeks now.
In this original image, you can see the differences between it and the new poster. It’s noticeable that Lively’s body color was also lightened and the majority of the blood and bruises on her body were photoshopped off of her.
Matters aren’t helped in the least with the shark that looks like a fin was just placed on top of the water. Whoever made the poster tried to raise up the water a little bit, but it wasn’t done with much success.
For those who are unfamiliar with The Shallows , there isn’t much to the story, but it certainly builds on the tension. Lively is going to be the focal point of the film along with a shark that torments her throughout the duration as revealed by the official synopsis.
“In the taut thriller The Shallows, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy’s ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.”
The Shallows is set to hit theaters on June 24, and many are still anxiously awaiting the release of the tension-filled film. Oscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen, and Sedona Legge also star alongside Lively, but it isn’t expected that they will have a lot of on-screen time.
It’s hard to fully understand why this poster for The Shallows had to be doctored up in such a way that Blake Lively looks inhuman. For a film that will primarily show just one person and is going to rely so much on detail and emotion, it’s hard to understand why the marketing director went this route with the poster. Hopefully, this won’t turn people off on the film, but it will turn them off by looking at it.
[Image via Columbia Pictures]