REVIEW: Adrift Doesn’t Quite Set Sail

Water can be beautiful and serene, but also brutal and relentless. It can be smooth as glass one moment and shatter into rough whitecaps and waves in the blink of an eye. All that unfolds in STX Films’ new film, Adrift. Starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin, this is the true story of a young couple, Tami Oldman and Richard Sharp, as they sail from Tahiti to San Diego on a friend’s sailboat. What starts out as a romantic adventure for the pair quickly turns to disaster when they encounter one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean..

Shailene plays Tami, a young woman who left her life behind in San Diego to see the world. Shailene does a wonderful job portraying the real life character and her struggles to survive once she is stuck on on the water. She does well to bring to life the vulnerable side of the character while also showcasing her fun loving side. Sam plays Shailene’s love, Richard, a young man Tami meets in her travels. Not much is asked of Sam in this film, but the chemistry between the two is strong. They have the ability to play off one another in a joyous way through shared looks and words expressed during their most cherished moments.

Adrift is very much a survival story, but it gets a bit lost at sea. Certain parts of the story tend to drag on while other scenes could have been dug into deeper. The film is shot beautifully and really showcases the beautiful yet destructive force that is the ocean.

For those wanting to see this film, I would suggest waiting for it to be released On Demand or on DVD. It is the type of film you will want to watch on a rainy day. For those who do intend to see it this weekend, I will warn you that there are some intense scenes, so be ready to close your eyes.

Grade: C