REVIEW: The Red Sea Diving Resort Never Fully Dives In
In 1979, a group of international agents came together to smuggle thousands of Ethiopian Jews out of a Sudanese refugee camp to Israel. Under the disguise of a seaside resort, the team worked for years to save countless lives and help try to bring an end to the struggles facing Ethiopian Jews in Africa.
Now, this coming Thursday, July 31, Netflix will be releasing their own version of the true-life tale. Starring Chris Evans as Israeli Mossad Agent, Ari Levinson, from the first few moments of the movie the audience will learn that Ari is a no-nonsense kind of guy and he is certainly not the guy to leave anyone behind. After almost being taken off the mission to save the Ethiopian Jews, Ari devises a plan to use an abandoned seaside resort, The Red Diving Resort as a cover up to continue his fight. With permission from the Israeli government, Ari puts together a team to help pull of this dangerous mission. However, their plan almost goes sideways when not only does a bus full of tourists show up to their resort for vacation, but Sudanese Army Officer, Col. Abdel Ahmed (Chis Chalk) begins looking into their so-called resort.
The Red Diving Resort has everything it needs to a great movie. An A-list cast and a great storyline, but the movie never manages to reach that level of perfection. The pacing falls short in a number of scenes and there is not enough build up to warrant the climatic outcome. Chalk is great as the menacing rebel officer, but is not featured enough to really make the audience truly hate him. Michiel Huisman, Haley Bennett, Alessandro Nivola, and Alex Hassell make up Ari’s team and even though they play a pivotal pat in the film, the group is not allotted enough character building to allow for the audience to create a connection with them. This is one of the parts that really feel underdeveloped in the movie. We know that Ari had a connection to each of them, but what that connection was and why he picked these specific people for the mission is never revealed.
The Red Sea Diving Resort has its ups and it definitely as its down. What could have been a really great movie turned a little lackluster. The story is a great story and it is one that definitely needs to be heard, so for those looking for something to have on in the background this weekend or for something to watch while they are multi-tasking, give this movie a chance.
Grade: C