Good Morning Lovelies, 

When two giant on-screen forces join for a sci-fi adventure that will push every boundary, you hope that what you will get is an epic thriller that will leave you breathless. Yet, in Submergence, James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander are let down by a script that never fully delivers on what it sets out to achieve.

Directed by Wim Wenders, the film sees McAvoy transform into Scottish spy James More, alongside Vikander’s bio-mathematician Danielle Flinders. As both fall for each other, they are faced with being torn apart, as they both head off on separate missions around the world. Danielle’s being a deep-sea diving journey to test her theory on the origin of life. James’ being a takedown mission in Somalia to stop suicide bombers heading to Europe. However, when James’ life is put at risk when he is taken hostage, Danielle must travel around the world to save him.

Throughout watching you never truly know the genre of the film. Is it a thriller? A spy feature? A love story? Every possible outcome is presented and yet nothing feels truly played out. Too much messing around with the script and story means the feature is often losing out on what could be an epic romance. Everything is ready for it to be this, including the way in which the characters present themselves, yet the script doesn’t allow for these paths to come together and meet. All lost in a miscommunication that means that the film is torn apart before it has even given the characters a chance.

There are moments though in which the film really works and that is due to the way the characters perform. Especially Vikander, who takes on the more dominant role within the film. Focusing more on her work than on the relationship that is starting to bloom, her character gives a modern outlook on what she wants out of life. Unlike McAvoy’s character, whose character is more closed off, until his character is taken hostage and he can give a more emotive performance.

Yet, the film also uses these moments to make audiences witness some of the most unexpected and clumsy notes within the story. For example, the endless checking of a phone and the over the top way in which the characters try to reunite.

Submerged in clumsy scripting and a storyline never fully allowed to flow, Submergence fails to give audiences a true story that they can fall into. The base of the characters and their lives is fully enraptured in a mixture of mayhem and chaos that fails to meet with audiences. This is why I am giving the film…