There are three things that I hate more than anything in the world. The first thing is snakes, then heights, and then lastly, sharks. Sharks. Where do I even begin? In many movies, sharks are portrayed as being flesh-eating monsters.

A few weeks ago, I watched a movie called 47 Meters Down, and that’s exactly what happened in this one. It’s supposed to leave audiences utterly terrified, but in reality, it was just bad.

The movie begins with your typical relationship drama. After being dumped by her boyfriend, a girl named Lisa (Mandy Moore) and her younger sister Kate (Claire Holt) go to a party to forget their relationship troubles. While partying, they meet some local guys who convince them to go on an excursion where they can climb into a shark cage and be lowered into the water. Lisa agrees to do it with a lot of apprehension. She grows increasingly nervous when they get to the dock and find that the boat is rickety, and the cage is even more flimsy. Nevertheless, Kate coaxes her into going down and soon they are being lowered into the deep ocean. At first, everything is fine– the ocean life is beautiful, and a couple of sharks show up on schedule. Much to their surprise, their easy-going excursion takes a wrong turn, and they plunge down 47 meters to the ocean floor. With only a small amount of air left in their tanks, the sisters struggle to figure a way out.

If I am being totally honest, I hated the movie. There are already plenty of movies about shark attacks, and this movie was no different. Before even watching the movie, I knew exactly what was about to happen. It was quite simple: two girls go scuba diving in a shark cage and wind up trapped 47 meters below the surface. Then sharks show up. And since there are sharks in many other scary movies, I knew exactly how the girls would react. This movie has no room for surprises. The only real mystery throughout the movie is which of the two girls survives, if any, or perhaps even both.

Although the movie was a simple shark attack film, after taking time to reflect on it, I realized that the idea behind the film was actually quite smart. The movie attempts to explain and put one of people’s biggest fears into reality. And even though it didn’t turn out as great as it could have, the intention behind the movie wasn’t that bad.

I’m surprised to find myself defending a movie that I didn’t even like. But I am. It’s not that the movie doesn’t deserve criticism. It certainly does. The acting performances earn failing grades across the board, and the plotline was all too predictable. Nevertheless, the original idea was smart and if executed correctly, could have been a very good movie.

To people who haven’t seen this movie, here is my advice: understand what you are getting into. Keep your expectations low and know that this movie will not surprise you. 47 Meters down is nothing special. It’s not a stand-out movie, and if that’s what you’re looking for, I would recommend looking somewhere else.