the Mind’s Chew Toy

Can eye candy make for a good movie? That’s what we wanted to know when we first saw a preview for Into the Blue.

Of course, earlier attempts (with Fair Game and Barb Wire) had failed - but maybe Into the Blue had learned from it’s predecessors. Could it have more going for it than just eye candy? We weren’t sure, but we knew we’d enjoy the view while we found out.

One thing that Into the Blue learned from it’s predecessors - provide eye candy for both sexes, not just males. Their solution? Jessica Alba in a skimpy bikini for the guys, and Paul Walker shirtless for the girls. Surprisingly, beneath her gorgeous exterior, Jessica Alba definitely has acting talent (already seen in Fantastic Four and her TV series Dark Angel. In Jessica’s case, her looks are an added bonus and not the only reason she has a spot in front of the camera.

Paul Walker, who viewers may recognize from Timeline (and the horrendous Fast and the Furious films) seems to keep getting roles solely based on his female fanbase, rather than any underlying skill (maybe that will change with his new film, Running Scared). Thankfully, extra help from actors Scott Caan and Ashley Scott help him muddle through.

Into the Blue does have a plot - but viewers probably won’t care. The plot revolves around sunken treasure, missing drugs and moral-challenging issues. The villian, while supposedly a big secret, is easily identifiable from the first moment they get screen-time. Basic and rather mundane, but in this film, viewers won’t even notice.

Into the Blue, as to be expected, is stock full of fun action sequences, creatinga fair amount of tension for our heroes - although some of the action ends up degenerating into complete unoriginality. It’s unfortunate. Of course, the viewer’s interest in seeing those bodies stay undamaged help to keep the tension high as well, but that’s a given for this film.

Despite it’s flaws, Into the Blue makes for an enjoyable hour and a half. With an abundance of eye candy, a good performance (again) from Jessica Alba and a whole slew of action unfolding on-screen, Into the Blue lives up to the eye-candy-thrill-ride you expect. Just don’t go thinking it’s more than that, and you’ll enjoy yourself.

Into The Blue is good enough that it exposes previoues eye candy efforts Fair Game and Barb Wire as the plotless, ridiculous Crawford/Anderson duds they are - but you didn’t really need this film to show you that, did you? Did you?