Requins. Pourquoi faudrait-il que ce soit des requins ?
Fans of the killer shark horror style have realized to eat gentle over time because the pickings have left one thing to be desired. The challenge isn’t amount as we’ve seen twenty-five or extra previously few years alone, however as a substitute, the issue for us shark assault cinema afishionados comes all the way down to high quality. A sampling of these twenty-five motion pictures consists of titles like Sky Sharks (2020), Noah’s Shark (2021), Ouija Shark 2 (2022), and Cocaine Shark (2023) — you get the image. So when a great one comes alongside, a movie that manages to ship enjoyable thrills all through? Well, it’s time to feast. And because of Xavier Gens‘ latest, a new Netflix film called Under Paris, we’re feasting for the primary time since 2020’s Deep Blue Sea 3 (not a joke, it’s a good time).
Sophia (Academy Award nominee Bérénice Bejo) and her group of ocean researchers are exploring a Pacific Ocean rubbish patch — basically a floating island of plastic crap despatched to sea by us people — and monitoring the impact our air pollution has on marine life. Their important topics are sharks, however no sooner do they spot one they’ve named Lilith when the massive mako shark assaults the group leaving solely Sophia left alive. Three years later she’s working in a Parisian aquarium when a younger activist named Mika (Léa Léviant) tells her that they’re nonetheless monitoring Lilith, and that she’s right here in Paris swimming freely within the Seine. Worse, the town is about to serve up a human buffet within the type of a high-profile triathlon that’s about to kick off within the river too. Sacré bleu!
Under Paris makes its nods to the golden granddaddy of killer shark motion pictures clear with a mayor (Anne Marivin) who ignores the warnings in favor of the acclaim, publicity, and vacationer {dollars} of the massive, pre-Olympics triathlon. It feels each bit, although, that Gens has taken much more inspiration from a Dick Maas double function of Amsterdamned (1988) and Uncaged (2016) because it blends fast-moving thrills on the town’s waterways with an enormous CG-rendered beast tearing its method by the populace in more and more entertaining vogue. To be clear, whereas Maas’ movies lean into comedy at occasions, Gens and firm play Under Paris utterly straight. That stated, simply because there are not any apparent laughs or sight gags doesn’t imply there’s not loads of enjoyable available.
Sophia is joined by a squad of Parisian water cops, together with the gruff however understanding Adi (Nassim Lyes) who bonds together with her over a equally traumatic previous, they usually’re the intense core right here. A lesser script, or no less than one attributed to eight writers as a substitute of this movie’s credited seven (!), would muddy the waters with romance, however right here the main focus stays stopping the upcoming carnage. Other characters, although, handle some antics assured to depart a smile in your face. Marivin doesn’t attempt to channel the late, nice Murray Hamilton, however she delivers some gleeful pomposity as a mayor with no time for sharks. Mika, in the meantime, takes the very actual message about humankind’s ongoing destruction of the planet and its occupants, and helps lead a bunch of like-minded, very honest youths into some harmful waters for one of many movie’s back-half set-pieces leading to some terrifically staged and splendidly bloody chaos.
The shark results are completed with a mixture of the sensible and digital, and the majority of it appears to be like fairly rattling good. Gens lets Lilith come into body slowly, methodically, and its miles (kilometers?) forward of the norm for the style in relation to the CG high quality. That’s not at all times the case as digital sharks darting about won’t ever look actual, and the third act shenanigans get far wilder than you’re most likely anticipating. You’ll most probably be on the hook by that time, although, so the consequences received’t be sufficient to push you away as you’ll as a substitute most probably have settled in for the experience earlier than issues develop gloriously uncontrolled.
Everything in regards to the movie lifts it above the kind of shark motion pictures talked about by title above as, even with some sometimes sketchy CG, Gens is out right here making an actual film. The solid is each gifted and invested which means even the sillier ideas and story turns are delivered convincingly. A handful of pictures use digital matting whereas many of the scenes out of the water are filmed in actual places, and the beats below the water all really feel like they’re truly in open water. Cinematographer Nicolas Massart additionally does good work making certain we really feel the claustrophobic confines of each murky water and the town’s underground/underwater catacombs and tunnels. It all looks like a grounded, ticking time-bomb of a thriller that builds right into a foolish however nonetheless thrilling third act with an unimaginable physique rely. What’s to not love about that?
Gens’ style filmography is far and wide, however he’s been a terrific roll lately with the one-two punch of Mayhem (2023) and this shark romp — one-two-three punch if you happen to embody his stellar work on Gangs of London‘s first season. Next up for him is an action film “adapted” from Charles Dickens called The Guns of Christmas Past, and you can bet we’ll be first in line for that vacation deal with. This might have simply been a throwaway gig, however he provides it his all making certain that the tip result’s a extremely satisfying watch.
At simply over 100 minutes (with credit), Under Paris by no means overstays its welcome and as a substitute builds its characters, story, and thrills with an entertaining ease. This is killer shark horror/thriller executed proper throughout the board, from cash nicely spent on CG to a solid and crew locked in and able to create a severely enjoyable story of nature gone amok with an help from our personal poor ecological selections. It’s not good, essentially, and it will by no means be mistaken for a documentary, however the rattling factor delivers. And not for nothing, however there’s a component at play right here that jogs my memory of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) — don’t fear, no specifics or spoilers — and right here’s hoping it means what I believe it means. Vive la shark cinema!
Under Paris premieres on Netflix beginning June fifth.
Related Topics: Horror, Netflix, Sharks
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