Under Paris(2024)(Review)

There has been a surge in shark attack films over the last few years, especially once ‘The Meg’ opened the floodgates back in 2018. The remarkable thing about this niche corner of aquatic/creature feature horror though is that most shark attack films are often quite different from one another. So when Netflix dropped this one last year, I wasn’t all that interested – until I saw that the director was Xavier Gens, the director of French Extremity film ‘Frontier(s)’ and ‘Mayhem!’.

In a cold open, we see marine biologists jumping into the ocean to check on one of their tagged Mako sharks. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, tragedy ensues. A few years later, one of the grieving scientists becomes aware that the very shark they had tagged has now made its way to the mainland, and directly into the Seine River in Paris. To make matters worse, Paris is hosting a massive triathlon in just over a week that will feature athletes and reporters from all around the world.

This film is a lot of fun. It is played with a more serious tone that is balanced with solid violence, fantastic set pieces, and better-than-average special effects, (the sharks almost have the look of the alligators from ‘Crawl’). While some of it is a bit hokey and over-the-top, it definitely sits on a higher pedestal than most of the shark films we’ve gotten recently.

It’s certainly no ‘Deep Blue Sea’, but it’s leagues above the ‘Open Water’ sequels. And there’s just something seriously cool about seeing sharks swimming through the underground catacombs of Paris – that alone is worth the watch. It’s originally filmed in French with English subtitles, but Netflix allows you to watch with English dubs if you desire (which aren’t that bad, to be honest). It’s a good time if you just want something easy to watch, but don’t expect a complete shakeup of the formula.

3.5/5
“Under Paris” is streaming exclusively on Netflix.

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra

The Gruesome Gazette

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