Xavier Gens’ (Cold Skin, The Divide) latest movie, Under Paris, is now streaming on Netflix, and if you were a fan of the Jaw movie series, then you might want to add this sharky movie to your list! As the title suggests, the entire movie is set in Paris and focuses on a shark lurking in the river Seine. Under Paris features a talented cast but the spotlight remains on the main character, Sophia, played by Bérénice Bejo (The Artist, Final Cut).
Under Paris does set itself apart from other shark movies, and has a unique premise, but ultimately blood bath resembles other shark-related horror movies that have an impressive fan following. In this review, we will discuss Gens’ latest movie a little more, and hopefully, by the end of it, you will be able to decide whether you want to stream it or skip it.
Brutal Shark Attack in River Seine
To begin with, we have to admit that Under Paris is not everyone’s cup of tea. As far as the trailer or promotions of the movie go, it appeared to focus primarily on the Paris triathlon, but that is only a small fraction of it.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty to look forward to in this horror movie, but if you feel nauseous at the sight of blood, we would highly recommend skipping it, because not everyone can stomach a bloody shark attack.
Under Paris revolves around the life of Sophia, who is the protagonist of the movie, and despite previous events that left her traumatized, she finds herself back in the water, often willingly, but not always. Sophia’s character might be the protagonist, but the star of Under Paris is the shark, or in this case, sharks, whose contribution to some scenes can be classified as “horror.”
Léa Léviant does a brilliant job in portraying the character Mika, who had dedicated her life to activism and was eager to save the shark, but ultimately, that’s what leads to her demise. Mika’s death in Under Paris was definitely unexpected, however, it is this death that sparks one of the two major attacks in the movie, and in our opinion, this one felt a lot more brutal than the next one, which was a lot bigger.
The second major shark attack takes place during the Paris triathlon when the shark swims closer to all the people who are swimming in the river, taking them down one after the other. Despite Sophia and Adil’s attempt to ceasefire, things go incredibly wrong, leaving the city in ruins. Under Paris does a good job of delivering grandeur, which will leave you stunned ever so often.
Conclusion
Under Paris might not be for everyone, but if you decide to dip your toes into the shark-horror subgenre, then Xavier Gens’ movie might be a good place to start. Do let us know in the comments what you think about it so far.
