I live in northwest Indiana where, at this time of year, it is not uncommon to get a taste of three to four seasons in one day. We’ve changed our clocks back an hour and now it gets dark earlier in the evening and did I mention how cold it is? One way to combat the cold and dark is to lose oneself in a movie set in a beautiful, sunny, and warm paradise. It’s even more fun when the movie is a shark movie!
Great White, an upcoming release from Shudder, starts as most shark movies do: a seemingly happy couple swimming in seemingly peaceful waters and conveniently far away from any other people and just when you’re pulled into the serenity of the scene, cue dramatic music, here comes a shark. Yes!
After that thrilling opening, we meet two of the main characters: Charlie, a retired marine biologist, and his girlfriend Kaz who seem to be having struggles in both their relationship and their small seaplane tour business. It’s hard to tell from the way they’re introduced if we are supposed to like them or root for them as a couple, but that gets answered later on. Charlie, Kaz, and their cook Benny agree to take Michelle and Joji on what they think is a routine trip. The group lands near Hell’s Reef where we learn more about why Michelle and Joji hired the seaplane and, of course, disaster strikes so that we get to meet more sharks! Will they make it to land safely? Or will the sharks have a great meal?
I really enjoyed this movie and not just because I like most shark movies. The characters were amusing (they were not the best people, but they were still entertaining), there was plenty of drama and lots of intense moments.
Is the storyline very original? No, but who cares? In my opinion, shark movies are meant to be fun and not taken so seriously. There are scares and thrills, which, to me, is more important than story in this genre. Great White was a fun, bloody ride that I highly recommend to fans of shark films.
Great White is available only on Shudder November 11th. Go watch it and come back and let us know what you think.