Under Paris is a 2024 horror film that sees a massive shark enter the Seine in France. A marine biologist has to team up with the police to stop an international bloodbath. If you listen to the podcast, you will know I am a massive shark lover. I love shark movies and I love sharks in general. I came into this movie with lower expectations because shark movies tend to not always be the best, but I walked out thinking it was completely fine.
I’ll start with some good: when the sharks are on the screen, I found the movie to be at its best. The sharks tend to be some of the most compelling characters in most movies and it’s no different here. Lilith is a massive mako shark who fled the ocean due to rampant pollution. She hides away in the Seine, making use of the underwater catacombs to live and breed. When she and her fellow sharks come across humans, they make quick work of them.
I’d have to say my favorite part of this movie is the action. The sharks are incredibly brutal and the movie doesn’t shy away from showing it. There are really only three scenes where the sharks attack but they rack up the body count, which I always love.
The movie does well with its setting. The catacombs add a layer of claustrophobia, especially with how many people and sharks were crammed into the tight spaces. The murky waters of the Seine and the trash waters in the ocean added tension by only showing the sharks when they were ready to attack.
Now, my main problem with the movie is there as well. They simply do not show the sharks enough. Those three scenes are pretty much the only time we see the sharks. There is not enough there to build effective tension. It made it feel like it was a story about pollution and climate change with sharks just in the background. I’m sure it was intentional but it held the movie back in that regard.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This would all be well and fine but I have seen some legitimate sites call this movie the best shark movie since Jaws and that is not just false, but unfair to Under Paris. No shark movie will ever be on Jaws’s level and it sets up some massive expectations that this movie just can’t meet. This movie is more than fine on its own and does a lot well enough that I was entertained for the most part. The ending gets really wild which is really fun, just go in knowing it’s not Jaws even though there are some similarities and I think you’ll enjoy it.
