Movie Review: Under Paris (2024)

Synopsis: Sophia and her team are researching sharks by the Great Pacific garbage patch when they discover the shark they have tagged, Lilith, has grown to an unusual size. Lilith also turns violent and wipes out her team, which includes her husband, leaving Sophia traumatized. Three years later, while working at an aquarium in Paris, France, Sophia is approached by a group of environmentalists who have been tracking tagged sharks to help keep them safe and discovered Lilith's signal. Only, instead of being in the Pacific Ocean, the enormous shark is swimming in the River Seine, putting the citizens of Paris in danger just a few days before a triathlon is scheduled to be held by a mayor who refuses to cancel the event.

Who's in it? The movie stars Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant, Sandra Parfait and Anne Marivin.

Review: I had heard good things about this movie and while the whole killer shark genre seems to be a bit overdone, seemed somewhat intriguing. So, since my wife and I were still recovering from our vacation, and I had the lawn mown, we sat down early yesterday evening to give it a try. My opinion of it was a bit mixed.

On the surface, this movie really isn't much different than the film Jaws. You have a killer shark lurking in the water days before a major city event and the mayor (Marivin) doesn't want to put safety ahead of profit and nobody seems to want to take the shark expert (Bejo) seriously, even as dozens are killed, despite the fact she had first-hand experience with the shark in question.

That said, there were some unique elements to this movie as well. For one, I liked how, despite the death toll, the protagonists were just as concerned about the shark's safety and getting it back to the ocean alive. This made the movie a little less predictable because it added a new level of difficulty and raised the question of "how far would they be willing to go before they decided to just kill it?"

Having Lilith being pregnant and giving birth to dozens of other evolved sharks was a nice touch as well because it was no longer man versus shark and instead it was man versus a pack of sharks that worked together. When mixed in with the triathlon, you could imagine the carnage.

I think the best part of this film was the ending. It was unexpected, a little funny and ultimately worked with the overall theme of the film. It was a clever way to end this movie while setting up a potential sequel.

Final Opinion: While there isn't a ton that sets this film apart from other shark movies, there is just enough to make it somewhat unique and entertaining. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and would recommend it as a result.

My Grade: A