Shark attack movies exist in a subgenre of horror and action — and have been done to death. It’s at a point now where these films are so formulaic that it’s unlikely a new addition will offer anything unique. Great White is no exception. Featuring laughable CGI and a by-the-numbers story, Great White provides way more bores than thrills.
Great White stars Katrina Bowden as Kaz, one-half of a charter plane business. Kaz and her partner Charlie fly a couple and their personal chef to Hell’s Reef. However, things actually become hellish when the group gets stranded in the ocean and hunted by a vicious shark. This film takes the same silly approach as movies like The Shallow, in which the shark lives in order to stalk and hunt humans like the underwater equivalent of Jason Voorhees. This depiction makes sharks seem like demons intent on killing humans when in reality a shark attack would never happen that way. Sure, this subgenre is supposed to be over the top, but when Great White doesn’t revel in the sheer insanity of its plotline.
Great White has maybe 20 minutes of shark attack sequences. Most of this film plays out like an undeveloped soap opera. Kaz is pregnant. Michelle (Kimie Tsukakoshi) is the granddaughter of a man who was the sole survivor of a great white shark attack. Charlie is becoming heated by the constant flirting between her and the plane’s chef. None of this is developed enough to make it effective and distract from the shark action. An early scene of the shark biting a plane is awesome, but sadly, scenes like this are far and few between in Great White.
The film never manages to find a sturdy balance between its drama and shark problem. However, in the last 25 minutes, there are a few strange sequences that cause the movie to move into the so-bad-it’s-good territory. The most notable of these scenes involves a strangely sensual act of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. If Great White played more with its schlocky elements, it could have stood out, but it’s ultimately a very by the numbers experience for most of its runtime.
All the actors are giving their all in Great White, but the script provides them with flat characters. Bowden, a scream queen, is vibrant to watch as usual, but her character is written extremely thinly. Even with Bowden giving it her all, it’s very hard to stay engaged. The score also hurts the film, mainly because of how sappy it is, feeling like it’s telling the audience how to feel at every moment instead of letting them feel it organically. Great White feels altogether too passive for a shark attack film.
Great White‘s scenery and cinematography are visually pleasing, and one positive aspect of this movie is its night scene shots. So many films have night scenes where the audience can’t see anything: Great White bucks this trend. Unfortunately, the bulk of the film feels too familiar to stand out from the other school of fish in the genre.
Great White is now available to stream exclusively on Shudder.
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