Deep Water (2026): A Mindless Throwback Shark Thriller

Deep Water sees director Renny Harlin tackle the shark genre for the second time, following the solid cult classic that was 1999’s ‘Deep Blue Sea.’ This time around, the story centers around Ben (Eckhart), a middle aged pilot responsible for flying a group of international passengers from Los Angeles to Shanghai. After a fire onboard forces the plane to make an emergency landing in the middle of the ocean, they just happen to land in an area of the ocean which happen to be in shark infested waters. With little survivors and time running out, as the accumulating plane debris keeping them afloat slowly begins to sink, the remaining group are forced to put their differences aside and work together, in the hopes of overcoming the frenzy of sharks drawn to the wreckage.

Harlin’s best film since the aforementioned ‘Deep Blue Sea,’ Deep Water offers up an effort that trumps much of the shark attack thrillers released as of late. For the most part, the film feels like it has been ripped right from the 1990’s in the best possible way, from Harlin’s energetic direction, to the frenetic camerawork, and the quick cut editing. It is a nice throwback to both the survival and creature features of the era, doing an admirable job at mixing both subgenres, setting the tone with a gripping plane crash sequence. All in all, the film delivers a tense, fast paced ride with plenty of B-movie thrills that will keep audiences entertained as they find themselves on the edge their seats throughout.

That being said, most audiences will be drawn to the film for its shark action and, to its credit, those audiences will certainly not be disappointed. Its attack sequences are well done and while they may not be overly gory or gnarly, they do feature some effective kills and bloodshed throughout, as the continual threat of looming sharks can be felt throughout. Meanwhile, Eckhart makes for a decent lead, as the film gives Ben enough character development without taking away from the thrills or the shark action. Similarly, Kingsley and Sampson deliver more strong performances, as Ben’s co-pilot Rich and Dan, an extremely unlikeable character where audiences will find themselves collectively rooting for their demise. Though the more memorable performances, the rest of the cast are more than serviceable, creating a group of characters that most will hope survive (with the exception of Dan, of course).

However, while undoubtedly a fun watch, it is not without flaws, and is far from what the best of the subgenre has to offer. Firstly, it takes a while to get going, though its attempts to flesh out its surplus of characters in the opening act is respectable, the events leading up to the crash are okay at best, and a little dull at worst. On the other hand, the film was likely not graced with the highest of budgets, and that fact becomes very apparent at times. At the end of the day, the film is very much a B-movie which means questionable character decisions, cheesy dialogue, and truly baffling leaps in logic that will be a test that is best just going with, rather than tearing it apart from beginning to end.

Deep Water is way better than it has any right to be, and fans of survival thrillers, and shark attack thrillers, the film will make for a fun time at the movies. Above all else, it isn’t anything more than your run-of-the-mill fun B-movie, and those who have no problem with shutting off their brains for 100+ minutes will be treated to a great time that they will get a lot of mileage out of.

still courtesy of Magenta Light Studios

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/