Viewers have been left on the edge of their seats after watching the ‘best shark film since Jaws.’
A new movie has dropped on Netflix and has become one of the most successful non-English films ever on the platform, with 41 million views in its first five days.
Fans have gone crazy on social media over the horror action, with one person saying: “It has absolutely no right to be as good as it is. This creature feature goodness through and through. The catacombs scene, my god 10/10 anxiety-inducing horror.”
Another adds: “It is legit the most fun with a movie so far this year!”
“Honestly can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a Netflix original this much,” someone else comments.
A fourth writes: “I loved this movie so so so much. It had an amazing story and is now my favorite shark horror movie ever.”
The movie has even received praise from the ‘King of Horror’ Stephen King, who tweeted that he thought the film ‘would be a jokey movie, like Sharknado, but Twitter convinced me to give it a watch, and it’s really quite good. The last 25 minutes were amazing.’
The film’s description reads: “In order to save Paris from an international bloodbath, a grieving scientist is forced to face her tragic past when a giant shark appears in the Seine.”
The film’s French director, Xavier Gens, tells Varietythat the movie ‘was turned down by French studios and financiers before Netflix came on board.’
He says as well as being entertaining, the movie is also political satire, much like the hit film Don’t Look Up.
Gens references politicians who claim the Olympics will unite people, adding: “The games are surrounded by hypocrisy and a commercial ideology.”
The director elaborates: “The whole idea was to take what we observe in French society and from politicians and caricature some of it. The funny thing is that all the dialogue in the film is pulled from actual speeches and comments made by different political figures.”
Although the film scored 61% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.2/10 on IMDb, critics are praising the horror action.
Ben Travis of Empire Magazine writes: “A solid shark thriller whose admirable but clunky eco-warnings almost get in the way of a good time. Best when it allows itself to really go in-Seine.”
Film School Reject’s Rob Hunter adds: “This is killer shark horror/thriller done right across the board, from money well spent on CG to a cast and crew locked in and ready to create a seriously fun tale of nature gone amok with an assist from our own poor ecological choices.”
Peter Martin from Screen Anarchy pens: “The team works up a terrific series of action sequences which feel like hand-to-hand combat between the police and the shark. Berenice Bejo is very persuasive, and Nassim Lyes is a genuine star. The action is fierce and very, very brutal and bloody.”
Fans of the film may not have to long wait for more, as there have been hints of a sequel to the hit Netflix original.
When asked by Variety whether an Under Paris 2 is on its way, Gens said: ” There’s a chance that we’ll be discussing it soon. If there is a sequel, it will take place in a Paris that is entirely submerged under water.”
So hopefully we will be seeing more shark attacks in Paris on our screens in the future.