MOVIE INFO:
To save Paris from a bloodbath, a grieving scientist is forced to face her tragic past when a giant shark appears in the Seine.
REVIEW:
Under Paris, a Jaws imitator that takes place in the Seine, comes just in time for the Paris Summer Olympics. It’s a macabre tourist ad more likely to drive travelers to the catacombs than any bateau journey on the city’s main waterway. Parts of it takes place in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the other in the filth of the city of lights commercial channels and sewers. Eco-messaging is a heavy sub theme.
There is no Easter Eggs, winking to the audience, no kitsch posturing for the horror fan, just pure chomp, chomp and more chomp in bigger and better watery set pieces. Adaptation, life finding a way accounts for the pseudoscience explanation as to why a salt water species finds itself happily growing in a fresh water clime. Lilith the shark is not only an eater but a breeder. She spawns and spawns without the need for male assistance, a partheogenic wonder. Gory shark frenzies are Under Paris main showcases.
The scientist, the cop and the politician bump into each other frequently enough to allow the Jaws story echoes to collide in a pleasing and comfortable way. Adding to the fun are sequences set in the catacombs, phantom of the opera sewers, the whole dam beauty of the city.
Xavier Gens visual storytelling style fits the story like a wetsuit. No noteworthy dialogue, just unending sensory experiences and editing that manage to shock with the old stuff sous la Seine. The game cast featuring Oscar nominated Berenice Bejo gives it savior faire equal to its technical competence. It’s a pleasure no one needs feels guilty watching.
Under Paris gets a 3.5/5 or a B+. It’s streaming on Netflix.
CREDITS:
Under Paris
Sous la Seine
Directed by
Written by
Xavier Gens
Starring
Nassim Lyes [fr; af; de; es; ht]
Cinematography
Production
company
Release date
- 5 June 2024(France)
Country
France
Language
French
Budget
€19,600,000[1]
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