Movie Review ~ Under Paris

No good deed goes unpunished, and that’s been true for every shark-movie-loving critic who has suffered through an endless array of soggy fish flicks over the years.  Bad special effects and even worse acting have sunk these stinkers to Neptune’s depths, only to have another copycat surface in its place.  At first, these travesties were billed as JAWS copycats, but the subgenre has gone so far afield that it has started to cannibalize itself. 

Every so often, there is a warm spot in the chilly waters, with 1999’s Deep Blue Sea, 2016’s The Shallows, 2019’s 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (an in-name-only sequel to the 2017 original), and The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench drumming up good business.  Like them or not (and I do!), they all displayed an appreciation for their fans that went above and beyond the standard, which immediately set them apart from other projects.  Titles like The Black Demon, Maneater, The Reef: Stalked, Great White, and Deep Blue Sea 3 displayed varying degrees of effort, with some just missing the mark while others could barely tread water.   

I had a hunch the new Netflix film Under Paris might have some bite to it after seeing its arresting poster featuring a dorsal fin headed toward the Eiffel Tower.  This one-of-a-kind image hinted at the audacious hunting ground director Xavier Gens was exploring. But would this wonderfully ludicrous twist maintain the menace necessary for pulse-pounding suspense?  Shark cinema has seen these razor-toothed terrors devour Sea World employees, pleasure boaters, and even those caught up in sharknados…could it chomp its way through the City of Light?    

After a prologue set in the open ocean introduces us to scientist Sophia (Bérénice Bejo, Final Cut) and explains why, three years later, she is still stunted with grief over the loss of her crew during a routine check-in with a tagged shark, the movie wastes little time presenting her with a new problem.  The shark she was tracking all those years ago, nicknamed Lilith, has grown up and found its way into the Seine, where it may have been responsible for several deaths. 

Pulled in initially by conservationist and animal activist Mika (Léa Léviant), Sophia eventually teams up with members of the river patrol led by Adil (Nassim Lyes) to track the predator.  As is expected in these films, it takes some convincing (more like it requires several tenderized bodies) before everyone gets on board with the idea of a giant shark swimming around in the Seine.  When everyone is on board, using her knowledge of Lilith, the latest technology, and an armory of explosives, Sophia develops a plan with the team to trap the beast.  They need to hurry, too, before a pivotal triathlon dumps dozens of participants into the river, ringing the dinner bell for a hunter who is more intelligent than anyone could have guessed.

While the high concept may sound supremely silly, the execution is anything but.  Under Paris is one of the good ones: a slick shark flick with a polish put on it by filmmakers who care about the product they’ve created.  The almost complete absence of practical effects means the film lives or dies by the believability of its CGI creations; for the most part, they are incredibly effective.  Shark and humans operate in the same space as if they are real and not in a poorly rendered video game.  The attacks are brutal but not incredibly gory, and besides, it’s more fun to build up the shark’s arrival than what it plans to do.

Key to the film’s overall strength is its pacing.  Gens (best known for the controversial 2007 film Frontière(s)) doesn’t let the movie slow long enough for the audience to have time to ask questions.  Instead, the screenplay provides a modicum of rationale so you can suspend disbelief, a careful blend of plausibility to keep the action grounded while continuing to deliver the goods in the thrills department.  In his previous films, Gens has shown a knack for balancing intense action with more character-specific scenes, and these diametrically opposed moments are also present here.

An Oscar nominee for her work on The Artist (directed by her husband, Michel Hazanavicius, who won Best Director), Bejo is tremendously engaging as a scientist conflicted over the situation.  Her guilt weighs her down, and it’s a burden she must free herself from if she’s going to survive swimming with this terror from her past.  Lyes is a good foil for her, providing platonic support as a well-meaning public servant in an unheard-of situation.  Though no one gave a bad performance, the remaining cast tended to congeal into one mass for me. However, I do have to call out Anne Marivin’s sometimes hilariously unscrupulous Mayor, who could rival the elected officials of Amity for sheer recklessness.

The shark is the show’s star, and the lurking menace gets ample screen time.  It’s a good thing the visuals are significantly effective and frequently convincing because portraying the massive predator with such a sense of realism is critical in Under Paris building to such a nail-biting finale.  Audiences will also appreciate they can see what’s happening thanks to Nicolas Massart’s sophisticated cinematography, which is always clear and immersive.  Instead of relying on dimly lit shots of murky waters to obscure poor effects, Massart embraces a clear field of vision and adds extra elements of creativity along the way.  Just look at the colorful opening sequence as an example. 

Under Paris comes up for air as a thrilling and entertaining entry into a field often plagued by cheap clones.  As a longtime fan of this genre, I can honestly say the film is exciting and often genuinely scary.  It isn’t reinventing the waterlogged wheel but does succeed wildly at putting a shockingly fun twist on an oft-used blueprint.  It doesn’t take itself too seriously, skimp on quality, or lean too far into its absurdity.  The direction, solid performances, and impressive technical work make for tremendously fun (microwave) popcorn entertainment.