You do wonder why killer shark movies continue to be made when the reaction every time is, ‘Well, it isn’t Jaws‘. Into the Deep from B-movie specialist Christian Sesma comes amidst a glut of recent killer great white flicks which include Deep Fear, Something in the Water, and Under Paris. The common element of all these – beside the Carcharadon carnage – is that they’re all fairly dreadful, and Into the Deep does nothing to buck this trend. Even the gimmicky appearance of Jaws alumnus Richard Dreyfuss fails to make us dread going back into the water.

As Mark Kermode says about Jaws practically every time it’s mentioned, it’s not about a shark, and the same is true of Into the Deep. Sesma’s film concentrates on a diving expedition which includes couple Cassidy and Gregg (Scout Taylor-Compton and Callum McGowan). They’re boarded and held hostage by a group of pirates who force Cassidy to dive to the seabed in the shark-infested waters to retrieve a shipment of cocaine.

Into the Deep at least tries to provide some characterisation for heroine Cassidy, even if it’s the standard history of childhood trauma. After witnessing her father’s death by shark attack, her marine biologist grandfather (Dreyfuss) spent years slowly overcoming her fear and educating her on the ocean. This sets up an extra fear factor beyond the hostage situation, but the film does nothing interesting with it.

Scout Taylor Compton does her best and does bring some personality to what could be a generic survivor role. It’s a pity the rest of the cast – divers and pirates alike – are so one-dimensional and indifferently performed, including former next big thing of British cinema Stuart Townsend.

In mild compensation, the shark attack sequences themselves are far from the worst of recent years, camouflaging the budget with brisk editing and bright blooms of blood. They’re certainly better than the hideous CGI of Under Paris and Something in the Water. But they are still for the most fairly indifferent. There’s some decent underwater cinematography and the scenes with the sharks attacking the diving cage is adequately staged, but nothing that hasn’t been seen a million time before.

Less competent is the hijack thriller aspect, which is unfortunate given this is what the film is prioritising. There’s precious little tension or claustrophobia given the ultra-contained setting, and barring Taylor-Compton’s best efforts there’s no reason to care about the plight of the captives or the motivations of the captors.

To indulge in a fishing analogy, if Jaws would be the equivalent of catching a Coelacanth, Into the Deep would be like dredging up a Kwik Save-vintage shopping trolley. Even its decent elements shine in comparison to the painfully tedious and generic fare that makes up the rest of its laborious 90 minutes. It’s pure chum.

Available on digital platforms from Mon 27 Jan and on DVD from Mon 3 Feb 2025