AceShowbiz - The fascination with shark movies that began with Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic Jaws continues to captivate audiences worldwide. Over the past fifty years, numerous films centered on animal attacks have emerged, each trying to capture the suspense and terror that Jaws so memorably delivered. In 2024, Netflix made a significant splash in the genre with Under Paris, a film about a marine biologist confronting a genetically mutated giant shark invading the Seine River before a triathlon event. This movie became a global hit and has set the stage for an eagerly anticipated sequel.

Before the arrival of Under Paris 2, Netflix has already launched another shark horror film, perfectly suited for fans of intense survival thrillers like Crawl. This new addition, titled Thrash, premiered on the platform on April 10th and is directed by Tommy Wirkola. It stars Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor and is set in a flooded coastal town struck by a Category 5 hurricane. The residents find themselves trapped, not only by the storm but also by a deadly swarm of sharks. The narrative follows an expectant mother and an agoraphobic teenager as they fight to survive against these dual threats.

Thrash marks a strong return for Netflix to the shark horror subgenre following the success of Under Paris. It also fits well within the niche of hurricane-related animal attack films that Crawl helped rejuvenate. While Thrash has yet to generate ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, it faces stiff competition trying to match Crawl’s “Certified Fresh” 84% critic score and 75% audience rating. Early reviews, however, have been largely positive. IndieWire praised it as “a surprisingly fun disaster movie, with real bite and actual scares,” and Punch Drunk Critics called it “like chum in the water for those in need of a quick fix” of shark horror.

It’s important to note that Thrash is not positioned as serious cinema. Critics have characterized it as “junk-food” entertainment—an enjoyable, somewhat ridiculous shark thriller designed to be binge-watched and even playfully roasted. The movie delivers ample shark-on-human action, making it a wild and fun experience. Its tone is somewhat akin to high-budget Syfy channel movies such as Sharknado, albeit more serious. Thrash embraces high-octane action sequences with plenty of blood and gore, providing the kind of adrenaline rush audiences expect from this type of film.

Like Crawl, which was also crafted as popcorn entertainment, Thrash effectively builds tension within its disaster setting. The performances from its leads, particularly Phoebe Dynevor, help sell the story of desperate survivors trapped by nature’s fury and ravenous predators. The combination of hurricane chaos and predatory sharks makes for a tense, gripping survival scenario that fans of the genre will appreciate.

Thrash joins a wave of new titles arriving on Netflix in April, adding to the streaming service’s growing catalog of survival horror films. Other recent releases include Beast, another survival thriller that premiered this month. Netflix’s April lineup also features notable films like American Gangster, Everest, Mission: Impossible, IF, and the 2022 slasher hit Scream. Looking ahead, the platform will welcome Halloween Ends on April 13th and Apex on April 24th, continuing to bolster its offering of thrilling, suspenseful cinema.