Thrash Review: Phoebe Dynevor Battles Sharks in Netflix’s Surprisingly Intense Survival Thriller

Thrash Review: In the survival thriller film Thrash, starring Phoebe Dynevor, a category 5 hurricane decimates a coastal town and brings with its waves a bunch of hungry sharks. The film dives headfirst into chaos, with a hurricane, rising waters, and hungry sharks, not leaving a moment to think.

The film tries to elevate the campy shark attack genre into something more emotional and arresting and is surprisingly able to deliver on both counts.

The film has a runtime of 86 minutes.

Thrash Review

Plot Overview

Set against the backdrop of a Category 5 hurricane that brings with it rising waters, a bunch of stranded people find it difficult to survive. Among them is a heavily pregnant Lisa, trying to rise above the floodwaters slowly engulfing her small coastal town. However, the stakes are increased when the hungry sharks make their presence known, pushing Lisa, Dakota, Dale and others into survival mode.

The film unfolds in a high-stakes survival story, wherein humans have to go up against the ultimate power – nature. As the stakes rise higher and time starts to run out, the characters are pushed to their limits.

Direction & cinematography

Director Tommy Wirkola does a great job of making the film feel urgent and grounded. There’s restraint in how the film showcases the escalating situations, opting for tight survival drama instead of camp. We look deeply and intimately at each character’s struggles, opting for close camera shots that increase claustrophobia and panic, especially during the stormy, waterlogged sequences. While the film’s premise of sharks hunting in waterlogged streets is inherently pulpy, it sometimes struggles to fully reconcile this with the emotional undertone. The tonal imbalance, thankfully, doesn’t derail the experience too much.

The visuals, though, are realistic and stunning. The gushing, murky storm water, the sharks swimming shown from different angles adds to the tension and chaos of this survival thriller. Playing with different camera angles and movements, the film creates panic seamlessly, heightening the fear of the unseen, creating immediacy, and reinforcing a bleak atmosphere of the sky almost coming down on the survivors. There’s rawness to the story that adds credibility to an otherwise fantastical premise.

Performances: Phoebe Dynevor Carries the Film

Phoebe Dynevor is great in the film and delivers a physically and emotionally demanding performance. She’s a mother fighting to save her unborn child, and so viewers will find themselves naturally pulled towards her, and the actor pulls it off well. Whitney Peak and Stacy Clausen are great as the supporting cast, and they add depth as those fighting to survive in an impossible situation. Djimon Hounsou, though, is wasted in the film and has very little to do other than give shark facts and survival tips.

Music & sound design: Understated but impactful

The score, composed by Dominic Lewis and Daniel Futcher, is tense adds to the immediacy of the story. There’s no overwhelming orchestration, and it builds slowly, creating a feeling of creeping dread throughout. The restraint does a good job of rising tension and building momentum throughout the film, and viewers will find themselves connected to the characters. The film lets the environment and performances do the heavy lifting, only elevating the other aspects whenever necessary.

What works & what doesn’t

What works

The film does a great job of creating and holding on to tension as Dakota tends to a very pregnant Lisa and tries to survive, while Dale tries to get to Dakota and rescue her before it’s too late. No time is wasted before throwing the viewers into the eye of the storm, and as the tide waters wise and the sharks home in, viewers will wonder which danger is more pressing at the moment. There’s also an emotional core to the film that feels warm and relatable. Both the Dale storyline and the Ron storyline are worth rooting for.

What doesn’t

The familiar premise and some extremely dramatic moments do give the film a camp feel that it isn’t able to shake off easily. From the way the characters are suddenly able to shake the sharks off to Lisa having her baby, it all happens quickly and conveniently, somewhat ruining the tension that the film had built over the runtime. The hurricane and sharks premise also isn’t new, and so it takes away from the seriousness of the premise.

The film really struggles to sometimes tone down the pulpy creature feature thrills and goes over the top, even in its restraint. The characters, too, have very little depth, and so, despite their dangerous situation, they aren’t able to leave much of an impact after all is said and done.

Final Thoughts: Should you watch Thrash?

In the end, Thrash is enjoyable and will keep viewers hooked to their screens. It’s not a genre reinvention, which is fine, and the committed performances and tense visuals make this into a tense, watchable film without making it too camp.

What are your thoughts on Thrash? Let us know in the comments below!

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