Review: Great White

Director: Martin Wilson

Screenplay: Michael Boughen

Year: 2021

What should have been a fun trip for a group turns into a nightmare after the plane they were traveling in crashed, and the five people have to take refuge in an emergency raft. To make matters worse, the waters in which they float are infested with aggressive sharks. The five of them must work together to reach the coast and survive the sharks’ attack.

The last shark movie I saw before this was the horrendous "Deep Blue Nightmare," so my expectations were in the shadows when I saw "Great White." I do not know if enjoying this film is its own merit or a consequence of my low expectations, but I will try to clarify as I write these lines.

In a time when we have all kinds of creative ideas to make sharks even more fearsome, such as genetic alterations, unusual size, or lasers on their heads, it is refreshing to see that "Great White" seeks to return to the simplicity that makes these animals so feared in their nature. The film’s plot follows the same idea of ​​simplicity, where the events that lead the five people to be at the mercy of the sea are not very important and only serve to establish the precarious situation.

The simplicity of his script is where he faces the most important of his difficulties. The characters presented by screenwriter Michael Boughen ("Dying Breed") are generic, and their actions too predictable. In the same way, the events in his script are quite predictable, and since the newcomer director, Martin Wilson, introduces the characters, you have an idea of ​​the order in which they will perish. 

Then there is another problem: the short time that the sharks are the center of attention and the large amount of time given to the dialogues. Worse yet, many of these dialogues are flat and contribute little to the story’s development or the characters. When the predators finally appear, the visuals range from some very impressive to some very disappointing.

After an infinity of shark movies where predators have all kinds of alterations to make them more terrifying, having a film like "Great White" that goes back to the fundamentals that make these creatures naturally terrifying is a breath of fresh air. A simple story with many holes and generic characters, along with several tense scenes and well-crafted cinematography, is what this film offers. It is neither bad nor good, but entertaining for fans of shark movies who don't expect too much from it.