During a mission in the North Pacific, Sophia, a marine biologist, helplessly witnesses the death of her partner and the massacre of their team, while an abnormally large shark makes short work of them. Four years later, the scientist learned with horror that the same animal, which can be geolocated using a marking device, is now found in the Seine, in the heart of Paris.
Together with Adil, an agent of the national police of the Seine Maritime, Sophia tries to capture the animal, which increases the number of victims. This, while the mayor locks herself in denial and bad faith as a prestigious triathlon approaches. Within the very popular “shark movie” subgenre, Under the Seine has the advantage of an unexpected context.
Except that that’s pretty much its only virtue.
Obviously, the four screenwriters, including director Xavier Gens, were partly inspired by the masterpiece Jaws (Jaws). In this respect, the mayor of Paris in this film is almost a copy of the mayor of Amity in Steven Spielberg’s film. It could have been seen as a tribute, had it not been for the obvious propensity for all-out borrowing.
Thus, among other examples of transplanting, the film makes Sophia a replacement for Ripley, in Aliens : after losing her crew, killed by a “monster”, the first tries in vain, like the second, to convince the authorities of the existence of said monster. At first recalcitrant, Sophia, again like her model, decides to dive back in (literally in her case) in order to confront the terrible creature.
Of course, this mix of influences could have produced a solid B series, especially since the budget seems to have been there. Unfortunately, the writing is distressingly lazy. From start to finish, the story multiplies inconsistencies and arbitrary developments. More than once, the plot descends into ridiculousness.
There is also a small background of quite detestable youthism, through a group of young environmental activists presented as a group of unconscious fanatics (starting with their leader). A bloody massacre awaits them, obviously.
A certain bite
Everything is staged competently, but without extra imagination, by Xavier Gens, director specializing in horror (Border(s), The Crucifixion, Cold Skin) and the action (Hitman / Hitman). Unsurprisingly, these two elements do not lack bite in this film: it’s in the interval that things get stuck.
In fact, fans will have to be patient between the attack sequences, the raison d’être of this type of film, let’s say it. By dint of length, the tension is diluted: the height, for a thriller.
During these moments which are more about filler than narrative enrichment, we have plenty of time to dwell on the poor quality of the dialogues, the maddening quantity of implausibilities, the approximate psychology of the characters…
And the special effects? Their quality varies, from very convincing (almost everything that takes place underwater) to very average (the shark’s emergence from the water).
Excellent actress, Bérénice Bejo, revealed in The Artist (The artist), of his partner Michel Hazanavicius, and Best Actor Prize at Cannes for The past, by Asghar Farhadi, does what it can under the circumstances. Alas, his efforts are drowned in a sea, or finally a river, of imbecility.