Summary

• Under Paris is making waves on Netflix, drawing Jaws comparisons despite mixed reviews.
• The Seine River's pollution adds a timely layer to the action-horror thriller's plot.
• Despite its divisive reception, Under Paris adds to the entertaining yet floundering shark subgenre.

The new Netflix shark movie Under Paris has gotten some surprising comparisons to Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic Jaws. Since premiering on the giant streaming platform on June 5, 2024, the action-horror thriller has become one of the most popular new releases on Netflix, falling second in the Top 10 list only to Richard Linklater's celebrated comedy Hit Man. Under Paris, directed by Xavier Gens (Hitman, Lupin) features a shark crisis in the Seine River.

The early June release of Under Paris could not be better timed considering that the film takes place on the Seine River in Paris less than two months before the start of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, . The Seine has also been in the news recently due to its historical reputation for being heavily polluted, which is causing concern for Olympic swimming athletes who are scheduled to compete in the unclean river.

Under Paris' Divisive Rotten Tomatoes' Score Explained

The quality of the shark thriller subgenre is pretty slim

Under Paris continues to be one of the top-performing new releases on Netflix despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. Overall, the film has earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 56% with an even lower audience score of 33%. Still, some critics have gone as far as to compare the new Netflix film to Spielberg's Jaws, which is widely considered to be the best and most influential shark movie ever made.

Michael Nordine of Variety called Under Paris "a shark movie worthy of swimming in the wake of Jaws," classifying the film as one of the best Jaws imitations ever made while pointing out that the bar in that category is pretty low. Stuart Heritage of The Guardian shares a similar opinion on Under Paris, saying in his review, "Netflix has delivered one of the best shark movies ever made." Both critics point out that the entire subgenre of shark thrillers is pretty hit-or-miss, so even though Under Paris has mixed reviews, it still marks a high point for its class.

Under Paris Is Fun, But There Have Been Plenty Of Good Shark Movies Since Jaws

Under Paris is a solid addition to a floundering subgenre

While no one is really expecting any summer shark movie to become a groundbreaking cinematic project, Under Paris is still a fun watch as summer rapidly approaches. While comparing the new release to Jaws might be a bit of a stretch, it successfully s the ranks of other entertaining shark projects such as The Shallows (2016), The Meg (2018), and Open Water (2003). While it is somewhat disappointing that Under Paris is unavailable to see in theaters, it still marks a solid addition to a mostly floundering subgenre that was effectively created by Jaws.