Under Paris is a French horror action movie released on June 5, 2024. The movie focuses on a dangerous shark that terrorizes the ocean and then the Paris River, hence the name.
Directed by Xavier Gens, Under Paris stars Oscar nominee Bérénice Bejo in the main lead, who credits The Artist and The Past.
The movie will be really fun for those who love the adventure of sharks and underwater, which has been a separate sub-genre.
Under Paris’ Plot
The movie begins with the prologue of marine researcher and oceanographer Sophia Assalas (Bérénice Bejo), who specializes in marine ecosystems.
She with a team including her husband, Chris (Yannick Choirat) conducts a research on the rapid growth of female shark, Lilith (they name it) in the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean.
But when Chris tries to take the blood sample of the shark, he is attacked and killed.
Soon, the shark kills all the crew members, excluding Sophie, leaving her tragically affected and the research expedition to an instant stop.
Three years pass, and Sophie has not got over that tragedy. She happens to tour a Paris aquarium once. When she is on her way home, a 20-year-old Mika (Léa Léviant) approaches her.
Mika is the leader of the Save Our Seas Collective, an underground organization of young environmentalists inspired by Sophia’s work.
She tells Sophie that her team has been monitoring Lilith and spotted the animal in the Seine River of Paris. Shopie does not believe in what she is listening to at first.
When she operates her old tracking beacon, she is convinced of Mika’s words. Shopie informs the city mayor (Anne Marivin) about Lilith’s presence in the city river and the potential threat.
However, the mayor is not interested in taking precautions to prevent the loss of thousands of lives. Caught in middle between war of Shopie and a mayor, a city police officer, Adil (Nassim Lyes) is finally convinced to favor Shopie and do something about the shark.
Will they save Paris? To know this, you need to watch a movie.
Final Verdict
Director Gens is always fond of movies that startle the audience in the horror genre. This time, he has brought Under Paris, crediting four writers who seem to overcook the broth, but they deliver when needed.
Though Gens foreshadows the carnage in the climax of the movie, there are interesting scenes that need attention to by the audience if they have scheduled Shark Week.
It’s another production from Netflix that is familiar with serving brutal simplicity. But overdone CGI can bother you sometimes.
Besides, the movie has top-notch underwater cinematography, an ecological or environmental message, and political interruption that can cost lives.