Great White Movie Review: Innocuous Shark Movie Lacks Bite

The Illuminerdi reviews the new survival thriller, Great White.

For an R-rated shark attack movie, Great White features surprisingly little shark. It’s an innocuous survival movie that saves its best cards for the last 10 minutes, but to see them you must wade through soap-operatics, longing stares, and character arguments. The ending delivers some decent gore, but Great White is otherwise a forgettable entry in the pantheon of Shark Movies.

Kaz (Katrina Bowden) and Charlie (Aaron Jakumbenko) own a financially struggling charter business. When their newest clients Joji (Tim Kano) and Michelle (Kimie Tsukaboshi) request a trip to a nearby reef, they discover a decomposing body that was mauled by a shark. When they try to high-tail it, the shark sinks their sea-plane, forcing everyone onto a raft adrift in the ocean. Now, the guides, the couple, and the flirtatious cook Benny (Te Kohe Tuhaka) must fight to survive the shark, the elements, and each other.

Great White is the kind of movie you find surfing through streaming services late at night. The characters have the depth of a kiddie pool, but that’s par for the course in a horror film like this and their deaths are satisfying. Unfortunately, Mr. Shark spends most of the film showing off his top fin with only a few full body shots near the end. While the effects overall aren’t that great, it appears the filmmakers saved most of their money for the surprisingly bloody climax, and it paid off.

The acting is soap-opera level, but Tsukaboshi and Bowden make decent scream queens when called upon. It’s the exact kind of movie to watch with friends and enjoy the group experience, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Great White is an innocuous shark movie that will pass the time, but wade out of your memory as soon as the credits roll. Take a bite out of Great White at night.

Great White Synopsis

In GREAT WHITE, a blissful tourist trip turns into a nightmare when five seaplane passengers are stranded miles from shore. In a desperate bid for survival, the group try to make it to land before they either run out of supplies or are taken by a menacing terror lurking just beneath the surface.

Have you checked out Great White? What did you think of the movie? Let us know in the comment section below or over on our social media!