Netflix is home to some great shark movies, and the streaming service’s latest offering, Under Paris, is no exception, but it’s safe to say viewers seem to have a love-hate relationship with the film

The “insane” movie, Under Paris, has drawn in a large audience with its killer sharks, but viewers seem to have a common gripe.

Under Paris is a French action-horror flick from 2024, featuring a shark as the central character, inevitably drawing comparisons to iconic films like Jaws. The controversial film stars actress Bérénice Bejo, who portrays marine biologist Sophia, compelled to confront her tragic past to prevent a potential massacre in Paris.

A review on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Under Paris is like Jaws’ unwanted child. I think it’s safe to say, and most will agree, that this movie is absolutely terrible; however, this movie tries so hard to be taken seriously that it’s just funny. The plot is stupid, but the few shark scenes and the decent CGI makeup for it. A very stupid movie but a fun, braindead watch.”

The film intensifies when a massive shark appears in the river Seine, and it’s up to Sophia to shield the city from harm. As more bodies are discovered with mysterious injuries and shark bites, they appeal to the mayor to delay the upcoming triathlon in the river.

Their plea is dismissed, and the event is set to proceed as planned. Viewers are left wondering if they’ll manage to locate the shark in time, as the death toll continues to rise, reports the Mirror US.

“Dumb yet creative, preachy yet thrilling” are how one viewer summed up Under Paris. They added: “This horror/disaster movie takes its outlandish premise to all the places that fans of the killer shark genre will appreciate.”

Other critiques come in with varying feelings, with a different review noting: “It starts very slowly, but by the end of the 2nd act, the film shifts into high gear and becomes an insane shark thriller.”

However, some have expressed disdain for the film’s lower-budget CGI and special effects, with several viewers branding it “unwatchable”. Sarcastically, one viewer disparaged the movie’s computer graphics as “amateur at best”, while another likened it to watching a cartoon.

One person remarked on the quality of the movie: “This is one of the dumbest movies I have ever seen. I created an account just to write a review after watching this garbage. You’ll be rooting against every character you are introduced to. The writing, acting, editing, and CGI were all terrible. Nothing in this movie makes sense. Everyone involved in creating this should leave the industry.”

Yet, despite the predominantly unfavourable reviews, the film did manage to clinch the number one position on Netflix for the most-watched films around the time of its release. In its debut week alone, Under Paris was streamed over 40 million times.

It remains contentious whether that attention was merited or not.

Make your own judgment; Under Paris is now available to stream on Netflix.