Thrash Review: Netflix's Cursed Shark Thriller Sinks Without a Trace
Phoebe Dynevor and Djimon Hounsou are left adrift in Thrash, a suspense-free shark disaster film that has cycled through two distributors and three titles before its unceremonious Netflix debut. Originally shot in 2024 as Beneath the Storm for a Sony theatrical release, then renamed Shiver for a 2025 premiere, the movie finally washed up on Netflix in 2026 as Thrash, marking it as a digital island of misfit toys in the streaming giant's vast content library.
A History of Unwanted Goods
Due to the sheer amount of money Netflix has to play with—spending approximately $18 billion on content last year—the streamer often acts as a home for the unwanted goods of others, a repository for films that fail to find a foothold elsewhere. While this isn't always a cause for concern, as seen with successes like Annihilation and the Fear Street trilogy, Thrash exemplifies the rule rather than the exception. It's a messily made, choppily edited cavalcade of bad decisions and dodgy accents, leaving one to hope Netflix acquired it on the cheap.
Cheap Production and Inauthentic Setting
One would assume so given how cheap the film itself looks. Often, when Netflix buys a real studio movie, even the worst examples boast a well-lit gloss that separates them from standard Netflix originals. However, Thrash—arguably the worst of its three titles—looks like it could have been a Sharknado Week original movie for SyFy, far tinnier than expected from a one-time theatrical play. The film suffers from a distracting sense of inauthenticity from the start, directed by Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola, set in the US, shot in Australia with mostly Australian actors, and featuring a British lead, Phoebe Dynevor, playing American.
Director's Mismatched Style
Wirkola, known for knowingly silly midnight movies like Dead Snow and Violent Night, prioritizes big laughs over big scares. His lack of experience in suspense or seriousness leaves him as adrift as his actors. The elevator pitch—what if sharks but also disaster thriller, as a hurricane thrusts bull sharks into a town—is hugely reminiscent of films like Crawl and Burning Bright, but Thrash is by far the least effective. Sharks have become overused B-movie villains, and without tight choreography or editing, the set pieces fall flat, lacking the gonzo gore that might provoke a reaction beyond a sustained boo.
Flat Characters and Ensemble Flaws
Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor, whose last Netflix thriller Fair Play was unfairly underplayed, is stuck with a character so comically careless it's hard to fret over her fate. She plays a heavily pregnant woman who avoids warnings to leave town until flooding begins. Meanwhile, a trio of "American" kids, played by clearly Australian actors, must outsmart sharks after their foster parents are chewed up, and Djimon Hounsou, as a marine biologist, delivers labored shark exposition. Rather than building tension, the ensemble approach dissipates any clammy claustrophobia, making the sharks as boring as the humans.
Final Verdict
Perhaps the best use of Thrash is to cure those with galeophobia, proving that sharks aren't that scary after all. With its lack of suspense, cheap production, and misfiring execution, this film sinks like a stone on Netflix, serving as a cautionary tale for streamer acquisitions. Thrash is now available on Netflix, but viewers might be better off diving into more thrilling waters.
