Deep Fear (2023) || A Dark Shark Film? Really?
I’m honestly not in the mood to sugarcoat things this time so I’m hitting the nail right on the head with this one. And I may bring emotions into it too because why not? I’ve seen better survival thrillers to know that this one was executed poorly. It badly wants to be a tense survival thriller, but honestly, it feels like a low-budget B-movie trying way too hard.
The story follows Naomi (Madalina Ghenea), still grieving the death of her parents, who sets out sailing probably to declutter her mind, only to face drug traffickers and, you guessed it, a great shark. Sounds thrilling, right? Except the execution is off.
The acting just never really clicks. It felt forced. I mean they were giving me amateur vibes. Watching the guy who was meant to be Naomi’s boyfriend’s acting, made me chuckle, not out of excitement but great disappointment. In those moments of him showing anger, it felt so fake.
Ghenea is gorgeous, sure, but it feels like she was cast more for looks than range, and when most of the film rests on her shoulders, that becomes a problem. The performances around her don’t help either, everything feels stiff, like the actors are reading lines instead of living them. To make up for that, the soundtrack cranks up the “emotional” score. I felt like they were basically trying to blackmail me into feeling intensity that the acting itself doesn’t deliver. It’s manipulative rather than effective.
Visually, the film shows its budget. The shark shots are inconsistent, the action feels restrained, and long stretches of talking or drifting eat up the runtime instead of building tension. A survival thriller should make you bite your nails; this one mostly makes you check the freaking clock.
Would I recommend it? Honestly, not really. If you’re a die-hard shark-movie completist, maybe. But otherwise, it’s a forgettable splash in a genre already crowded with better films.
Rating: 4.5/10.
It’s got shaky acting, cheap thrills and a score that works harder than the cast.
Till next time.🌸