Richard Dreyfuss Stars In A Terribly Confused Thriller That Wants To Be Jaws & Fails At Every Turn

Into the Deep

is a disappointing attempt at a modern-day Jaws with a new message. Unfortunately, it fails at the most basic level to deliver it. It’s clear that ambition and effort has gone into the film, which sets it apart from the parody genre that typically occupies the space of bizarre animal thrillers, but if anything, that makes Into the Deep a less enjoyable experience. The result is an incoherent, messy, and disappointing movie.

After watching her father being horrifically killed by a large shark when she was a child, a now adult Cassidy returns to the same stretch of water with her boyfriend, who is searching for hidden treasures. Cassidy struggles as she is reminded of her past, but things are made exponentially worse when sharks are spotted, and shortly after, pirates. From there the story whirls around the drain before it finally resolves and closes with a baffling message about preserving and saving sharks, which are often misrepresented in the media.

Into The Deep Has No Clear Direction

While saving the sharks is a noble and respectable cause, creating a movie where sharks attack and threaten the lives of innocent people is counterproductive to the argument. The reality is that shark movies like Jaws, while itself a masterpiece which continues to be held in high regard for its ability to build tension, played a part in turning sharks into scary murder machines instead of wild and majestic creatures. Into the Deep offers up one scene which is supposed to convey this message, and then returns to the regularly scheduled showing of bloodthirsty monsters.

It’s clear the film is hoping to build on the clout and success of Jaws, especially due to the fact that it cast Richard Dreyfuss, who played Matt Hooper in the 1975 film, in a prominent, though entirely unnecessary role as Seamus, Cassidy’s grandfather who shows up mainly in flashbacks. The rest of the time, the narrative is still flitting between characters who remain largely one-dimensional, a villain who appears to have no prowess or strength aside from his guns and henchmen, and sharks that circle the boat ready to devour anyone that falls in.

However, the story does seem to be geared toward the advice of Seamus, both after the incident in Cassidy’s childhood and in adulthood. Despite being deathly afraid of sharks and the water due to her father’s tragic accident, Seamus tries to toughen Cassidy up, warning her about the terrifying dangers of the water while encouraging her to go back out there. All together, it’s a confused story that is only made more so by the message to save the sharks alongside the credits.

Into The Deep Is Mostly Bad, But It’s Not All Bad

Despite a complete lack of a coherent story and special effects that prove why Jaws did a better job 50 years ago, there is some degree of intrigue with the film’s characters. The actors clearly put a considerable effort into delivering their lines. And while not everything is pitch perfect, they make things mildly entertaining on occasion. There’s a romance plot, a pirate invasion, and a story of one woman learning to be courageous, which adds up to something. However, that something is certainly not very pleasing on the whole.

There is also a limitation to how far this narrative about a shark attack could be taken considering Jaws and numerous sequels have been repeated, replicated, and parodied plenty of times. Into the Deep appears to have been doomed from the start. However, the lack of storytelling, dynamic characters, a sensible story, and a coherent message certainly didn’t help the movie achieve its goals.

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Into the Deep

3/10

Release Date

January 23, 2025

Pros & Cons

• The actors involved put in a solid performance despite underdefined characters.

• The characters lacked depth, emotion, or consistency.
• The story follows numerous narratives, but none of them feel engaging or worth following.