It was supposed to be the perfect vacation in Vietnam for married couple Jaelyn (Alicia Silverstone) and Kyle (James Tupper). Both need a break after suffering a tragic loss, and the floating villa out in the ocean they have hired seems perfect. The plan is to live life to the fullest by parasailing, swimming, and enjoying some quiet time with each other. On the first night of their stay, Jaelyn has reoccurring nightmares, which keep her awake, and Kyle claims the bed is uncomfortable; however, things are about to get a lot worse for the two. Soon, a massive storm occurs, and despite Jaelyn and Kyle thinking they would be safe enough, their villa is destroyed, and they are sent floating out to sea. Stranded at sea with no help available to rescue them, the situation is made worse by Kyle’s severe wounds. In due time, they gain the attention of a giant underwater creature.
The Requin is best described as a horror movie, and in case you are wondering, the name Requin means Shark in French. The horror aspect is sadly weak. The film attempts to be raw, dramatic, and violent but fails to achieve this for multiple reasons. Firstly, the dialogue is corny and awkward, and some lines which are obviously written to be funny don’t work. Our leads lack any form of romantic chemistry. Moments where characters share emotions are received by dull expressions or the opposite. Sometimes the reactions are downright over the top and feel ridiculous, especially from Jaelyn, played by Alicia Silverstone.
The visuals, including CGI, are a massive disappointment. Nearly everything on-screen looks fake, which distracts attention. The same could be said about the musical score, which is unfitting for the entire duration. Plus!, I save the best for last. While promoted as a ‘shark film’, I was utterly disgusted that not a single shark appears until over fifty minutes into the eighty-nine-minute runtime. This makes the film more like a survival drama with two people trying to beat nature while making many poor choices. Before watching, I was generally excited and keen to see a new shark film that I could sink my teeth into; however, it’s impossible to find a single pleasing aspect here. It saddens me as I was excited by the idea of actress Alicia Silverstone in a killer shark horror movie. I’m baffled at how the end results are entirely wrong and horrid.
Overall, it’s no secret that terror has big scary teeth, but when it comes to this film, it lacks terror, and thrills, not to mention any form of a good bite for movie lovers to admire. Everything about The Requin looks cheap and poorly done. Performances, the score, weak storyline, poor and annoying character choices, and CGI visuals, including effects, are highly distracting. As a shark film, I feel it’s unacceptable to drag audiences around with laughable and cringe-worthy moments, holding off the shark’s grand entrance until over minutes into the movie! Don’t be fooled by the fantastic artwork of the poster; I highly recommend you paddle fast away from this release, as, for me, it’s the worst film I’ve seen this year. The Requin (2022) is Now Available on DVD & Digital.
1.0/10
28th December 2022
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
PODCASTS ARE AVAILABLE!
Our opinion on this feature has also been submitted to Rotton Tomatoes (Audiences Score*).
0 Comments