Thrash

Shark movie "Thrash" is far from trash.

Film Yap is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

---

I’ve been known to like a good shark movie. Hell, I’ve been known to like a bad shark movie. We all know Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” is the obvious crème de la crème, but I’d give honorable mention to the stupid fun that is Renny Harlin’s “Deep Blue Sea” (his latest foray into the subgenre entitled “Deep Water” drops next month … I’m stoked!) or Jon Turteltaub’s “The Meg.” I’d lump Tommy Wirkola’s “Thrash” (now streaming on Netflix) right alongside those Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Statham vehicles.

A Category 5 hurricane just struck a small South Carolina town and many citizens unwisely didn’t evacuate.

There’s pregnant New York transplant Lisa Fields (Phoebe Dynevor) whose baby daddy bailed on her to become a professional poker player and DJ. Lisa’s unaware of/unprepared for these conditions and was forced to work late despite being with child.

Dakota Edwards (Whitney Peak) has become agoraphobic after the death of her mother and doesn’t want to leave her home despite the protestations of her marine researcher uncle Dale (Djimon Hounsou).

Siblings and foster children Dee (Alyla Browne), Ron (Stacy Clausen) and Will (Dante Ubaldi) are told to stay put by their jerky foster parents Billy (Matt Nable, probably best known for playing Ra’s al Ghul on “Arrow”) and Rachel Olson (Amy Mathews).

The Olsons are the sort of folks who’ve got a ton of guns (their basement resembles Burt Gummer’s rec room in “Tremors”), feed the kids a loaf of Wonder Bread while they feast on steaks and only got into fostering for the healthy stipend they receive each month. Suffice it to say, they make John Connor’s foster parents from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” look like mother and father of the year.

As the weather worsens and the waters rise, sharks turn up in the town … and they’re hangry. It’ll be up to Dale to save Dakota, Dakota to save Lisa and the Olson children to save themselves.

Wirkola, director of demented Christmas fave “Violent Night,” has made a very capable creature feature/disaster picture. It’s not nearly as good as his Santa Claus “Die Hard” reskinning, but I’d say it’s better than Alexandre Aja’s well-regarded 2019 alligator pic “Crawl” to which it bears more than a passing resemblance. It’s the sort of flick where a character hilariously exclaims, “It clean bit my butt cheek off!,” with neither shame nor irony.

“Thrash” is produced by comedy director-turned-agenda-based filmmaker Adam McKay. I suppose there’s some subtle environmentalism at play (certainly not a bad thing), but I was reminded more of “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” in the mischief and mouths of the Olson kids - they’re somewhat similar to those rascals Walker and Texas Ranger Bobby.

“Thrash” has some great gore and sensational set pieces. It’s well worth sinking your teeth into for a fun Friday or Saturday night.