SHARK BAITED
Do we need another shark movie? Apparently Saban Films thinks so. That was their mindset when distributing 2022's The Requin. "Requin" is far from the worst shark endeavor and its hook is kind of original (no pun intended). A married couple purchases a bungalow only to have it drift out to sea by a hurricane. In the middle of nowhere with said bungalow almost destroyed, the spouses have to survive without food and water. Oh and there's toothed sharks looming and salivating.
The Requin stars Alicia Silverstone and James Tupper. They play helpmates Jaelyn and Kyle. It's a two-man/woman show and these two couldn't be more opposite in how they deal with turmoil. Tupper's Kyle has a heart rate that probably never reached sixty. He's one comatose bloke. Silverstone on the other hand, overacts to the point of method. Her screaming voice and voice in general, have many octaves. You might want to turn the volume down on your Flat-Screen or you might garner permanent hearing damage.
"Requin" is helmed by Vietnamese-born Le-Van Kiet. Le-Van's direction is standard as he ops for less gore and more distanced shots of the shark attacks. He fashions The Requin as a sort of 3 act play. The first act establishes the spousal characters one of which had a miscarriage and can't function normally. The second act involves the couple's vacation home being flooded by a storm thereby sending them out to sea (see first paragraph). The third act is well, you guessed it. The sharks don't look fake and that's a good thing. They come in when "Requin's" running time has about thirty minutes left (Kiet is no Hitchcock/Spielbergian clone but he gives it his best shot).
The Requin's opening credit sequence is probably its best asset. There's a sense of foreboding, a sense of anticipation, and the musical score is pretty darn good. Alas, "Requin's" great white premise never quite takes off from there. It's still another shark flick that does its darnedest to bleed into the genre. It's mutated with shards of The Shallows, Open Water, and All Is Lost (yes All Is Lost had selachian fishes too).
Written by Jesse Burleson
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