"SMILE YOU SONS OF A...!"
"Here they come!" Yup, we're talking about evil marine life in a vehicle that stars unknowns Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak, Amy Matthews, and Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (uh, paycheck alert).
So OK, a small South Carolina town and its townspeople have to survive a tropical cyclone, the vigor of glut water, and the swarming sharks that come with it. That's the gist of Thrash (see first paragraph), a flick that tries to one-up or I guess update 2018's The Hurricane Heist without damaging "Heist's" weak repute, chintzy demur, and flash in the pan pandering. "I can't imagine the dangers they're facing." Uh ditto bro. Ditto on the real.
Anyway I'm a sucker for movies where the beer and pizza element is involved, the cinematic cheese is profuse, and cult status is attained without waiver. And while Thrash isn't quite in those proverbial leagues, it's certainly not the worst pic about selachians on the prowl ever made. I mean if you throw in a little Spielbergian magic from time to time, some nasty great white vetoes, and a few scenes with the prophetic Hounsou things can't be that bad right? Right?
Blood Diamond co-stars, needle-like teeth, and veritable schmaltz aside, do I plan on recommending Thrash and its overly cocky title? Almost. I mean the special effects are passable, the camp constituent is harmless and manifest, and the moments of pitfall might get your heart rate up if you've never seen a Jaws fleece before. The problems I have are the second-rate acting, the somewhat cursory characters, the overthinking by director Tommy Wirkola in terms of cuts, and Wirkola's obsession with overhead shots to the point where he exploits a woman giving birth on a floating bed with plasma totally gushing out (and in the middle of a storm). Yikes! "Tossed about."
Written by Jesse Burleson
