Horror

Film review of The Requin (also released as From Below) the horror starring Alicia Silverstone and James Tupper as a couple adrift after a storm on a holiday island paradise.

Synopsis

Married couple Jaelyn (Alicia Silverstone and Kyle (James Tupper) are holidaying after the trauma of losing their baby. But their island paradise turns to horror during a ferocious storm that sweeps their ‘cabin on the water’ out to sea.

Kyle is injured and, as the cabin falls apart, sharks circle them meaning Jaelyn has to think on her feet to save herself and her husband.

Review, by @Reelreviewer

I stumbled across The Requin (French for shark, if you wanted to know) as I scrolled through the oh-so-helpful ‘storefront’ on Youtube, where I now download most of my movies as Google Play has gone kaput.

With Alicia Silverstone (a once top-flight, A-list movie star) in the lead and this being a survivalist flick with sharks, it ticked a few boxes for me, so settled down to watch it I did.

But oy veh, where to start with a horror movie that just isn’t up to snuff.

You’d have thought that a movie groaning at the seams with producers would have a better chance of being a quality piece. But perhaps too many producers spoil the cinematic – IMDb lists 17 people as ‘producers’ with 4 main production professionals), but the result is poor and looks cheap.

Not one of those producers has ensured decent CGI effects. If you’ve seen Hitchcock’s classic The Birds (1963), you’ll be used to spotting the joins in the process work; 60 years on and with computer software now doing most of the heavy lifting, you’d be forgiven if you think The Requin is taking movies a few steps back.

If you had fun giggling at the archaic effects in The Birds, you will love those in The Requin – fuzzy, malformed sharks, people’s bodies seeming to merge (then diverge) with their surroundings, laughably unrealistic shots of things bobbing in the ocean. Note to other producers – think carefully before hiring the teams responsible for this mess.

There are always logical errors in these movies, but most of the time you can settle back and enjoy the main show. But those in The Requin will have you screaming at your TV or turning it off.

The couple’s lodge is dislodged during the storm, crashing into significantly-sized rocks and reefs. Do they climb onto them? Nope. They argue a bit, sit tight and are content to drift further out to see as the wife screams at the top of her lungs to a rescue boat near the shore. During a ferocious and noisy storm?!

The husband’s leg is bleeding, but neither properly bandage it (there’s loads of material around, too) nor, most importantly, keep it as far away as possible from the shark-infested waters.

I’ll leave out any conversation points about how, in the end, Silverstone manages to kill the bad sharky trying to nibble at her tootsies, but hats off to her and Tupper. With admirable straight faces, they maintain suitable levels of energy, integrity and professionalism by trying to make a smidgen of this farrago believable and entertaining.

See the official trailer for more.

Cast & credits

Director: Le-Van Kiet. 1h 29mins/89 mins. Saban Films/Film Bridge International/828 Media Capital/Choice Films/Paper Street Pictures. (15).

Producers: Jordan Dykstra, Aaron B. Koontz, Todd Lundbohm, Ellen S. Wander.
Writer: Le-Van Kiet.
Camera:
Music:
Sets:

Alicia Silverstone, James Tupper, Deirdre O’Connell, Danny Chung, Jennifer Mudge.