A covert late night mission to secure a bunch of drugs dropped in the ocean goes horribly awry when sharks attack the boat. That’s the opening scene of Great White Waters but it’s also an encapsulation of the entire film, which essentially pits drug dealers against sharks over the course of a single day. Why […]
The group travels to the drop point courtesy of Tony’s trackers and discovers the wreckage of the boat. As they attempt to collect the drugs, however, they’re beset by sharks and Silas is chomped. The others are saved when Gia appears with an ESD (an EMP for sharks) that buys them enough time to scramble back to their boat.
Naturally Gia is then taken hostage and forced to a) recover the drugs and b) find a way to stay alive as Charlotte and Jareth’s power struggle escalates and the Reverend’s demands become more urgent.
The most compelling aspect of the film are Gia’s efforts to work with and simultaneously against her captors. Jareth has no qualms about killing the mysterious blonde woman who happened to be at the right place at the wrong time, while Charlotte covertly reassures the widower that no harm will come to her. Plus: the real threat is obviously from the sharks, so naturally the group will band together to ensure their collective survive, right?
Well…sort of.
This is where Great White Water struggles. The paper-thin characterizations aren’t too surprising, but Ferrante’s refusal to let any of his characters exhibit any kind of growth or depth becomes increasingly problematic as the film goes on. Rather than force the unorthodox group of people to work collaboratively, everyone keeps acting in their own self-interest, even as their numbers and resources dwindle.
The criminals’ actions would make more sense if the Reverend were a proper villain and less cartoony. His entrance confirms the kingpin is capable of violence, but for the rest of Great White Waters, the way the group jumps at his every command doesn’t feel justified. At a certain point Jareth and Charlotte’s jostling for power within Reverend’s organization becomes redundant given the life and death stakes involving the sharks, but Ferrante’s script never comes to this realization.
Thankfully there are several moments that confirm that the movie is self-aware of its schlocky B-shark movie status. This is particularly evident in the climax, which includes an utterly ridiculous visual sight gag (complementary) that nearly negates all of the earlier criticisms. It may require some annoying/dumb characters and illogical plot developments to get there, but the final showdown justifies the price of admission.
If you’re looking for fleshed-out characters or a compelling ‘enemies to accomplices’ arc, look elsewhere. If you enjoy watching unconvincing CGI sharks leap out of the water to gobble down human caricatures, then Great White Waters gets the job done.
Great White Waters is now streaming on Tubi.
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