Fresh Take on the Shark-Thriller "Thrash": A Balanced Review
By Published Apr 10, 2026, 3:01 AM EDT Alex is the Senior Editor of Reviews & Prestige Content, overseeing ScreenRant's film reviews as one of its Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics. After graduating from Brown University with a B.A. in English, he spent a locked-down year in Scotland completing a Master's in Film Studies from the University of Edinburgh, which he hears is a nice, lively city. He now lives in and works from Milan, Italy, conveniently a short train ride from the Venice Film Festival, which he first covered for SR in 2026. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
It's pretty much impossible to sit down to Thrash and not feel like you know what you're in for. Anytime I described its premise to someone – a survival thriller about a small town flooded by a storm and then – they'd make a face that said, I know what kind of movie that is. And for those who seek it out, the most important question it must answer is whether the filmmakers knew what kind of movie they were making. The primary yardstick by which this film will be judged is whether they "got it right."
It's clear from very early on that they did. Despite having a decent budget and some recognizable actors to work with, writer-director Tommy Wirkola, known for Nazi zombie film Dead Snow and his , ensured what ended up on screen was a pretty fun B picture. It doesn't have the stylistic touch that can sometimes bring a little something extra to playful genre films, nor does it have a true standout sequence that could give it a chance at a longer cultural life. But it does have just the tone you'd hope it would, especially as it nears its climax, and that's all it really needs to deliver the goods.
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When Thrash begins, the town of Annieville, South Carolina is already headed for disaster. What began as a small storm just hours prior is now Hurricane Henry, which has grown so strong that one character suggests it should've been named "Hurricane Ted Bundy." So, the movie uses our first layer of disbelief as a way to introduce its characters, focusing our attention on why each one hasn't evacuated. And it's obvious about it, too: The first one we really meet is Dakota (Whitney Peak), whose agoraphobia, in a genre movie context, immediately registers as a reason to get stuck in the shark-storm.
We go on down the list this way. Marine researcher Dale (Djimon Hounsou) is Dakota's uncle, and will actually get himself into trouble to save her. The very pregnant Lisa () was forced to come into work that day, and given she was just recently left by her fiancé, she's hardly in a position to say no. Ron (Stacy Clausen), Dee (Alyla Browne), and Will (Dante Ubaldi), three foster siblings living out near the swamp, are at the mercy of their POS foster father, Billy (Matt Nable), who insists this "ain't nothin' but a little bit of weather." It's ultimately a clever strategy, not only for its efficiency, but also because it establishes each of them as characters worth rooting for. They did not choose to stay, but were compelled to, and thus become people we'd like to see survive this ordeal.
If I had to pinpoint one thing that keeps this movie from getting to that next level, it would be the uneven execution.
Thrash wastes no time getting to the moment Henry breaks the levee, floods the town, and causes a meat transport truck to spill its bloody contents into the water. Almost everyone we've met so far is placed in immediate peril, none more urgently than Lisa, who is trapped in her car by a tree branch as the water level steadily rises. For a while, there's a real sense of danger, and the film seems capable of tipping into a more serious-minded thriller. Then the first shark attack happens, after which a man pops out of the water, looks at the bloody stump where his arm used to be, and yells. I laughed and leaned back, confident I was in good hands. From there, things only escalate, and the laughs keep coming.
If I had to pinpoint one thing that keeps this movie from getting to that next level, it would be the uneven execution. Wirkola is clearly tuned into his material, and the camera movement and editing are in sync with the tone he's after. But from scene to scene, the general feeling oscillates. Sometimes it's a performance that takes the material a bit too seriously; sometimes it's a set piece that lets the ball drop a little. Nothing that can't be redeemed by the next scene, but enough that my level of engagement ebbed and flowed.
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Though , this film was originally intended for theaters, dated, delayed, and ultimately undated by producers Sony Pictures. Though that history is visible in how it looks, as well as in the economical visual storytelling deployed throughout, I thought about it most as the shark-storm chaos reached its height. Some moments were clearly designed to get a big laugh, and with a crowd, that intoxicating feeling of shared release would only have fueled the finale. However – and this is the sign a movie is well-suited to a casual stream – watching it alone at home was no less of a good time.
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Phoebe Dynevor Lisa Fields -
Whitney Peak Dakota
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