If there is one theme that connects thrillers and horror films, it is that characters rarely obey the survival instincts known to mankind. A perfect example of this could be seen in Netflix’s new thriller Thrash, where Phoebe Dynevor’s Lisa is seen cruising in her car during a category five hurricane. And it is always these high-risk individuals who are at the centre of multiple tragic events. The Bridgerton star is at her full-term pregnancy, at the brink of labour, while rising floodwaters and manhunting bull sharks are wreaking havoc in the city. There is no dearth of nail-biting moments in Thrash, but they are all submerged deep under those waters, thanks to lack of novel ideas and realistic storytelling.
The film dives straight to the centre of the storm with two major storylines—Lisa stuck in the chaos and Whitney Peak’s Dakota trying to save her and the unborn child along with a trio of foster siblings trying to move out of their shark-invaded homes. Filmmaker Tommy Wirkola tries to stretch a thin idea to encompass a shark thriller which already has many successful predecessors. However, the bubble breaks too fast, with not many emotions to take back after the credits roll. With an 86-minute duration, the film abruptly cuts away from tension-filled moments that deserve deeper exploration, and veers into a mundane, template-driven story arc. Thrash pulls the audience away from what could have evolved into a terrifying nightmare, leaving you distracted by a string of logical flaws rather than invested in the fate of the humans struggling to survive the storm.
However, Dakota’s struggle with agoraphobia and her deteriorating mental health in the aftermath of floodwaters crashing into her home offers a refreshing take on the genre. A few well-placed lines even allow for moments of dark humour amid the chaos. But with a plot that remains unsettlingly shallow, not even the biggest of sharks can save this film from moving into disaster.
Double whammies are hardly uncommon in survival thrillers. The Day After Tomorrow pitted massive floods against freezing temperatures; Godzilla Minus One layered post-World War II trauma with monster attacks; and The Grey combined a plane crash in a snowy wilderness with wolves hunting the survivors. Thrash, despite having a similar promising premise, ends up as a dual tragedy—unfortunately, for the audience watching it.