Outlander star's new shark movie lands mixed first reviews
Something in the Water, the new female-led shark movie starring Outlander's Lauren Lyle, has received a mixed Rotten Tomatoes score after its first reviews landed.
The film features Lyle, Hiftu Quasem, Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart, Nicole Rieko Setsuko, and Natalie Mitson as a group who head out to a remote island, where a shark decides to make them its lunch.
At the time of writing, Something in the Water has a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 12 reviews.
It's now out in UK cinemas, so we'll wait to see if audiences take more kindly to the new movie.
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Looking at the reviews, the recurring sentiment seems to be that the film looks good (it is directed by Zack Snyder's Justice League and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's art director Hayley Easton Street), but it doesn't do much to stand out in the shark movie genre.
Here's some of the first reviews:
The Guardian
"Audiences hoping for lashings of graphic violence may be disappointed that not all of these problems involve gallons of blood – this is a relatively gore-free thriller – instead, it's all aboard and anchors aweigh for some larky tension between likable characters who find themselves plunged into a nightmare scenario."
Bloody Disgusting
"Those looking forward to pure sharksploitation will be disappointed; the sharks are used sparingly once they finally factor into the story. That underutilisation, at the very least, helps limit the use of unsightly VFX."
Related: Outlander star Sam Heughan's action movie to get a sequel
Little White Lies
"Something in the Water bobs along like many other survivalist shark thrillers, and without finding new ways to jump the shark, it’s just another drop in the subgenre's ocean."
The Times
"Easton Street's direction is undone by budget limitations. The girls, depending on the shot, seem to be close to shore, out to sea or in a pool in the film studio. And the shark? Oh dear."
Meanwhile, Outlander fans can rejoice, as it was recently announced when season 7 would finally return for its second half.
Just over 15 months after the season 7 part 1 finale, the Droughtlander will end this November (in the US, at least).
Something in the Water is out now in UK and Irish cinemas. It is currently available to buy or rent on digital stores like Prime Video in the US.
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