THAI MEAN WORRY

1 day ago
6 min read

THE DEVIL'S MOUTH (15)

Director: Jeff Wadlow

Screenplay: Aja Gabel, Myung Jo Wesner

Starring: Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Nico Hiraga

Running time: 106 minutes

Prime

Review: David Stephens

Shark movies are exactly like British Prime Ministers. You don’t ask for them, but there’s a new one every couple of weeks or so, whether you like it or not. You just have to hope that they’re marginally entertaining, more successful than the last one, and don’t make you want to bang your head incessantly against the wall. New examples of both have mysteriously synchronised themselves to pester the politically hungover UK for the last week of July. But we digress with this comparison, and anyway there’s always room for more shark movies… as long as they have some redeeming qualities. Premiering on Amazon Prime is The Devil’s Mouth. Despite being another product from the where-the-hell’s-the-emergency-power-off-button on the metaphorical conveyor belt that is Sharksploitation, this one has a couple of production details that will be of interest to genre fans. First off, its lead actor is Kathryn Newton, who’s managed to accrue a significant CV in horror movies, with some really nice character work in stuff like Freaky, Ready or Not 2, Abigail, and Lisa Frankenstein. Enough anyway for lazy hacks to categorise her as solely a ‘scream queen’, when she’s worked in plenty of other genres, including the MCU and some major TV series. And plays professional golf. Suffice to say, her appearance in this potential Jaws knock-off adds another horror entry and may interest a few people. Not only that, but it’s also directed by Jeff Wadlow, who is famous (or infamous depending on your point of view) for contemporary genre fare such as Truth or Dare, Imaginary, and the Blumhouse version of Fantasy Island. It was shot in Thailand, with principal cinematic work taking around eight weeks to complete in September 2025. And now it’s had a mid-week release on Prime; we’ll see if it’s ‘shark weak’ or not…

Five American friends are on holiday in Thailand, led by BFFs Sara (Newton) and Max (Lana Condor, recently and literally kicking ass in Pretty Lethal). All at turning points in their lives as regards careers, homes, and relationships, they relish the opportunity to kick back and get wasted in foreign climes. The trip hits a speed bump and almost turns into a remake of Open Water when Sara is mistakenly left behind on a snorkelling dive, where she is stung to shit by jellyfish. This highlights some co-dependencies in the group and some minor toxicity in their friendships. Nevertheless, they put this behind them and attend a guided swim through a remote cave system known as The Devil's Mouth. Being Americans abroad, of course they bribe the Guide into taking them onto the more adventurous-but-hazardous route, despite his protestations that it was recently flooded by an unseasonal monsoon (climate change, y’all!). Despite strong hints that uncommon sea-life has infiltrated the system, they proceed and marvel at the sheltered paradise, not suspecting that a pissed-off-and-hangry bull shark is stalking them through the liquid labyrinth. After all, isn’t a Devil’s Mouth the same as a set of Jaws?

Meh. Whilst the more outrageous concepts of sharksploitation seem to be rarer, the annual palaver of “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel still seems to result in the surfacing of some productions. Hence, Renny Harlin’s Deep Water and Antonio Banderas in Above and Below also turning up on UK VOD around the same fortnight. Apart from the scenery, the production values, and the presence of rising star Newton, there’s not much to fish out in terms of compliments here. The plot tries to give the narrative some (ocean) depth by incorporating some unhealthy elements into the relationships. Max is very much the alpha of the group, steering the activities and ensuring that her wants are met, either for the group or for herself. Sara is capable and would be more independent if it weren’t for the reliance on Max, something that has become stronger since a family death. It feels like it wants to be The Descent, but the details are all superficial, and the characters are pretty annoying. It doesn’t help when you’ve got vomit-inducing dialogue between Sara and Max like “You and me until the stars burn out”. Someone actually gargles “I love you” underwater in a should-be poignant scene, which then becomes hilarious as a result. It’s all a bit juvenile to be honest.

And that’s one of the main problems. For a clear sharksploitation film that’s had a bit of money spent on it for location and SFX work, it’s relatively dull and tame, being very much aimed at the PG-13 demographic. Most kills are offscreen, there’s barely any blood (until some red water at the end), and nobody swears (one f-bomb… and that’s whispered). Weirdly, there are glimpses of bisected bodies which are flung about with cheery abandon but never shed a hint of haemoglobin or intestinal waste products. A couple of sequences where the bull shark grabs a victim, and then plays Pinball with their bodies, are also distractingly gore-free. It says something when the most disturbing shot is of a (prosthetic) turtle that’s been bitten in half. Suffice to say, whilst some people prefer the restrained approach, it just seems odd for this type of shark movie and reduces the sense of tension and threat. If you want it, this could easily be a horror film that could be enjoyed with the kids. Even the obligatory skinny-dipping scene is filmed in the coyest fashion possible, and parents can breathe a sigh of relief with the total lack of nudity.

That being said, there are glimmers of good ideas and some potential enjoyment in here. Whilst the material is too bland and superficial to underline the toxic interactions that are hinted at, Newton still gives it a shot and occasionally nails a zinger (“How many jellyfish were there?”, “All of them!”), but she’s stymied by the trite interactions. Gen Z epiphanies in cramped tunnels and expositions whilst treading water don’t particularly work well. But at least, she provides some good visceral reactions and physicality towards the end, which helps with the batshit finale. Her delivery of “Dinnertime!” is oddly badass. The (now familiar) Thailand scenery provides an exquisite backdrop to events and even the studio-sets look pretty authentic (ignoring the occasional polystyrene rockfall). As for the shark… well, swings and roundabouts as usual for a film like this. Mostly CG (with some physical FX), it just about menaces sufficiently in the murky shadows, but the later sequences of it headbutting rock formations and breaching the water to grab flying bats (we shit you not!) are just plain daft, prompting you to suspend any disbelief and just let it wash over you.

But the occasional visual flourish grabs the attention. The sadly wasted opportunity of the cave with bioluminescence piques the interest, as the humans make dazzling patterns with their arms and legs, the shark skims beneath them, leaving a glowing wake in its path. Additionally, a frenzied swim through an underwater tunnel, complete with the bare minimum of air pockets, has the shark attempt to grab them through gaps, like an overly vicious attraction on a ghost train ride. If there had been more stuff like this, it would have maintained some interest. As it is, we get overlong sequences where the characters fall off platforms (one does it three times in a row!), swim in circles, moan about their lives, and just generally irritate. There’s an interesting twist that’s teased (but goes nowhere), and there is a touch of mean-spiritedness about later events, but this is mostly lost in diatribes about self-belief and supporting your besties. As well as getting that all-important Instagram photo. Obviously.

It feels like it wants to grip like Fall and have the suspense of The Shallows. However, if you’ve seen Black Water: Abyss (pretty much the same plot, but with a croc in the outback) or 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, then you’ve seen a better version of the same set-up and with much better sequences. Newton is dependable here (especially with the cheesy last act), and an expansion of some of the more offbeat ideas would have raised the entertainment value. Instead, we get weird ripoffs of Jurassic Park (the shark is distracted by movement and a waved flare!), half-hearted attacks, and Gen Z first-world problems. It’s not what a sharksploitation film should be, but somebody obviously didn’t get the memo. Shark completists and Newton fans may want to catch it, but there are far better films of this type out there and circling TV sets as we speak. At least in Thrash somebody got half their head bitten off by a bull shark! Now that’s entertainment!