SOMETHING IN THE WATER (2024)

3 stars

StudioCanal. Digital Out Now. Blu ray/DVD 9th September

It probably doesn’t take a genius to work out what the title SOMETHING IN THE WATER is referring to – and no it’s not the slightly annoying cast members!

The film opens with an attack on a lesbian couple Kayla (Natalie Mitson) and Meg (Hiftu Quasem). The latter is traumatised by it and this leads to their break-up. So things are a touch awkward when they are both invited, a year later, to the wedding of their mutual friend Lizzie (Lauren Lyle) on a remote island paradise – alongside Ruth (Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart) and Cam (Nicole Reiko Setsuko) as they are all sharing bridesmaid duties.

They all decide to go on one last adventure before the bride walks down the aisle – and of course things don’t go quite to plan. They go on a boat trip, however they soon find themselves stranded on a small island and in the water… you guessed it, a deadly shark out to munch on them.

Working from a cliché ridden script by Cat Clarke, debuting director Hayley Easton Street delivers a kind of cross between BRIDESMAIDS and JAWS, and does at least spend some time getting to know the characters – though to be honest, they are mainly quite irritating, as they try and escape the denizen of the deep. If you go in with low expectations, this might satisfy until the next, absolutely inevitable, shark movie swims along.

Steve Kirkham