'Above and Below' Review: A Slick and Entertaining Shark Thriller
- Aug 12
- 3 min read
By Shauna Bushe - August 12, 2026
Every year another predator emerges from the depths, hoping to become the next unforgettable creature feature. Most sink beneath their own ridiculous ambitions, but Above & Below manages to stay afloat by embracing its predictability. A creature feature that actually delivers on its promises, escalates in tension and is undeniably fun.
What is Above & Below about?
In Jesse V. Johnson’s shark thriller, a dream Mexican vacation spirals into a nightmare. To clear Tatiana’s brother's massive gambling debt, a group of friends accepts a free private shark-diving excursion from Burns (Antonio Banderas), a ruthless cartel boss. The trip turns deadly when armed criminals ambush them at sea, trapping several of the friends in an underwater shark cage. Forced to retrieve lost cartel drugs from the ocean floor, the group must fight for survival against two equally lethal forces: hungry Great Whites and cold-blooded killers.
Let’s be honest? The shark subgenre hasn’t exactly been swimming in masterpieces lately. Between hyper-cheap B-movies and Netflix-bloated blockbusters, it’s rare to find a thriller that takes both its premise and its audience seriously. That’s what makes this 2026 entry such a refreshing surprise. Before the first fin even breaks the water, the film spends real time building tension on deck. The shipboard drama doesn't feel like filler designed to stretch the runtime, the character clashes are genuinely sharp, infused with a snappy, dry humour that makes the crew feel like actual human beings rather than walking chum. When the inevitable panic hits, the choices they make feel earned by the personalities established upfront.
Once the action shifts into the water, the film drops the pleasantries. Instead of relying on a single, oversized lone predator, the film unleashes a relentless swarm of Great Whites. The aquatic sequences are crafted with exceptional spatial awareness and crisp underwater photography. You always know where the divers are, where the drop-off is, and where the shadows are moving. The suspense is tight, claustrophobic, and brutally effective.
Standing out is Laura Marano, best known for her squeaky-clean Disney Channel days (Austin & Ally) and light-hearted rom coms, Above & Below is a curveball in her career. Playing Tatiana, a vacationer trapped in a life-or-death scenario, Marano leaves the Disney innocence behind. She brings a grounded, high-stress grit to the underwater sequences. Instead of playing a helpless victim, her performance carries a believable desperation, transforming her into a sharp anchor for the film's panic-driven second half. Opposing her on deck is Antonio Banderas as Burns, a menacing cartel figure. Pivoting from his swashbuckling heroics to a calculating, unhinged antagonist is one of the films major highlights. He plays Burns with an corrupted charm, accompanied by an unsettling humour. They both compliment the film with performances that are equally out of their comfort zone.
Does it break the creature-feature mold? Not really. It plays strictly by the classic playbook: isolated setting, failing gear, dwindling survival odds, and one frantic final push for safety. But original formula doesn't matter when the execution is this polished. Backed by solid shark visuals, ridiculous laugh-out-loud beats, and a genuine sense of peril, this is easily one of the most entertaining popcorn thrillers of the year.
'Above and Below' releases on digital platforms August 25, 2026.
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