While watching the film Great White the beginning reminded me of Jaws, but as it develops the tone changes to a more merciless terror filled action “killer”. Nicely acted and directed, some of the twists are unique making the story unpredictable. You would never think that it was a first time director with the many difficult shots involved. Now on Blu-ray and DVD you’ll want to watch it more than the first time through.
Charlie (Aaron Jakubenko) and Kaz (Katrina Bowden) have a small business taking tourists to secluded islands in their six seater seaplane. But things have been very slow and their bills are piling up. Just when Charlie thinks he’s at a dead end, a call comes in from a couple, Michelle (Kimie Tsukakoshi) and Joji (Tim Kano), who want to be taken to an island far from the coast. It’s a bit risky because of the area, but Kaz agrees as long as she can go for the ride. She also asks if their mechanic Benny (Te Kohe Tuhaka) can go along with them for safety reasons.
When they get to the island, there’s a gruesome surprise waiting for them that is only the beginning of the nightmare that’s about to follow. One of the hardest movies to film is one with a lot of underwater action, but first time full feature Director Martin Wilson makes it look easy. The thrills come early, then subside to give the audience a break, the all hell breaks loose in a relentless terror filled escape that get bloody and horrifying. Expect unexpected twists, scary situations and a lot of chomping teeth. Fearsome and realistic in most all the action scenes, Wilson surly did his homework on shark attacks. Thanks to his visual supervisors Michael Mier and Glenn Cone.
The film stands among my favorite Thriller movies for 2021 and what adds to its high rating is the acting by the five members of the main cast who brought it to the screen. Katrina Bowden, Aaron Jakubenko, Kimie Tsukakoshi, Tim Kano, and Te Kohe Tuhaka . All eyes are on the group as they go from a simple beach trip to a date with the devil fish. Not a flaw in their performances, Director Wilson gets the team out of their norm and into a rush of realistic danger.
SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES:
“The Making of Great White”
“Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery”
Great White has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains very realistic shark violence, language, gore, and disturbing images. Great White is well worth the watch and is now on Blu-ray and DVD for home viewing. My rating for the target audience is 4.5 out of 5 Stars.
Editor Note: The music score for Great White includes “Panic” written by Annie Hamilton and it’s very cool as it plays during the credits. During the movie I kept on waiting for the Jaws music, but this production also did a very good job of creating an original tense score with a lot of suspense and fear thanks to Tim Count.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Katrina Bowden, Aaron Jakubenko, Kimie Tsukakoshi, Tim Kano, Te Kohe Tuhaka
Directed by: Martin Wilson
Genre: Action, Terror, Adventure, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains shark violence, language, gory, disturbing images
Running Time: 1 hr. 31 min.
Video Release Date: September 7, 2021
Original Theatrical Release Date: July 16, 2021
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: RLJE Films, Shudder
Released on: Blu-ray, DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
