Netflix’s Latest Shark Survival Horror Thrash (2026) Sinks Upon Landfall

Title: Thrash

First Non-Festival Release: April 10, 2026 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)

Director: Tommy Wirkola

Writer: Tommy Wirkola

Runtime: 86 Minutes

Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak, Djimon Hounsou

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

When news of a category 5 hurricane breaks, the small coastal town of Annieville, South Carolina gets to work evacuating and preparing for the surge. Some residents have opted to stay despite the warnings. Dakota’s (Whitney Peak) agoraphobia makes leaving her home already difficult. The threat of a devastating storm only makes the challenge harder. Heavily pregnant, Lisa (Phoebe Dynevor) finds herself trapped in her car after leaving work just late enough to get hit by the flooding. Meanwhile, siblings Dee (Alyla Browne), Ron (Stacy Clausen), and Will (Dante Ubaldi) are forced to shelter in place by their neglectful foster parents Billy (Matt Nable) and Rachel Olson (Amy Mathews). The storm’s fury is only the first of their problems when a truck carrying thousands of gallons of animal waste and blood is punctured, alerting scores of the ocean’s most deadly predators to the feast that awaits them in Annieville.

Thrash is a limp, suspense free creature feature survival thriller that can’t decide what film it wants to be.

The problems begin with Thrash early on, as its foundational setup springs leaks before the storm swell even surges. Choosing two stories to focus on, it’s clear that Thrash doesn’t have much to explore for its characters and setting. Dakota and Lisa’s stories converge rather quickly, making the initial separation feel arbitrary while the sibling’s story feels so separate from the action. Uneven pacing makes it so Thrash rushes through crucial development to “get to the good stuff.” For Thrash, this means waiting as characters rage against the situation that they find themselves unable to escape.

Trapped with dull characters robotically dancing around on furniture until the swell becomes too strong to subvert, Thrash’s audience is treated to underwhelming backstories and flimsy motivations. An unlikely alliance between an agoraphobic loner and a workaholic pregnant mother becomes the film’s focus as the sea overtakes the tiny coastal town. Dakota and Lisa’s development depends entirely on each other’s willingness to rely on the other to heal from their past trauma while revealing little about who they are. Sure, there’s “character” here but it’s meaningless when Thrash doesn’t investigate beyond what’s necessary in setting up its next middling shark set piece.

As it barrels towards its relatively forgone conclusion, Thrash delivers flaccid shark and disaster action sequences while setting up bizarre, suspense-less puzzles for its characters to solve and survive. When the flash floods instantly make evacuation impossible for the remaining survivors, it leaves them in precarious situations to avoid becoming a shark’s next meal. Unfortunately, these obstacles evaporate quickly without much work needed from its protagonists. The workarounds are equally implausible as they are boring, achieving little in the way of thrills while simply moving the plot forward. Thrash sinks with the roar of a hurricane: screaming for scares that barely make landfall.

There are few bright spots in the swell, as Netflix and known B-movie titan Tommy Wirkola know Thrash’s success depends on its earnestness. Unfortunately, no amount of Vanessa Carlton needle drops and hopelessly absurd pregnancy gags can save this ship from sinking. Its cast is affable enough and the production values are suitably glossy. Effort went into Thrash, even if it doesn’t show in the clunky shark special effects or unconvincing disaster sequences. If the goal was delivering mediocre marine action horror with so-so shark carnage and typical disaster film tropes set against a sunny, vacation-ready Instagram backdrop, Thrash doesn’t just hit the mark, it sinks its teeth into it. In the end, Thrash surfs by on some passable kills and its fun setup.

Netflix’s sharksploitation film does very little well despite its general competence and solid production values. Toothless shark action, uneven pacing, and tonal inconsistencies make it difficult to fully get behind the aquatic horror. Far from the worst effort in the sub-genre, Thrash’s social media thrashing is more due to its failure to expand on its concept and deliver solid, well-timed shark scares with B-movie setup. The demand for good shark films is here. In the end, Thrash just doesn’t satisfy the cravings.

Overall Score? 5/10