‘Into the Deep’ Review: Overcoming the Fear of Sharks and Pirates
Into the Deep takes on too much plot when it should have focused on the drama.
What is Into the Deep About?
Into the Deep is a shark-attack action/thriller that attempts to add emotional depth to its main character’s plight.
When she was a child, Cassidy watched in terror as her father was eaten by a shark. Now, as an adult, Cassidy has an understandable phobia of the ocean. She hopes to confront her fear by accompanying her husband on a treasure-hunting expedition to a shipwreck. Things go wrong almost immediately when a Great White chews on one of the divers, and it gets even worse when gun-toting pirates board their boat while looking for crates of drugs on the ocean floor. In desperation, Cassidy offers to dive in the shark-infested waters to retrieve the pirates’ drugs in exchange for the lives of herself and the people she is sailing with.
Into the Deep is directed by Christian Sesma based on a script written by Chad Law and Josh Ridgway. Scout Taylor-Compton stars as Cassidy, with Callum McGowan playing her husband Gregg. John Seda is Jordan, the leader of the pirates, and Richard Dreyfuss is Cassidy’s grandfather Seamus. Rounding out the main cast are Daemon Benz and Lorena Sarria.
Into the Deep Review
The setup is the most interesting aspect of Into the Deep. The promise of seeing someone overcome their shark/ocean phobia in a heroic way is intriguing enough to want to invest some time into watching that story play out. Unfortunately, that particular plot thread feels underdeveloped when it finally gets paid off.
Cassidy’s voluntary dive with the sharks happens about halfway through the movie, and there’s another brief moment with Cassidy and a shark later on. However, the biggest threat is never the sharks. The biggest threat is Jordan, the leader of the drug-hunting pirates. So the movie ends up being less of a psychological thriller than viewers are repeatedly encouraged to believe it is. Into the Deep is almost purely an action thriller that relies almost exclusively on plot, thus sacrificing almost any character development. So, despite multiple flashbacks of Cassidy talking about her fears with her grandfather, the psychological element of overcoming a crippling phobia feels completely superficial.
As a low-budget action thriller, Into the Deep is—at best—just okay. Gunfire never feels totally authentic, and the shark attacks look even worse. The sharks themselves look fine when they’re swimming around, but when they attack, the facade of reality is broken. Movements are unnatural, and the blood in the water never looks believable.
It’s a shame, because many of the actors do a good job with what they’re given. Richard Dreyfuss is sadly underutilized, but Scout Taylor-Compton and John Seda are good foils for each other as the film’s hero and villain respectively. Plus, there are times when the movie looks good. Some of the underwater shots are nice, but the good parts of the movie don’t add up to make Into the Deep anything more than mildly interesting and ultimately forgettable.
Into the Deep Rating and Recommendation
Star Rating: 2.5 out of 5
There are going to be lots of shark movies released in 2025, just like there are every year. Into the Deep will definitely get lost in the frenzy, but it won’t be the worst of them.
Into the Deep is currently streaming on TVOD platforms including Amazon Prime Video.
Further Reading
- No Way Up Review: Though It Needs More Bite, a Good Thriller Nevertheless
- Cocaine Shark is Happening (sort of), and It Already Premiered in Japan
- Scary Shark Attack Movies
- Best Pirate Movies
- New/Upcoming Horror Movies
- Best and Worst Horror Movies of 2025
