Read This: The glorious unreality of shark-attack cinema
Shark movies aren’t modeled on actual sharks so much as they are the creature known as Jaws. That particular brand of Great White, lest we forget, developed the ability to track a human foe from Massachusetts to the Bahamas, not to mention roar. These are not things sharks do, and this kind of depiction has had a decidedly negative impact on their reputation. Jaws author Peter Benchley felt so bad for his part in demonizing sharks that he dedicated the latter part of his life to shark conservationism.
This past weekend, a new shark movie swan into theaters. 47 Meters Down was no masterpiece, but it’s been lauded by critics (including our own) for not indulging too much into the sensationalistic qualities of most shark movies. Like last year’s The Shallows, however, its third act “takes an abrupt swerve in a less plausible, more heightened direction,” according to our review. Alas.
Jezebel’s Rich Juzwiak has long struggled with filmic depictions of sharks and, inspired by 47 Meters Down, decided to dig deep into everything shark movies get scientifically wrong in an entertaining new piece.