Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.0

Great White Blu-ray Movie Review

Apparently, sharks can scream.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 7, 2021

Shark-fueled suspense films are a dime a dozen these days, running the gamut from genre landmark Jaws to its progressively worse sequels, solid recent efforts such as The Shallows, over-the-top camp like Sharknado, and stuff that splits the difference, such as Deep Blue Sea and The Meg. Usually, fans only ask for a few good scares and maybe some well-placed comedy to break up the tension... or, at the very least, just a few halfway-decent characters to root for until all the shit goes down. Unfortunately, Martin Wilson's Great White doesn't deliver any of these things, failing to register as either a rock-solid drama or fun, brainless escapism. Like its title shark, it's just kind of there.

Really, the only thing that sets Great White apart from its contemporaries are the Australian and Kiwi accents. Beyond that, it's basically a game of connect-the-dots: attractive young couple Kaz Fellows (Katrina Bowden, Piranha 3DD) and Charlie Brody (Aaron Jakubenko, Netflix's Roman Empire) operate a small charter service offering flyover tours of the island, and their most recent customers are Joji Minase (Tim Kano, Neighbors) and his wife Michelle (Kimie Tsukakoshi), who wants to scatter her grandfather's ashes in the Pacific Ocean. Also along for the ride is Kaz and Charlie's pal Benny (Te Kohe Tuhaka), because the movie needs a conflict besides for deadly sharks gathering at their eventual destination, the ominously-named Hell's Reef. After landing, they find a corpse washed ashore and look for survivors, but Benny only finds a half-eaten shark victim in a capsized yacht nearby. The predator's still nearby and attacks their seaplane, critically damaging it, with all five passengers quickly relocating to the plane's surprisingly roomy life raft.

The remainder of Great White is a pretty predictable game of cat-and-mice, with some overbaked personal conflicts attempting to generate tension when being lost at sea, surrounded by sharks isn't quite enough. (Perhaps the dumbest moment is when Joji, furious with Benny for ogling his wife, pushes the latter overboard in a fit of alpha male bravado.) But aside from nice scenery, a few decently tense swim-for-safety moments and a climactic face-to-face encounter with one of the predators, there's not much of interest here -- Great White just plays like a cheaper version of films you've already seen, occupied by characters that are store-brand counterparts from Lost and other like-minded productions. The whole thing just comes across as "been there, done that", with the resulting vibe of general boredom being the exact opposite of what fans want out of these things. Hell, even Deep Blue Sea 3 was more fun than this.

But yep, it's another shark movie if you're in need of a quick fix and, if nothing else, RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray package at least offers a decent A/V presentation and a few lightweight bonus features. Like the main feature it's nothing special overall, but possibly worth a spin or two as the summer season slowly winds down.

Great White Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The all-digital Great White manages to wring some visual excitement out of its picturesque island locations, with sun-baked beaches and impossibly blue waters creating more than a few memorable images. Darker moments, such as the undersea footage and an extended nighttime sequence where the personal drama goes into overdrive, are likewise well-handled with decent black levels, minimal noise, and color reproduction that reflects the chillier weather. While the CGI isn't exactly terrific from start to finish, it blends in pretty seamlessly when it arrives, creating an illusion that looks fine in-motion but seams are easily spotted if you go over it with a fine-tooth comb. All told, it's decent work that's ported nicely to Blu-ray on RLJ's disc, with a 1080p transfer that's largely free of unsightly compression-related issues like artifacts and banding -- at least above sea-level -- and hasn't been "treated" with excessive noise reduction or artificial sharpening. Even on a paltry single-layered Blu-ray, Great White runs at a reasonably high bit rate due to the short amount of total on-disc content here -- it's less than two hours, including the bonus features.

Great White Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Somewhat surprisingly, Great White's audio doesn't consistently aim for the same heights. The Blu-ray's DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix has room for a few stray sonic surprises including weather-related events, surrounding ocean waters, intermittent undersea scares, and serene tropical locations. But it's a mostly front-loaded affair that doesn't engage as much as it ought to during key sequences, ultimately separating viewers from dramatic tension rather than placing us squarely in the middle of it. This is never more apparent that when our crew's on board the life raft, where stray winds are pretty much the only thing separating Great White from being set inside a high-ceiling room. It's hardly defective and does manage to impress at times, but a more ambitious sound design might have gone a long way.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles, as well as Spanish and French, are included during the main feature only.

Great White Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with foreboding cover artwork, a matching embossed slipcover, and a promotional insert for Shudder's streaming service. The included extras are lightweight but appreciated.

• The Making of Great White (6:09) - Producer Neal Kingston, director Martin Wilson, and several key members of the cast and crew show up for this short but enjoyable behind-the-scenes featurette, which shows some of the filming locations and indoor tanks, as well as practical effects including at least one of the "sharks" in action.

• Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery (16 stills, user-navigated)

Great White Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Martin Wilson's Great White doesn't bring anything new to the table of shark-fueled entertainment, skimping out on undersea conflicts while subbing in mostly overcooked personal drama to make up for it. The end result doesn't exactly work, offering a fitfully entertaining experience that nonetheless feels like a trip we've already taken a hundred times before. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray package serves up a decent A/V presentation and a few lightweight bonus features, but only the most die-hard genre junkies should consider a blind buy -- this one's a rental for most.