Why Was Lillith So Big, In Under Paris?

After Mika gets killed, Sophia takes the remains of the baby shark after Lillith kills it. She discovers that this shark is a newly discovered species and that it reproduces all by itself. Part of it also shows signs of having adapted to survive in any type of water. If only someone had obtained a sample earlier or even opened their eyes when they saw dozens of sharks hanging out with this one mutant one. Under Paris movie is not a clever horror film.

Under Paris Movie Has Carnage & Sharks (Sous La Seine) 2024

I like a shark horror and thriller movie, but one look at the Under Paris movie trailer when the title announced its presence and I knew this wasn’t going to cut it. The Xavier Gens-directed French-language Netflix film also known as Sous la Seine, left me laughing when I shouldn’t and disappointed instead of enthusiastic about the narrative.

Without an explanation that makes sense and the most inane human decision-making you could imagine, Under Paris has been compared with the iconic status of Jaws. But Jaws it is not. Even if at times there are moments when the film seems to have taken liberties with it.

In the silliest opening I have ever seen, Under Paris starts as marine scientist Sophia sends a team of divers including her husband underwater to re-establish contact with a shark she has been tracking. With no idea why the giant razor-toothed fish has grown exponentially, she wants to know how.

Lovingly given the moniker of Lilith, Sophia doesn’t believe her size is possible given the time frame since she last saw it. The radar confirms bizarre activity and as the trio of men sit hanging underwater, their eyes report exactly what they are seeing.

Why So Big?

Despite their fears that sharks have appeared around them in huge numbers and that Lilith is cornering the human meat market she delivered, Sophia spurs them into action to get a sample. As she watches the live underwater video and listens as the men voice their concerns about the situation, Chris pokes Lilith with a very sharp, painful, and pointy object. To their shock, Lilith becomes enraged, speeds back towards them, and takes them all out.

Sophia is undeterred and leaps into the water like chum in a wetsuit. Lilith managed to eat her husband in the chaos and now she needs also to throw herself into the sea to see what’s what. Lilith does show up and Sophia launches a rescue mission for her very important sample. The super shark catches some rubbish that also gets caught on Sophia’s leg and as it speeds through the depths of the ocean, taking her with it. One would expect her to drown at least. But drown she does not.

Mako Sharks Aren’t Dangerous So Let’s Go Swimming

Not only did Sophia jump into shark-infested water immediately after her entire team of scientists had just been swallowed whole but she went in without diving gear. If you can hold your breath for as long as this particular scene goes for, then hats off to you. I couldn’t. Lilith takes her so far underwater that her ear drum bursts which looks cool but lacks integrity. She spurts towards the surface and onto the boat alive and well.

Whatever the project was for Sophia and her team, remains a mystery. The Under Paris movie ties in some environmental nonsense about the ocean being the life force of human survival alongside a group of activists called Save Our Seas.

Three years after the saline bloodbath, Sophia discovers that Lilith is still getting around and has logged a beacon call in local waters. Incredulous, Sophia points out that Mako Sharks can’t survive in freshwater but that they are now happily frolicking about in the Seine River.

Her activist friend Mika tells her that it’s probably because of climate change that Lilith can make it in un-salty waters and that’s all anyone needs to believe.

Again Sophia launches into action as she tries to figure out where Lilith is hiding as she follows the beacon on foot around the outskirts of the river banks. Little dogs and children happily play and fish along the cemented sides and Sophia scrambles to alert the public of the danger.

Mika and Soohia try to alert authorities of the ever-present sharky danger. Unfortunately, three deaths, a giant beast of a shark being sighted on the radar, and two women reporting it fall on deaf ears. They must prove Lilith exists to the police, water patrol, and the Paris Mayor.

A race against time ensues as Sophia, Mika, and some activists all try to save Lillith from suffocating in her freshwater prison. Meanwhile, Lillith has other ideas and zooms around eating people with wanton glee.

Under Paris 2024, Should I Watch It?

Under Paris will be remembered for its super cool special effects. Even though they are heavily CGI-flavored, the kills are frequent, gory, and action-forward. No one is safe.

Imagine if Jaws had dozens of friends and made it to the packed beach like The Meg when swallowing swimmers. Only in Under Paris, activists crowd into an underground network of tunnels to try and stop local authorities from killing a giant mutant shark. The amount of people that manage to be in the water makes this a must-watch in any movie lovers world.

Sometimes this is all a movie fan needs to swing the praise bar high. If that’s you, this is your time to shine.

For everyone else, if you leave your brain at the door and ignore the record-breaking nonsense thought processes that are a big part of the entire production, then Under Paris will give you, too, a good time.

Where to Watch the Under Paris Movie

Under Paris movie is streaming on:

Director Xavier Gens
Writers Yannick Dahan, Maud Heywang, Xavier Gens.
Stars Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, and Léa Léviant.

For an explanation of the finer points of Under Paris, the following explanation should cover it.