SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
The town of Annieville, South Carolina is about to be impacted by a massive category 5 hurricane coming off the Atlantic Ocean. A young woman, Dakota (played by Whitney Peak), is living by herself and being looked after by her uncle Dale (Djimon Hounsou) due to her parents’ recent demise. Working hours away, he calls to make sure she’s leaving town before Hurricane Henry hits but her anxiety paralyzes her enough to wait out the storm at the house despite fervent warnings on the news to evacuate. Meanwhile, a pregnant woman just days away from her due date is leaving work in order to find higher ground but is caught in a sudden levee break that floods the town. While both are stranded, they each begin to notice their once peaceful city streets are now shark-infested and completely unsafe to travel on. Residents everywhere must navigate how to survive the ever-rising flood waters while also avoiding a grisly, unimaginable fate.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Let’s see, we’ve got a hard-ass swearing at children so we know he’s an unlikable character, we’ve got a mourning teenager stranded all by herself, we’ve got sharks attacking people without injuries and ignoring those with injuries, we’ve got a naive American assuming an African grew up “in a hut,” we’ve got a pregnant woman without a way to escape, we’ve got a millennial having panic attacks yet miraculously getting over them, we’ve got water clear enough to see through despite the debris of full towns being washed away and we’ve got a local resident who refuses to evacuate because “nothing ever happens.”
Basically we have every lazy convenience, stereotype and cliche an amateur would think is clever enough to write.
I think the filmmakers seem to have forgotten that SHARKNADO wasn’t as popular as it was because it was “a shark disaster movie.” It was as popular as it was because it knew it was a joke and leaned into the camp. THRASH has the attitude of a serious film and that lack of foresight is embarrassing and insulting.
Hounsou, who’s great in everything despite the projects on his resume, deserves better. Dynevor, who was excellent in ANNIVERSARY, deserves better. Even relative newcomer Alyla Browne shows potential and deserves better. Hell, the audience deserves better.
Make no mistake: every single point comes from the actors giving it their all despite the movie failing them at every turn.
JKG SCORE: 3.0
Untitled Film Project 