INTO THE DEEP is a 2025 shark thriller that’s ultimately more about drug cartels than sharks. Don’t let the cast fool you into thinking this is a quality production. It truly is not. And I’m a sucker for shark movies usually. Read our full Into the Deep (2025) movie review here!

INTO THE DEEP (2025) is supposedly a shark thriller but it turned out to be the first big disappointment of 2025. Not only because I like shark movies (and sharks along with all other animals) but because the cast made me think it would be at the very least decently made. It is not.

Having Scout Taylor-Compton, Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned), and Mr. Jaws himself Richard Dreyfuss in the cast successfully lured me in. However, that also means expectations are set accordingly and this movie did not deliver. It’s only 90 minutes long but feels longer and isn’t worth your time in any case.

Continue reading our Into the Deep (2025) movie review below. Find it in select theaters and VOD from January 24, 2025.

Suspicious from the opening scene

The opening scene of Into the Deep made me a little suspicious that I should dial down my expectations real quick. Sure, it used actual shark footage, which I liked. I’d much rather see shadows and other practical effects combined with real shark footage than a lot of CGI. However, that was the only good thing about that scene.

Then there’s a time jump and the girl we saw in the opening scene is now an adult woman portrayed by Scout Taylor Compton. So far so good because I usually like Scout Taylor Compton (Feral). Not always the movies she’s in, but she usually does a good job. And she does in this one as well but it simply is not a good movie.

And then Richard Dreyfuss co-stars (well, sort of) as her grandfather. That’s pretty cool as she did have a shark encounter as a child, and Richard Dreyfuss (star of Spielberg’s iconic Jaws) is the shark actor. However, the story is terrible and I have never seen Richard Dreyfuss as lackluster and just “off” as he is in Into the Deep.

Into the Deep (2025) – Review | Shark Thriller

What is Into the Deep really about?

If you expect to watch a shark thriller when opting for Into the Deep, then I’m afraid you’re heading for disappointment. At least that was my experience.

In this “action-packed thriller”, we meet modern-day pirates (led by Jon Seda) looking for sunken drugs. The criminals kidnap some tourists (Scout Taylor-Compton is among them) and force them to retrieve the drugs from shark-infested waters.

In other words, sure, there are sharks but it isn’t really about the sharks. It’s about criminals acting in stereotypical ways and people making the wrong choices again and again. It gets tired real fast but the movie continues along those lines. Had it been a short film, it could’ve been decent, but this did not work for me.

You can watch Into the Deep (2025) in theaters or on VOD

The director of Into the Deep is Christian Sesma, and a quick look at his IMDb page will reveal quite a lot of movies directed by him. Several each year, which usually means a very productive filmmaker but rarely amazing quality. The ratings also tend to be around 3-4 on average for most. With a few reaching higher.

The writers are Chad Law and Josh Ridgway, who also wrote the 2023 movie The Flood. Yet another movie we could only give a 1 out of 5 rating. I only realized this after watching Into the Deep. Maybe if I had known ahead of time, I could’ve set my expectations accordingly.

Even the title is as generic as they get. If I sound bitter then that’s because I am bitter. I expected a shark thriller due to the huge picture of a shark being used along with talk of “shark-infested water” but it’s not about sharks. Not really.

Well, except for during the end credits when Richard Dreyfuss delivers a very important speech on how sharks are being hunted and maimed, and that we should protect them. I agree wholeheartedly. Including when he initially notes that it’s ironic that he wants to speak about this at the end of this movie.

Save the sharks, but don’t bother with this movie.

Into the Deep is out in Select Theaters, on Digital and On Demand on January 24, 2025.

Details

Director: Christian Sesma
Writers: Chad Law, Josh Ridgway
Stars: Scout Taylor-Compton, Richard Dreyfuss, Stuart Townsend, Jon Seda, Callum McGowan

Plot

Modern day pirates on the hunt for sunken drugs kidnap a boat of tourists and force them to dive into shark infested waters to retrieve the contraband.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
Latest posts by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard (see all)