Below

Patient, involving, and far more emotionally grounded than its premise suggests, it’s an unusually assured exercise in suspense that understands the value of restraint. Rather than drowning in genre clichés, “Below” knows exactly how to keep its audience hooked.

Early notes of warning aren’t jump scare-y, but they are foreboding and satisfyingly intriguing. We can’t wait to see what kind of fight begins — and who becomes fish food.

Yes, it wraps up a bit neatly by the end, and the bombshells about climate change and corporate avarice are obvious from several fathoms’ distance. But when it wants to be just another monster caper, Below more than rises to the occasion.

The six episodes — most chapters run roughly 40 minutes — come together decently as a fast-moving, occasionally amusing, occasionally suspenseful story that’s basically Come From Away meets Jaws, or perhaps Widow’s Bay with a sea monster instead of a curse.

Clocking in at a tight six episodes, it is also broadly well-paced. It’s not all plain sailing given the plot veers off course at points – the series has a tendency to cast its net a little too wide – and even though many of the scares are predictable, they still prove compelling.

Like too many American Netflix originals, this Netflix Canada production is all set up and little pay-off. After whetting our appetite for a creepy creature feature, it retreats into safer, heartwarming confines.

The first half of the Netflix series successfully builds the many mysteries of what’s actually happening here before a hard tumble downward in the back half that doesn’t contain very many satisfying answers.

Really love the environmental message as well as the thrill it gave me. Great serie for sea lovers, nature defenders as well as for those who hate what rottens our modern world, injustice and hopeless greedy predatory capitalism. Would love to see more of that kind. Ocean is vital. Get that.

Below gets off to a promising start, building suspense and mystery before gradually shifting into adventure, family drama and, at times, even comedy. There's nothing wrong with mixing genres or changing tones. When handled well, as in this year's Widow's Bay, it can make for an excellent series. The problem is that Below never quite manages to bring all its elements together. The Newfoundland setting, the coastal landscapes, the cinematography and the characters all have tremendous potential, but the story becomes increasingly scattered as more characters and plotlines come into play. Some developments feel downright silly, while others are barely explored. Jay's affair with Jan, Natasha Henstridge's character, for instance, is introduced but never given much room to develop. It feels as though some scenes or storylines that could have added depth and coherence were left on the cutting-room floor. The series occasionally loses its footing, particularly in episode 4, which takes a dreamlike turn that pulled me out of the experience. I couldn't tell whether what I was seeing was actually happening or was just in Wade and Calvin's minds, and the whole sequence undermines the sense of realism the series had carefully established. The finale, meanwhile, gets a little campy, with the authorities behaving like the hopelessly incompetent adults in an '80s kids' movie. That kind of thing worked in those films because it suited their lighter, more playful tone. Here, however, it feels a little out of place. Much of the series is grounded in a convincing sense of reality: the harsh working conditions of Newfoundland's fishing communities, the isolation and cost of travelling to and from the area, the threat of relocation and Calvin's family life. Fonda Howander's marine biology laboratory adds to that sense of realism, and even the monster feels plausible within the world the series establishes. Against that backdrop, the finale's more exaggerated, almost cartoonish tone feels at odds with what came before. Ultimately, I was left wondering what kind of show Below actually wants to be. It has all the ingredients to be something special, but too many ideas compete for attention, and not enough of them are developed properly. Josh Hartnett is solid as usual, while Cameron... I mean, Mackenzie Davis, gives a good performance, though she occasionally goes a little over the top. Charlie Heaton, on the other hand, is way over the top. Natasha Henstridge and the rest of the cast are solid, too. One other thing kept distracting me: Hartnett looks like he's in his thirties, while his children look like they're in their mid-to-late twenties. Yes, it's weird.

'Below' is Netflix’s answer to 'The Curse of Widow’s Bay,' albeit without the comedy. It features a solid mystery, and the premise is genuinely gripping at the start; however, it loses its way midway through, bogged down by disposable villains and an overly convoluted plot. That said, it does have a decent ending and a relevant environmentalist message. While there are some irrelevant subplots—and the characters’ distinct accents prove more distracting than immersive—the series is, on the whole, enjoyable.

I feel I would have enjoyed this show much more if the strange Canadian Irish accents weren't so distracting throughout!

Just terrible, the writing, story, and plot are all laughable. Too bad they wasted these actors talents and time.