Above and Below (2026) Review – Fairly Watchable Shark-Themed Crime Thriller
Above and Below (2026): Quick Verdict
The TL;DR: Above and Below (2026) is a dual-narrative, shark themed, action horror-thriller directed by Jesse V. Johnson. In a year flooded with unwatchable aquatic duds like Chum and Thrash, this actually manages to be decent fun whenever it stays submerged. Laura Marano delivers a surprisingly committed performance as a capable protagonist dodging competent CGI predators in a setup reminiscent of 47 Meters Down, and Antonio Banderas clearly enjoys chewing the scenery. Unfortunately, the narrative constantly drags us back to the surface for a dull, padded crime thriller loaded with clunky dialogue and generic characters. It’s a mixed bag, but easily watchable on streaming if your expectations are reasonably checked.
Details: Director: Jesse V. Johnson | Writer: Anthony Steven Giordano | Cast: Laura Marano, Christina Ochoa, Antonio Banderas | Runtime: Approx. 95 Minutes | Release Date: July 2026 (Theatrical) / August 6th 2026 (VOD) | Where to Watch: VOD Platforms
Best For: Creature feature enthusiasts craving a pretty watchable shark flick, fans of 47 Meters Down-style cage survival, and Antonio Banderas completists.
Worth Noting: Looking for more underwater creature chaos? Check out our previous reviews of 2026’s aquatic horrors including Chum and The Devil’s Mouth.
Did You Know: Despite being marketed primarily as an aquatic creature feature, the film’s runtime is heavily dominated by a boat cartel crime thriller narrative.
Is It Scary: Mildly suspenseful rather than truly scary. The underwater sequences provide solid claustrophobia and near-miss shark encounters, while the above-water boat conflict plays strictly as routine thriller fare.
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
(A surprisingly fun underwater survival flick constantly dragged down by a dull, bloated crime thriller on deck.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at the shark themed, action horror-thriller Above and Below (2026). This movie had a limited theatrical release back in July before hitting VOD last month. Guess what? It’s actually middling rather than shockingly poor which leaves it a cut above most of the shark movies that have released this year. Wait for it to hit free streaming though, let’s take a look.
Table of Contents
Wow… A Shark Movie That’s Not Horrendous
Okay, I don’t want that heading to be misleading so I am going to temper it just a little. Above and Below is not a horrendous movie but that doesn’t mean it is good.
“Above and Below features two parallel stories: one taking place in the boat and the other under the water. “
When it comes to shark themed horror, we are forced to grade on the curviest of curves because most of them are horrendous. 2026 has been a veritable banquet of bork, as well.
Chum left us floating in the abyss hoping a shark would come and put us out of our misery, Thrash wasn’t worth the energy, our trip into The Devil’s Mouth couldn’t have been less thrilling, and the time we spent at The Bay is best forgotten.
Above and Below is, at the very least, watchable.
The story follows a group of vacationing friends who head out on a dodgy shark viewing boat for a day of excitement and fun. Little do they realise, however, everything is not quite as it seems and the sharks aren’t all they need to be wary of.
It’s two action movies in one… Kinda
This movie falls into that category of shark film that’s actually more human drama than creature shenanigans.
Don’t get me wrong, there is enough shark related action for the front cover to not be, at the very least, misleading but this is more of a crime thriller than anything else.
It takes a long time to get anywhere, as well. The first half of the movie is mostly the friends partying and then enjoying a bit of diving on the boat. It isn’t until the mid-point that the pace starts to pick up a bit.
Things go wrong, people end up clashing, and two characters, Tatiana (Laura Marano) and Kaley (Christina Ochoa), are left stuck in a shark cage surrounded by hungry, toothy bastards. They need to figure out a way to escape, all while having no clue at all about what’s going on above them.
That’s actually where the title comes in. Above and Below features two parallel stories: one taking place on the boat and the other under the water. Clever, right? Well, clever by shark movie standards, anyway.
The thriller stuff is… dull
A big part of the problem with this movie is that the fact that the underwater stuff is a hell of a lot more interesting than the action taking place on the boat. In fact, you will probably breathe a sigh of disappointment every time the narrative flips.
“This part of the film takes up far too much time and is far too mundane and rote to even recommend.
The above stuff is, quite honestly, utterly dull and is frequently padded by long, drawn out monologues, no action at all, and boring stereotyped character work with very little to offer in the intrigue department.
Low budget thrillers are rarely all that entertaining and this is no different.
The fact that director Jesse V. Johnson keeps sailing in extra characters just to pad the cast more and expand the narrative actually gets a little frustrating, after awhile. This part of the film takes up far too much time and is far too mundane and rote to even recommend.
On the plus side, Antonio Banderas is a lot of fun and seems to be having a good time chewing the scenery. The plot is pretty simple and easy to follow, too so you can switch your brain off a little.
The shark stuff is actually quite fun
The below stuff is actually significantly better. For the most part, it’s two girls trapped in a cage surrounded by sharks, but I actually enjoy that formula quite a lot.
“There’s a few tense moments, a couple of decent near misses, and some enjoyable scenes that keep the action flowing nicely.”
Laura Marano is so committed to her role that she actually makes a lot of this movie pretty damn entertaining.
One minute she’s trying to calm her friend down, the next she is stealthily evading a shark’s gaze to retrieve an oxygen tank, the next she is planning an escape. It’s fun and the fact that the sharks aren’t your standard Asylum movies’ crap CGI level makes it easier to enjoy.
It’s fairly reminiscent of 47 Meters Down, but with a much more competent protagonist.
There’s a few tense moments, a couple of decent near misses, and some enjoyable scenes that keep the action flowing nicely. There’s also copious amounts of booty shots if that’s one of the things you enjoy about these types of films. That camera was… invasive; I guess they hired a proctologist to film those parts.
It’s a shame that the movie didn’t focus more on this element of the plot because it is far more interesting. It’s a cut above most of the other shark related stuff I have watched this year and actually fairly enjoyable.
But let’s be real
With the above having been said, this is still a movie with a ton of problems. The cast is horribly generic to the point where characters sort of blend together. Nobody outside of two or three characters is remotely memorable.
Anthony Steven Giordano’s script is pretty awful. There’s lines here that even the competent members of the cast can’t pull off without sounding ridiculous. It’s clunky, derivative, and immensely uninventive. The story suffers from similar issues, too.
You are going to see every story beat coming; there are very few surprises to be had, here. There’s some utterly saccharine moments that make no sense at all and will leave you scratching your head, as well.
Cinematography is fine and the underwater shots work pretty well. They can get quite hazy and obscured at times, however, as well as being rather dark. The picture, as a whole, doesn’t reek of low-budget compromises
All in all, Above and Below is markedly better than most low-budget shark fluff but that’s not saying a great deal. It wastes far too much of its time on dull thriller stuff while wasting the more intriguing underwater stuff. It’s watchable if you are in the mood for a shark film but don’t expect too much.
The Good
- Entertaining Underwater Survival: The cage-trapped scenes offer fun, tense near-misses that outclass most recent micro-budget shark flicks.
- Standout Lead Turn: Laura Marano is exceptionally game, bringing energy, focus, and genuine resourcefulness to her survival role.
- Passable Creature Effects: Avoids the bottom-of-the-barrel CGI typical of Asylum productions, keeping the sharks reasonably grounded.
- Fun Banderas Cameo: Antonio Banderas injects charismatic scenery-chewing into the otherwise dry surface narrative.
The Bad
- Dull Surface Narrative: The boat-bound crime thriller is bogged down by excessive monologues and pacing bloat.
- Stilted Script: Anthony Steven Giordano’s dialogue is clunky, predictable, and occasionally unintentionally silly.
- Bloated Character Roster: The plot continually introduces disposable extra bodies rather than deepening the central tension.
- Blatant Exploitation Framing: The camera’s aggressively lingering focus on butt shots are borderline comically distracting.
The Ugly: The jarring split focus. Every time the underwater survival gains momentum and genuine aquatic suspense, the movie rips you back up to the surface for another round of sluggish, paint-by-numbers boat squabbling.
Should You Watch Above and Below?
If you have suffered through 2026’s steady stream of unwatchable B-tier shark garbage, Above and Below is a surprisingly tolerable diversion. When it embraces its decently fun underwater narrative, Laura Marano’s energetic, proactive lead performance and competent toothy tension make it an enjoyable enough creature feature. It’s just a shame director Jesse V. Johnson spent so much runtime on a bland, heavily padded surface-level crime thriller that repeatedly kills the movie’s momentum. Wait for it to hit a free streaming platform like Tubi before taking the plunge, but don’t expect anything revolutionary.
You might also like:
- The Puppetman (2023) Review – A Generic and Uninspired Possession Slog
- Silent Night (2012) Review – A Brutal and Competent Slasher Remake
- Match (2025) Ending Explained: The bodies, that scene, & who survived
- After Midnight (2019) Review – A Creature Feature with a Romantic Heart
- V/H/S/Halloween (2025) review – All tricks, very few treats
Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight
Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.
A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.
