Thrash (2026) Review – A sloppy disaster

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are going to be checking out the new Netflix shark thriller Thrash (2026).

Let’s Talk About Shark Movies

Look, I have to be honest, I am a sucker for a shark movie. They are just so easy to enjoy when you don’t feel like watching a full blown horror. Who doesn’t love indulging in the gory exploits of a big toothy bastard chomping on people’s legs?

“If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is. It’s almost the exact same plot of the far superior crocodile-themed thriller Crawl (2019).”

Let’s be real, though… Shark movies are rarely all that “good”. We typically have to choose between the latest piece of Asylum Movies’ dreck or some other low budget floating turd that is somehow even worse. It’s very rare that a shark film comes along with some real money to play with and a big name behind it.

That’s where Thrash (2026) comes in. This movie boasts the Netflix brand on the front cover which promises, at the very least, some higher production values and a decent budget. We also have legendary Dead Snow director Tommy Wirkola at the helm. This has got to be good, right?

Well… Not quite

The first mistake that Thrash makes is in how many story threads it tries to weave. Let’s break it down quickly. A category 5 storm hits a coastal town, absolutely devastating its flood defenses and letting in a horde of hungry sharks that now have access to the town’s streets and even people’s houses.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is. It’s almost the exact same plot of the far superior crocodile-themed thriller Crawl (2019). Whereas Crawl was a fairly compact tale of a woman trying to rescue her father, Thrash attempts to tell about 8 different stories all at once.

We have the pregnant woman who finds herself stuck in the town; the agoraphobic woman who can’t leave her house; the kids trapped inside after their father refuses to leave… There’s a hell of a lot going on here. The narrative flits back and forth from one scenario to the next with the only connecting theme being survival, a lot of rain, and angry sharks.

A narrative storm

It’s honestly a bit distracting. No single story is really given chance to breathe because there is such an eagerness to switch the action to a different venue. Find yourself getting invested in the story of Lisa (Phoebe Dynevor) as she tries to find refuge in the storm? Tough shit, here’s three annoying kids getting up to hi-jinks in their house

“You are going to get that distinct feeling that AI had a hand in padding out the script here.”

Each segment has a slightly different tone, as well. The kid’s story is played with an almost Goonies-like sense of adventure, the pregnant woman’s story is somewhere between comedy and drama, and other bits are far more action focused.

Thrash feels confused and, to be perfectly honest, I felt myself mentally drifting due to the lack of focus. It doesn’t help that none of these individual stories are all that compelling.

Characters aren’t very well fleshed out and there is little reason to root for them beyond their predicament. They are hampered by some horribly lacklustre writing that has them saying the dumbest things time after time, too. You are going to get that distinct feeling that AI had a hand in padding out the script here.

But how is the killer shark stuff?

All of that wouldn’t be so bad in the shark stuff was effective but, unfortunately, it just isn’t. First thing’s first – the sharks actually look okay. They are far better than your standard CGI fare and aren’t going to ruin the picture for you. The problem is the lack of feasibility in the situation itself.

Aside from the fact that I imagine sharks wouldn’t see a flood as an opportunity to eat a lot of humans. Nobody ever really feels in any real danger. They have to deliberately put themselves in peril to manufacture any form of action. Most of the time, the cast are able to just elevate themselves above the sharks and watch as they swim below them.

One scene actually involves a character physically opening a door for the shark to come in, despite the door never needing to be opened. It’s remedial stuff and very difficult to actually invest in. The prevailing sense of “if these people have an ounce of common sense, they will be fine” really impacts on the scare factor.

“All of that wouldn’t be so bad in the shark stuff was effective but, unfortunately, it just isn’t.”

There’s no sense of escalation, either. The situation never really gets worse, it just… happens. That’s not exactly a recipe for an exhilarating thrill ride, is it? More a dull and boring chore that’s really not worth your time.

Any positives?

Thrash succeeds much more as a disaster film than an outright shark themed horror. The first twenty minutes of the film actually do a very nice job of setting up the incoming storm. The flooding scenes are pretty effective too, and viewers who can manage to invest in the human drama element of survival might find something to enjoy.

The movie dips a toe into comedy towards the end and, despite it feeling massively out of place, it might just make you chuckle once or twice. That’s if you can withstand the thematic whiplash that it causes. Some of the acting is fairly solid, too.

There’s a random snippet of “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton in one slightly amusing scene so enjoy having that song stuck in your head afterwards.

Overall, Thrash is just a thriller that is lacking in thrills. If you can key in on the disaster element, you might enjoy it. If you don’t mind some lethargic b-movie shark fun, you may have a good time. Anyone looking for a seriously great shark flick should look elsewhere.

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.