BELOW (2026) – A Thriller That Fails to Make a Splash

Below is Netflix’s heavily promoted sea monster thriller, starring Josh Hartnett as Calvin, a fisherman in a small fishing community whose life takes a dramatic turn when a mysterious sea creature begins haunting the waters around his village. Marketed as a thriller in the vein of Jaws, the series certainly promises plenty of aquatic terror and suspense. Unfortunately, the reality is anything but thrilling. In short, it sucks!

The series scores poorly in almost every conceivable category, from its weak script and boring, nonsensical plot to its unlikeable main characters, illogical situations and lacklustre acting. The thrills are few and far between, with the supposed sea monster making only brief appearances, often obscured by the water and less-than-ideal lighting conditions. For a series built around the threat of a mysterious creature lurking beneath the water, there is surprisingly little here to get the pulse racing.

Playing Calvin’s son Wade is Charlie Heaton, whom many will recognise from his role as Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things. Heaton was excellent in that series, but here he is sadly reduced to a rather one-dimensional character, with little opportunity to make any meaningful impression. As for Josh Hartnett, it is a real shame and a missed opportunity to see an actor of his calibre saddled with such lacklustre material. Hartnett has demonstrated far greater acting capabilities in previous roles, making it all the more disappointing to see his talents wasted on a series that gives him so little to work with. One cannot help but feel that both actors deserved a much better vehicle to showcase their abilities.

Below is yet another example of a heavily promoted Netflix original that ultimately fails to deliver on its promise. The recently released Netflix movie The Last House is another case in point. One cannot help but wonder whether all that promotional hype is meant to compensate for what is lacking on screen.

If you have not watched Below and are thinking of giving it a try, take my advice and stay away from these waters! There are plenty of other, far better series worth binge-watching. Life is too short to waste on such half-baked attempts at thrillers that promise much but deliver so little.