Above & Below Review: Antonio Banderas Can’t Save This Waterlogged Shark Thriller

Jesse V. Johnson, one of the hardest-working filmmakers in low-budget cinema, enlists Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas for his latest film, “Above & Below”, produced by Aura Entertainment. Collaborating with screenwriter Anthony Steven Giordano, Johnson attempts to merge two appealing genres: the heist film and the shark thriller. Unfortunately, this combination results in more dead water than blood in the ocean.

The story follows Kyle, played by Diego Llinas, who is hiding his renewed gambling problem from his sister, Tatiana, portrayed by Laura Marano. After losing a bet to gangster Burns, played by Banderas, Kyle reluctantly accepts a shark-diving trip as an unexpected consolation prize. Tatiana joins him along with her boyfriend TJ (Donncha Tynan), Kayle (Christian Ochoa), and Danny (Ryan Bertroche).

Once Captain Logan (Timothy Murphy) takes them out to sea, the arrival of Martin (Louis Mandylor) and Garrison (Jess Liaudin) signals that this is no ordinary excursion. Drugs emerge, guns are drawn, and Tatiana and Kayle find themselves trapped underwater while sharks circle them.

This setup could have led to a lean, knowingly ridiculous B-movie, but “Above & Below” spends too much time setting up danger and not enough time making it engaging. The screenplay’s most significant weakness lies in its reliance on characters making foolish decisions.

While suspense can endure the occasional poor choice—especially in moments of panic—Giordano repeatedly uses characters’ bad judgment as the primary way to advance the story. People ignore obvious threats, lose control at convenient moments, and create problems that could have easily been avoided with basic communication. Rather than worrying about who might survive, I found myself more concerned about who would make the next ridiculous choice.

The performances also rarely elevate the material. Several cast members deliver their lines with the urgency of a table read, and their reactions feel disconnected from the life-or-death situations. Banderas provides the most presence, portraying Burns not as a terrifying criminal mastermind but as an irritated supervisor called in to clean up the mess left by an incompetent crew.

As a fan of low-budget cinema and his previous work, I know Johnson has a track record of creating engaging action films with limited resources. With this film, though, those constraints are painfully evident. The boat lacks a sense of claustrophobia, the gunplay fails to deliver a strong impact, and the clichéd digital effects diminish the intensity of the shark encounters. The supposed predators resemble unfinished graphics rather than credible threats.

“Above & Below” strives to be a crime thriller, a survival movie, and a shark-exploitation film all at once, but it never fully commits to any of them. By the time the sharks appear, the film has already drowned its own suspense.

Final Grade: D+

“Above & Below” is in limited theaters now.