Prime Video’s new shark thriller movie has one big problem lurking beneath the surface, and it’s not the shark

(Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios) I do love a good shark movie. Most of the time, it comes down to the survival story: watching a single person or a group of characters try to escape a dire situation involving one of Earth’s most terrifying predators. But beyond the danger, these movies also make for a thrilling evening watch. So when Prime Video announced “The Devil’s Mouth,” its latest original movie, I was intrigued to see how this new shark thriller would stack up against the rest of the genre. Having now watched all 104 minutes of the survival flick, I’m left feeling more frustrated than entertained.Tom's Guide Verdict: 'The Devil's Mouth'Rating: 2.5/5 starsVerdict: “The Devil’s Mouth” offers some decent shark survival thrills, but predictable characters and frustrating decisions prevent it from reaching its full potential. Kathryn Newton is the standout, bringing much-needed emotional weight, while the film’s tense third act provides fun moments despite a lack of meaningful character development. Where to watch: "The Devil's Mouth" is streaming on Prime Video“The Devil’s Mouth” essentially feels like a claustrophobic version of “Jaws,” with a premise that’s almost an exact copy of “47 Meters Down: Uncaged.” It follows five college friends who embark on a guided swim through a remote cave system along Thailand’s coast. However, their exploration quickly turns into a nightmare when they realize there’s a deadly bull shark lurking in the darkness. Now they must work together to survive a predator that can strike at any moment.Prime Video likely has a new No. 1 movie on its hands, but “The Devil’s Mouth” suffers from one major problem that almost had me switching it off: its incredibly annoying characters. Not only did I want to scream at my TV, but I had absolutely no intention of rooting for these people, meaning there was no emotional investment whatsoever. So, before you dive into Prime Video’s new shark movie, here’s what I think.The scares are there, but patience is required The Devil's Mouth - Official Trailer | Prime Video - YouTube Watch On “The Devil’s Mouth” starts off like many shark survival films, introducing the group of characters who will eventually come face to face with the ocean’s deadliest predator. This friendship group includes the controlling leader Max (Lana Condor), soft-spoken Sara (Kathryn Newton), Max’s overly passive boyfriend James (Nico Hiraga), the whiny Greg (Gavin Casalegno), and his spontaneous girlfriend Adrienne (Tommi Rose). It’s a pretty standard setup for a survival movie, especially when these characters fall into almost every familiar trope. From the opening minutes, you can already predict who’s going to make it out alive.This movie doesn’t make much of an effort to make you care about its characters. There’s some exposition-heavy dialogue about their plans after college, along with early hints of tension between best friends Max and Sara, but for the most part, I struggled to become invested in their journey. “The Devil’s Mouth” almost forces you to dislike everyone except Sara, meaning there’s very little emotional payoff once the shark finally enters the picture. Every character makes frustratingly poor decisions, with the group constantly screaming at one another, to the point where I found myself checking how much time was left. (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)It’s frustrating because “The Devil’s Mouth” does manage to build enough tension to keep me hooked, and the third act is a little more compelling, but without any emotional investment, the outcome ultimately feels wasted. This movie would have benefited from focusing more on the toxic friendship between Sara and Max, keeping them as the central characters navigating an awful situation while being forced to confront their issues. Max has an unhealthy obsession with being in control, while Sara lacks the backbone to stand on her own and stop simply following along.“The Devil’s Mouth” will probably please those looking for a simple shark movie or a new guilty pleasure watch. Kathryn Newton does what she can with the material, and she’s already one of my favorite actresses right now, so her performance alone was compelling enough to keep me watching. However, I wish this had been a more intimate movie focused on a couple of complex characters rather than a larger group that’s difficult to connect with. Thankfully, the bull shark hunting them doesn’t suffer from any poor visual effects, and I’m sure many viewers will find the thrills enough to overlook the annoying characters.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Verdict: ‘The Devil’s Mouth’ proves the shark isn’t always the biggest problem (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)All I want is a shark movie that genuinely gets under my skin and hits me on a visceral level. I don’t even mind flawed or annoying characters because conflict is standard fare. But they need to act like actual human beings with understandable reasons for making bad choices, not just walking tropes lined up as fresh bait. Honestly, maybe this is a sign the subgenre is running out of steam.If filmmakers aren’t going to give us something genuinely different like the way “Dangerous Animals” tried to shake things up by throwing a serial killer into the mix, maybe it's time to give the creature-feature side of the genre a break. “The Devil’s Mouth” certainly packs enough quick thrills to boost it to the No. 1 spot on Prime Video this week, and it works fine if you’re looking for a mindless guilty pleasure. But as someone who genuinely loves a tight, gripping survival thriller, I just left the water feeling unsatisfied."The Devil's Mouth" is streaming on Prime Video now Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow Tom's Guide Entertainment on TikTok and Instagram. More from Tom's GuidePrime Video's AI makeover could change how you streamEverything new on Prime Video in August 2026Netflix hopes you won't notice missing features Alix is a Senior Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, which basically means watching the best movies and TV shows and then writing about them. It’s a dream job for someone who’s been obsessed with storytelling since she first figured out how to work a remote. Before joining Tom’s Guide, Alix honed her skills as a staff writer with outlets like Screen Rant and Bough Digital, where she discovered her love for the entertainment industry. She heads to the cinema every week as a tradition, no matter what’s showing. For her, movies aren’t just entertainment — they’re a ritual, a comfort, and a constant source of inspiration. When she’s not at her desk or at the cinema, you’ll probably find her deep into a horror video game on her PC.