‘The Devil’s Mouth’ movie review: Fun-soaked survival thriller

Kathryn Newton in ‘The Devil’s Mouth’. | Photo Credit: Prime Video/YouTube July, not April, is the cruellest month, and what better way to send off this never-ending month than with a creature feature? The Devil’s Mouth, directed by Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2), is a surprisingly tense little film filled with lovely jump scares and a glorious, grinning bull shark.The Devil’s Mouth (English)Director: Jeff WadlowCast: Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Gavin Casalegno, Nico HiragaStoryline: Five friends explore a cave system in Thailand only to realise they have an extra passenger with many teeth and a surly demeanorRuntime: 104 minutesWe are quickly introduced to the buffet table, sorry, the cast. There is the good girl Sara (Kathryn Newton), the controlling Max (Lana Condor), the jock with a terror of blood who calls his mum every day (awww), Greg (Gavin Casalegno), the dopey James (Nico Hiraga), off on one last big adventure before law school, and the pretty girl Adrienne (Tommi Rose).The five college friends come to Thailand for a final blast before adulthood comes calling. There is tension between Sara and Max as Max steamrolls her wishes all the time. Just as Sara is all ready to take up her dream job in New York, Max insists she moves with her to Los Angeles.There are Jaws vibes, naturally, as Sara goes swimming and gets left behind (again, Max’s fault). As we see her feet splashing in the water to the accompanying dun-dun-dun music, we are all ready to see a smoothly circling tailfin. It is jellyfish this time which takes us back to Monica and Joey’s urban legend treatment option.The next day, the fabulous five set out to Devil’s Mouth, a cave system where the stalactites and stalagmites form a suitably demonic look. The Devil’s Mouth is special for Sara as her late father loved swimming there, and she has come prepared with ropes, snacks, and the all-important waterproof camera. Naturally Max decides the difficult route is better and forces the guide Wat (Tayme Thapthimthong) to take them there.Thanks to a storm, seawater has flooded the caves and 30 minutes into the film we see the little cigar-shaped silhouette swimming about. And then it is all screaming, tears, frenzied flailing and recrimination as the bull shark, that is also trapped in the caves, picks off the annoying humans one by one.Shot on location in Thailand, the caves have an eerie, claustrophobic vibe all the more heightened with an angry bull shark. The cast telegraphs the order they are eaten up as well as the identity of the Final Girl. Newton does a fair job as Sara, even though her sly glances hint at a much darker twist than the film ultimately delivers.ALSO READ: ‘Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender’ movie review: Post-war Gaang reunion bends under franchise pressureCondor has shed all the Lara Jean Covey (To All the Boys) warmth and wit to be an awful person leading her friends into dreadful situations — how Max is supposed to be the “CEO of fun” is anyone’s guess. Another teen romance alum, Casalegno, from The Summer I Turned Pretty, looks as pretty as Jeremiah in the show.A shark film does not require much histrionics apart from the ability to scream, and the cast proves up to the task. The writing makes the character choose weirdly, but if everyone were sensible, the film would be done in 10 minutes no?The Devil’s Mouth is currently streaming on Prime Video Published - July 30, 2026 04:06 pm IST