Deep Water
Magenta Light Studios | Release Date: May 1, 2026 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Original-CinChris KnightApr 29, 2026
Harlin has had a long and uneven career leading up to this. Though he isn’t quite old enough to have tackled Deep Water back in 1979, he did make Cliffhanger and Die Hard 2 in the 1990s, and this feels like a kind of spiritual successor to those star-driven action movies. Read full review
72
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiApr 30, 2026
It’s easy to forgive cheap aesthetics and a rushed finale when the middle of the flick, the sharktastic bloodletting where no character is safe, is such a hoot. Read full review
69
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzApr 29, 2026
It’s not half-bad. I mean, don’t get too excited – this is still a bad movie. But it is the kind of better-than-it-should-be bad instead of merely bad-bad. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubSimon AbramsApr 30, 2026
In this case, Eckhart exudes the sort of unselfconscious paternal energy that’s needed to keep things moving in between the familiar, but well-executed disaster movie story beats. He almost single-handedly makes Deep Water a better-than-average genre exercise, though the bloody shark attacks and corny banter don’t hurt either. Read full review
60
The RevealKeith PhippsMay 1, 2026
There might not be anything in Deep Water that hasn’t been done better in other movies, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t done well here. And there’s something to be said for its efficiency: The conspicuous acts of homage often make it like you’re watching three or four different movies at the same time. Read full review
60
The New York TimesGlenn KennyApr 30, 2026
This picture is not as ridiculous as a “Sharknado” movie — Harlin is out to make a genuine nail-biter, and he largely succeeds, maintaining interest even as the two-hour mark approaches. But it’s not enough to make you genuinely afraid to go into the ocean this summer. Read full review
58
The Film StageJordan RaupApr 29, 2026
This back-to-basics homage to disaster pictures of the 1970s has a modest charm, elevated by Harlin’s brisk direction, even if there is little that makes a lasting impression. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichApr 29, 2026
Admirable as it is that Deep Water tries to play things straight, Harlin’s film would have benefited enormously from a neurologically enhanced super Jaws in the third act. Read full review
50
The Travers TakePeter TraversMay 1, 2026
Forget anything new. Director Renny Harlin is merely spitpolishing his same old bag of shark tricks. But the dude knows how to deliver assembly line product like nobody’s business. Read full review
50
Next Best PictureJosh ParhamMay 1, 2026
The potential for a much more engrossing venture is sadly bypassed for a merely passable showcase. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyApr 29, 2026
That exciting crash sequence — from initial turbulence through to catastrophic Pacific Ocean landing — is where high-stakes action specialist Harlin is most firmly in his sweet spot. Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanApr 25, 2026
Deep Water isn’t terrible for what it is, but what it is is disaster product. Read full review
46
PolygonJesse HassengerMay 8, 2026
Deep Water is more like the movie plenty of people probably assumed Deep Blue Sea would be like in the first place: watchable, forgettable shlock. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiMay 1, 2026
The problem with “Deep Water” is not that it is a bad movie (which it is), but it’s a gratingly familiar one that doesn’t have a single point of interest to call its own. Instead, it prefers to spend two hours rehashing elements that even newbies to shark-based cinema will find devoid of any real inspiration. Read full review
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