This article was published on 6/6 and republished on 8/6.
Well, Godzilla Minus One had some pretty clever functionality on Netflix’s top 10 most sensible videos list, as things tend not to last too long there, however, after a few days, it was replaced by anything else. It would be Under Paris which, I admit, has an exclusive concept.
I imagined it simply as a monster movie about a shark, but the concept is that a young climate activist tries to save a shark in the Seine (the film is French). The shark is huge, judging by the promotional art, but I’m still not sure if it’s a Free Willy or Shark situation, as it’s classified as MA and contains “blood,” according to its descriptors. I guess they eat someone.
With 10 critical reviews, it has an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A few dozen user scores imply it’s more than 39%, but those two figures are still pretty low, so I wouldn’t say either is an official verdict yet. Meanwhile, our Godzilla friend is well placed with a double critic and audience score of 98%.
Unlike most views on Netflix, there’s not really an expectation of functionality among most of the videos listed here, as many are permissioned and aren’t Netflix originals at all. Netflix promises sequels to its own blockbuster videos, but if they do come to fruition (Extraction 2), other times they don’t come to fruition (we’re still waiting for more Red Notice and Grey Man videos, which Netflix has announced will be coming).
However, Under Paris is a Netflix original, and shark movies from Jaws to The Meg will have sequels if they do well, so who knows, this could be the birth of a new French shark-based megafranchise. A number one debut is definitely solid, as it means that with Netflix’s reach, it’s at least the most-watched movie in America right now.
The rest of the cast is made up almost entirely of licensed films, three hundred Rise of an Empire, the LEGO movie, Home, Divergent, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Shrek and the Mario Bros. movie, some of them. they’re ten years old, but this is Netflix and it has the strength to make it seem like what it needs when it adds new things. Interestingly, I’ve noticed Super Mario Bros. on this list almost since it was added in December 2023, more than six months ago.
If I have time, I might watch Under Paris or just watch Godzilla Minus One a third time.
Update (8/6): Well, unsurprisingly, Under Paris didn’t last long at best, and Glen Powell’s Hit Man took the more sensible spot. The new movie is a rare Netflix original and incredibly well-rated, thank you. He speaks with Principal Richard Linklater of School of Rock and Dazed and Confused. Lately, it has a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 95% audience score. Everybody loves him. Here’s the summary:
Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater’s lighthearted neo-noir stars Glen Powell as Professor Gary Johnson, who works as a hitman for the New Orleans Police Department.
With a supernatural gift for embodying other appearances and personalities to trap other unfortunate people in hopes of defeating their enemies, Gary descends into morally dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to one of those would-be criminals, a charming young woman named Madison (Adria Arjona). As Madison falls in love with one of Gary’s hitman characters, the mysteriously sexy Ron, their gripping romance sets off a chain reaction of acting, deception, and emerging risks.
I’m waiting for my wife to give her a watch, but I can’t wait, seeing how smart it sounds. Unlike Bas-Paris, I expect this one to remain among the most sensible on the list for a long time, as it will spread very temporarily by word of mouth if it’s that clever.
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