Commentary: You think escaping a Cyclops is hard? Try outwitting a giant cave shark in 'The Devil's Mouth'

In a summertime dominated by a retelling of history’s astir well-known monster-plagued oversea voyage, “The Devil’s Mouth” whitethorn look similar a specified bagatelle, a non-Imax driblet successful the brine ‘n’ blood-splattered hero’s journey.

Like Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” this eventual abrogation nightmare features a fearless leader, known for cleverly getting the squad retired of each sorts of jams, who refuses to heed immoderate cautionary proposal (Why not travel the tried and existent mode backmost to Ithaca? Why not perceive to the circuit usher erstwhile helium says it is clip to spell now?) to the disastrous detriment of all.

Unlike “The Odyssey,” however, “The Devil’s Mouth” features a mondo and super-hangry shark (honestly, however did Homer miss that one?).

And not conscionable immoderate shark, a mondo, super-hangry bull shark that’s capable to past successful brackish and fresh water.

As a subordinate of the procreation permanently turned into ocean-phobes by “Jaws,” I privation to convey manager Jeff Wadlow and screenwriters Aja Gabel and Myung Joh Wesner upfront for this spot of piscine trivia; present I person to interest astir rivers and lakes too.

In a cheeky bid for “Shark Week”-adjacency, “The Devil’s Mouth” (which made it onto the 2019 Black List) debuted Wednesday connected Amazon Prime Video, close successful the mediate of Discovery’s yearly weeklong paean to the dead-eyed predator we each emotion to fear. Like beauteous overmuch each good, atrocious and ludicrous shark movie ever, “The Devil’s Mouth” opens with carefree revels. In this lawsuit involving a quintet of carefree, Jägermeister-loving young people who are celebrating their assemblage graduations with a travel to Thailand.

While negotiating a vessel cruise, the radical dynamics go instantly clear: Max (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’s” Lana Condor) is the leader/risk-taker/decision-maker; flanked by Sara (Kathryn Newton from “Big Little Lies”), her admiring and much cautious bestie; and James (Nico Hiraga), her devoted and occasionally exasperated boyfriend. Their person Adrienne (Tommi Rose) and her precise non-permanent fellow Greg (Gavin Casalegno) are conscionable on for the thrust (and anyone acquainted with shark movies knows what that means).

There are nary villains here, conscionable a radical of super-fit assemblage grads. And if the personalities are painted successful wide strokes, the performances, peculiarly by Condor and Newton, make a resonant capable affectional palette. In an aboriginal speech astir Max’s determination to determination to L.A., contempt their long-held plans to unrecorded successful New York (where Sara already has a job), it becomes wide that Max’s enactment is mostly based connected “I’m adventurous” vibes and Sara needs to commencement being much assertive.

Especially when, aft telling Max that she is going snorkeling, Sara gets near down amid a bloom of jellyfish close retired of “Finding Nemo.” Though stung, physically and emotionally, Sara carries connected with a travel to the Devil’s Mouth caves due to the fact that her precocious deceased begetter visited them. And, arsenic she is assured repeatedly, they are freshwater caves truthful she doesn’t person to interest astir pesky water critters.

This, of course, makes virtually nary sense. Thailand’s freshwater caves are inland; the coastal caves are saltwater. But whatever, it’s a shark movie.

Though Sara had primitively chosen the “easier” way done the caves, Max demands that their usher Wat (Tayme Thapthimthong, from the 3rd play of “The White Lotus”) instrumentality them on the much challenging route. He is reluctant — a atrocious tempest had precocious caused h2o levels to emergence on that way — but Max wears him down.

Their headlamps piercing the watery dark, the radical swims on (only Sara has accepted a beingness jacket), admiring the bats and stalactites portion Wat reminds them to respect the caves. Adrienne cuts her limb connected a rock, but Sara tends to it instantly with her useful dandy archetypal assistance kit. All is well.

Kathryn Newton arsenic Sara, left, Tommi Rose arsenic Adrienne, Lana Condor arsenic Max and Nico Hiraga arsenic James successful the fearfulness thriller “The Devil’s Mouth.”

(Jirathit Saengavut / Prime)

Until, of course, it isn’t. Moving deeper, they are abruptly surrounded by dormant oversea creatures forced into the cave by the storm. As they statement turning around, it becomes precise wide that astatine slightest 1 of those creatures — namely an tremendous bull shark — is precise overmuch not dead.

Because, arsenic we each present know, bull sharks tin past successful brackish and caller water.

Wat directs them to permission instantly but Max starts to reason astir the exit program and soon capable those brainsick kids are connected their own.

The always-prepared Sara has a waterproof map, but her proposal — that they caput retired present precocious and adust though the spread successful the cave partition that allowed the shark successful — is vetoed by Max, who thinks immoderate constrictive broadside caves volition beryllium better. (Travel tip: Maybe perceive to the idiosyncratic who thought to bring a archetypal assistance kit and a map.) Meanwhile the shark is popping up conscionable astir everywhere.

Shark films are fundamentally fearfulness movies (although with its subtext of nett versus subject and safety, “Jaws” owes arsenic overmuch to Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” arsenic it does to “Dracula”) and the cave mounting of “The Devil’s Mouth” makes it the eventual haunted location — a maze of rooms successful which determination is small oregon nary extortion from the monster that abruptly appears from the darkness, teeth flashing.

As Sara emerges arsenic the ever-dwindling group’s heroine, Max goes from being the bossy but loveable Alpha Friend to She Who Must Be Obeyed, adjacent arsenic she makes the worst decisions possible. Condor, Newton and Hiraga bash their champion to marque Max’s actions believable, but her stubborn stupidity yet requires much suspension of content than a highly vindictive shark prowling a freshwater cave close adjacent to the ocean.

Still, successful a glutted genre, “The Devil’s Mouth” offers a clever twist, a almighty mounting and, done Sara, capable quality translation to springiness it a toehold successful Joseph Campbell’s hero-journey territory. Which is beauteous bully for a shark film.

More important, it’s large amusive to watch. At a clip erstwhile cataloging question woes person go specified a large portion of the taste conversation, it offers the eventual escape. No substance however atrocious it was erstwhile your luggage was lost, your formation canceled oregon your accommodations were little than ideal, astatine slightest you person ne'er been chased done pitch-black caves by a elephantine bi-hydro shark.

Not adjacent Odysseus had to woody with that.