The horror in Jonathan Zuck’s Chum isn’t a bloodthirsty shark with a chip on its shoulder-it’s his choice of rather bad AI over craftsmanship, practical effects, and real VFX.
The film follows a group of friends celebrating Tina (Alice Eve) and Tom’s (Eric Michael Cole) recent nuptials. Their ocean getaway turns into a nightmare when they become stranded and are stalked by a relentless shark out for revenge.
After a freak accident and subsequent shark bite that takes down the captain, they spiral into a fight for survival as panic, paranoia, and the body count rise. Survivors must outwit the predator beneath them — and reckon with the bad decisions that landed them there.
Growing up, my favorite shark creature features — Spielberg’s Jaws, Renny Harlin’s Deep Blue Sea — delivered sharp storytelling, iconic scores, groundbreaking practical effects, along with gut-wrenching gore. That’s what separates the classics from the flops. Chum struggles on nearly every front. Silver lining: for anyone who thinks AI can replace skilled artists, this film is the counterargument.
Tina (Alice Eve) and Sadie (Ella Haymond) share a quiet moment aboard the boat in Chum.
“Their ocean getaway turns into a nightmare when they become stranded and are stalked by a relentless shark out for revenge.”
The script never builds characters worth rooting for before the attacks start. If anything, I found myself rooting for the shark. Now don’t get me wrong, horror doesn’t always need deep character studies, but it does need enough emotional grounding to make you care who survives — and Chum skips that step. Too often, scenes feel like they are mindlessly treading water until the next attack. Motivations aren’t clear, tension is rushed, and crucial plot points are given clunky pivots.
Creature features live or die by their monster, and the heavily AI-generated shark, stunt work, and blood never feel authentic — more video-game cutscene than a deadly predator. Horror fans often forgive low-budget CGI, and I, for one, would much prefer the charm and heart of a glitching animatronic than underwhelming AI. Here, the AI effects kept yanking me out of the tension instead of building it. Worse, the practical gore that shark horror runs on is largely absent — no mangled limbs, no visceral bite wounds, just digital blood with no texture or weight. For a genre built on brutality, that’s a real miss.
Chum isn’t without merit. The cast commits, and a handful of suspense sequences briefly capture the helpless dread that makes shark horror work. Ella Haymond stands out as Sadie, Tina’s blunt, protective little sister — her line deliveries had me laughing, and I wanted more of her. Lisa Yaro is convincing as the self-absorbed frienemy, with some genuinely tense moments in the water.
Bottom line: die-hard shark-movie fans might find enough here to justify a watch. Anyone hoping for the next cult creature-feature gem, though, will find Chum is bait that never quite lands the catch.
"…Anyone hoping for the next cult creature-feature gem, though, will find Chum is bait that never quite lands the catch."
