Chum (2026) Review

Chum (2026) Review

Plaion Pictures is delighted to announce the UK release for shark horror, Chum. The film will be available across all major digital platforms in the UK from 17th August.

The film is directed by Jonathan Zuck, who co-writes with Joe Leone and stars Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness, She’s Out of My League), Eric Michael Cole, Elle Haymond, Sarah Siadat, and Jim Klock.

Chum sees a newlywed couple join friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst, transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.

Let’s face it, there is really only one shark movie that truly delivers the goods, and that is Steven Spielberg’s undisputed 1975 masterpiece, Jaws. Every shark-themed thriller or horror film released since has lived in its shadow, and while some have provided solid entertainment, few have managed to leave a lasting impression. There have certainly been enjoyable entries in the genre—Renny Harlin’s Deep Water, starring Sir Ben Kingsley, proved to be an entertaining diversion, while the recent Dangerous Animals cleverly blended serial-killer horror with shark terror, casting the ever-charismatic Jai Courtney as a shark-obsessed murderer. That film, coincidentally, shares a central premise with Chum, in which a sadistic psychopath feeds his victims to the ocean’s most infamous predator.

The trouble is that shark films often arrive in waves. Just as one surfaces, several more seem to follow in its wake. Even when it is not sharks taking centre stage, there is always another oversized predator waiting in the wings, whether it be the giant hippo of the forthcoming Hungry or the killer whale at the heart of the recent thriller of the same name. With co-writer and director Jonathan Zuck releasing Chum amid this latest resurgence of creature features, the question is whether it can stay afloat alongside the competition or simply sink beneath the surface.

Sadly, it is very much the latter.

The plot simply does not hold water, the visual effects are disappointingly unconvincing, and there is nowhere near enough substance to justify its ninety-minute running time. It pains me to say that, as I have always enjoyed Alice Eve’s work, and here she not only stars but also serves as producer. Unfortunately, Chum is a genuine misfire. It is not even the kind of gloriously over-the-top B-movie that becomes entertaining through its sheer absurdity. Instead, it is simply frustrating, prompting more eye-rolls than thrills.

No doubt Chum will still find an audience purely because it belongs to the ever-popular shark-horror subgenre, but whether viewers will come away satisfied is another matter entirely. Characters making bafflingly poor decisions is practically a requirement in films like this, but here they do so with such relentless abandon that you quickly find yourself rooting for the shark to dispatch the entire cast. At least then the running time would be considerably shorter, leaving you free to spend those precious extra minutes watching something far more worthwhile.

Chum will be available in the UK on Digital Download from 17th August