With summer nearing, cue the monster shark movies. However, unlike the countless B movies and Jaws knockoffs, The Black Demon actually has a little more to offer than a high body count and gruesome deaths at sea. The film takes its time building its story and getting us to actually care about its core cast of characters. The shark becomes a bit secondary to the storyline, and the film is all the better for it.

Directed by Adrian Grunberg and written by Carlos Cisco and Boise Esquerra, the film takes place along the coast of Mexico. This is a small town filled with superstition, including residents who believe in vengeful gods that created a megalodon as a form of punishment for environmental devastation. The town is also at the mercy of a major oil company. This is why Paul Sturges (Josh Lucas) comes to the area in the first place. He’s a loyal company man charged with inspecting one of the rigs. He’s joined by his pirate-obsessed son, Tommy (Carlos Solórzano), daughter Audrey (Venus Ariel), and wife Ines (Fernanda Urrejola).

After an opening that sees the shark devour two of the rig workers, the film then shifts, spending quite a hefty amount of time establishing the family dynamics, along with the conflict between Paul and the townspeople. This isn’t a killer shark movie where a bunch of red shirts die. There is some of that, for sure, but instead, the film spends its time really establishing the family and the lore that the townspeople believe in, which puts them in direct conflict with Paul, who dismisses the idea of vengeful gods and a shark out to hunt and slaughter anyone and everything in its path because of environmental harm that his company caused. One of the film’s real strengths is that the core cast never feel like one-note characters. There’s also a nuanced storyline regarding Paul and heinous actions he took on behalf of the company. He’s certainly no perfect protagonist. There’s also quite a myth and gravitas built around the shark, to the point the townspeople believe it’s killed countless fisherman and whales as well. The shark indeed feels larger than life.

The film also looks beautiful, and there are more than a few moments when Antonio Riestra‘s cinematography simply stuns with some gorgeous shots of the sea and the surrounding landscape. But at the end of the day, this is a movie about a megalodon. In that regard, there are plenty of tense moments here, specially by the second half when the family finds itself trapped on the rig, which the shark repeatedly attacks. This isn’t Spielberg-level suspense, but the movie rarely lags.

Overall, The Black Demon is a pleasant surprise and more than another redundant creature feature. As the days grow longer and warmer, this film is an entertaining watch with a meaty storyline, interesting characters, and plenty of shark attacks.

6.5 Out of 10