Still traumatized by the stillbirth of their baby, married couple Jaelyn (Alicia Silverstone) and Kyle (James Tupper) try to enjoy a beach holiday in Vietnam, only to find that a change of scenery doesn't mean a change of luck. When a tropical storm hits, their villa is swept out to sea, where a combination of bad decisions and even more bad luck make this a bloody holiday to forget. Of course, Alicia Silverstone and James Tupper are but miscast actors playing roles they probably shouldn't have taken; we the viewers are the real victims. "The Requin" is a terrible shark movie with distractingly bad VFX work worthy of a lesser Syfy original, which isn't helped by a lame script that spells everything out for the viewer (an argument between Jaelyn and Kyle in which they offer a play-by-play of their shared backstory almost has to be seen to be believed) and does a fine job of stretching a threadbare plot over 89 looong minutes. I loved Alicia Silverstone back in the "Clueless"/"The Crush" days, but try as she might, she isn't built for the Blake Lively role, coming off as far more annoying than she is endearing as the movie's central protagonist. Nor is director Le Van Kiet possessed of the same talent that Jaume Collet-Sera brought to the comparatively, uh, lively "The Shallows". Don't get me wrong: "The Requin" is good for a few laughs, but nobody involved seems to be in on the joke.
