Warning! Contains spoilers for Netflix’s Under Paris.
Summary
Since Netflix’sUnder Parismaintains an air of mystery surrounding which species of shark Lillith belongs to, viewers must be curious about the characteristics, abilities, and origins of the vicious underwater creature. Apart from featuring a violent showdown between sharks and humans throughout its runtime,Under Parisdrops several subtle clues that reveal what kind of shark Lillith can be. In other moments,Under Parisalso adds a layer of fantasy to the narrative, portraying abilities that a shark like Lillith may not possess biologically.
One of these early hints shows up inUnder Paris' opening arc, explaining why the main shark, Lillith, has its appearance. As the movie progresses, its main character, Sophia, learns more and more about what it can do and where it possibly comes from to be able to defeat it before it is too late for humans. Although, asUnder Paris' endingsuggests, Sophia and her team fail to overpower the shark, the movie drops enough details to highlight which real-world shark species Lillith closely represents.
Under Paris Cast & Character Guide
Under Paris is an unconventional shark thriller that revitalizes the genre through effective storytelling and solid performances from its cast.
Lilith Was Thought To Be A Mako Shark In Under Paris
Sophia Draws Her Initial Conclusion Based On Lillith’s Appearance
Early on in Netflix’sUnder Paris, the main character, Sophia, says Lillith is a mako shark. Also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, the Mako shark is usually found in tropical seas. As shown in the movie, mako sharks also travel long distances to hunt and capture prey and are even notably known for covering 2000 km in one stretch to find both mates and prey. InUnder Paris, Lillith somehow sustains itself in the freshwater of Paris' Seine River, which, in real life, would be unlikely sincemako sharks are among the many oceanic species that require saltwater to maintain their physiological processes.
Sophia Claimed Lilith Was A New Species Of Shark In Under Paris
Lillith Has Many Advantageous Mutations In Under Paris
Although some shark species, like the Bull shark, Requiem shark, and Ganges shark, can survive in freshwater, mako sharks are adapted to the high salinity of marine environments. Owing to this,Under Paris' portrayal of a mako sharksurviving and attacking humans in fresh river water is inaccurate. However, the movie offers an explanation for this by revealing thatLillith has mutations that allow it to withstand and thrive in freshwater conditions. Apart from helping Lillith sustain itself in the Seine River, its mutations give it another major advantage over the city’s human population.
Although there have been no real-life documented cases of parthenogenesis in mako sharks, Under Paris effectively uses the scientific concept to highlight how Lillith single-handedly raises her own underwater army and becomes a significant threat to the human population.
Sophia learns that Lillith does need to mate to reproduce andcan do it asexually through a process called parthenogenesis. Even in the real world, many sharks, such as the Bonnethead Shark, Leopard Shark, and Zebra Shark, are capable of reproducing asexually. Although there have been no real-life documented cases of parthenogenesis in mako sharks,Under Pariseffectively uses the scientific concept to highlight how Lillith single-handedly raises her own underwater army and becomes a significant threat to the human population.
Is Under Paris Really The Best Shark Movie Since Jaws?
Under Paris has surged to the top of Netflix’s streaming chart following its early June release & has drawn comparisons to Spielberg’s shark classic.
How Under Paris' Lilith Compares To The Sharks In Jaws & The Meg
Lillith Is Not As Massive As Others But Possesses Terrifying Mutations
The shark in Steven Spielberg’sJawsis 25 ft / 7.62 m, which makes it 5 feet bigger than the one pictured in Peter Benchley’s source novel. Its weight, calculated through real-life sharks' weights scaled to lengths, is around 4.9 tons, making it over 2 tons heavier than the one in Peter Benchley’s book. While the shark inJaws 2is the same size, the one in Jaws 3D is even bigger, weighing 13.5 tons. Starring Jason Statham, one of the most popular shark movies of modern times,The Meg, takes things up a notch by portrayinga colossal 75-foot version of the extinct megalodon shark.
Despite not being anywhere close as massive as the megalodon,Under Paris' Lillith seems like a mighty and enormous apex predator against humans whose specific mutations allow her to start a global shark invasion.
Instead of treading the same path as other films likeJaws,The Shallows, andThe Megand featuring great white or megalodon sharks as its antagonists, Netflix’sUnder Parissettles for a shortfin mako. As seen in the film, mako sharks are relatively smaller than most sharks portrayed in movies, buttheir size can still go up to 4 m (13 ft) in length and 570 kg (1,260 lb) in weight. Despite not being anywhere as massive as the megalodon,Under Paris' Lillith seems like a mighty and enormous apex predator against humans whose specific mutations allow her to start a global shark invasion.
Under Paris
Beneath the bustling streets of Paris lies a hidden world filled with ancient secrets and dark mysteries. A group of daring urban explorers sets out to uncover the truth buried within the city’s catacombs, only to find themselves facing a series of terrifying challenges. As they unravel the enigmatic past of Paris, they must confront their deepest fears to survive.
