Under Paris (2024)

Sometimes all you need is a natural disaster film about incompetent governments, incompetent citizens, and the dangers of global warming. If that’s what you’re looking for, this film delivers. For more depth and character development, look elsewhere.

French cinema has a pretty good reputation, so it’s funny to see that they are also capable of making these kinds of trashy films. That’s not to disparage the film, as it was fun to watch. But it’s not the same kind of output as i typically think of when i picture the french film industry.

The film was only a hundred minutes long, but it still felt like there were some filler sections. Attempts to construct a tragic backstory felt clunky and only took away from the action, but fortunately they were kept to a minimum. The plot contains a few leaps of faith, but in general the incompetence and self-importance of the mayor of paris seems in line with the behaviour of several recent european leaders.

It’s not a bad film, but some pacing issues hold it back.