‘Below’ Review: Josh Hartnett’s Monster Drama Is a Flawed but Entertaining Netflix Binge-Watch

The Netflix series "Below" offers a chilling tale of an isolated Newfoundland community facing multiple threats as billionaires try to buy their homes and a monstrous creature hunts people from the water. Created by Jesse McKeown and executive produced by Jessica Rhoades, Chris Hatcher, Josh Hartnett, Jamie Childs, Louise Sutton and Sharon Hall, the limited series follows Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett), a struggling fisherman and single father of three adult children.

Calvin, haunted by the death of his father witnessed as a child and having seen a giant eye in the water, grapples with dwindling catches and a new room rental income. With the return of his family during a Newfoundland tradition, tragedy strikes when Wade (Charlie Heaton) narrowly escapes an encounter with the mysterious creature lurking beneath the sea.

The town of Snook's Arm, led by the Penney family and other residents, faces not only the underwater threat but also a powerful corporation offering buyouts and bizarre physical symptoms and visions affecting some inhabitants. The show, praised for its strong performances from the cast and its ability to establish a genuine sense of place, history, and culture, is more than just a "Jaws"-like story, delving deeper into supernatural mysteries and the potential reasons behind them.

While the series does experience a tonal shift midway through, its ability to create a sense of community and invest the audience in the characters makes it an entertaining binge-watch.