Most of Tina’s friends are picked off one by one, though family survives. As the aftermath of the shark’s snacking illustrates, blood is thicker than water. (Want to read my two-star review? Here it is)
Chum‘s order of deaths:
- Nikki: Five years before the main events of the movie, Nikki, Roy’s wife, she jumps into the sea from some rocks and is eaten by a shark. Roy is distraught and jumps in after her, but she is gone. RIP Nikki, you were only in this film briefly and sadly no one will remember you except me, as I took extensive notes for my review.
- The audience’s will to live. RIP me, sob.
- The boat captain: On the catamaran the shark attacks the boat, dislodging the anchor. As the captain endeavours to pull it back in he falls overboard, and the shark bites his leg off. He is dragged back onboard but a kefuffle with a lit flare leads to it being flung into the engine room. Tina falls in and Tom jumps in to rescue her. They make it to a buoy and the shark returns, but it is shot at by a fisherman who arrives on his tatty boat. It’s Roy! But is he saviour… or monster? With the catamaran now on fire, Tina’s friends jump into the water (leaving the captain behind) to swim to Roy’s fishing boat, which they reach safely. The catamaran explodes, and the injured captain, thrown into the sea, is eaten underwater by the shark. RIP Captain Birdseye.
- Britney: Roy tells the group he can’t take them back to their resort as a storm is incoming; but they will make their way to another port, where he will drop them off. He then drugs the group with food and drink. They awake with hands bound, and Britney is forced into a diving cage and lowered into the water. Roy stabs her so her blood will attract the shark. The shark approaches and Roy raises raises Britney in the cage, gasping for breath, then lowers her in again. She frees herself and swims to the surface where she is unfortunately eaten by the shark. RIP Britney, you were the best thing about Chum and deserve to be in a better, less noisily chewy shark film.
- The coastguards: Roy explains to the survivors that the shark killed his wife and he is tracking it, having tagged it previously. He has tried dead bait, and live cats and dogs but has decided rich humans would work, even if they are not actually ideal. He selects Tina to be lowered next after she calls him weak. A coastguard boat arrives, sirens blaring. Tina covers for Roy to protect her friends, but the guards see a severed arm in the water – Roy shoots the female guard and she dies. Tina shouts out what Roy is really up to, but Roy pushes the surviving official into the sea where he is eaten. RIP government officials, though I don’t know why they give you inflatable boats in sharky waters.
- Rachinda: Rick attacks Roy but is shot with a harpoon arrow for his trouble. He is not killed but is severely injured. A fight ensues and Tom is whacked into the sea, disappearing. Rachinda jumps in, to swim to the coastguards’ drifting motor dinghy, the shark in pursuit. As she tries to swim across Roy sees her and drives the boat over her. She is cut into pieces by the propeller. RIP Rachinda – you were boring right up until your final swim for freedom.
- Rick: Tina is inspired by the message (which was so inspirational I have forgotten it) on the wedding bracelet that her dad gave her. Tom turns out to be alive in the water, frees his hands, and starts swimming towards the coastguard dinghy. Tina’s sister Sadie gets hold of Roy’s knife and she and Tina cut through the ropes tying their wrists. Tina and Roy fight and she whacks him with her bangle. The shark looms up and grabs Rick from the boat, eating him. RIP Rick, you had a nice Hawaiian shirt even if you were an idiot.
- Roy! Tom makes it to the dinghy and calls the coastguard, telling the dispatcher to send help. Roy forces Tina into the cage but as he lowers it the cable breaks and it falls to the seabed. Tina, of course, can’t swim and hangs motionless in the water. Roy throws her sister Sadie into the water. The shark is coming but Sadie makes it back onto the boat. Tom appears next to Tina underwater, having dived down with scuba equipment from the coastguards’ dingy. He gives her air through the mouthpiece and they head for the surface. The shark is coming but they both manage to get back on the boat. As the shark approaches, Tina jumps on its back and stabs it, while Roy shoots it with his harpoon. It sinks away under the water. Roy kisses Nikki’s photo. The three survivors – Tom, Tina and Sadie – throw a bucket of chum over Roy and bind him with rope, though he still manages to turn the tables and aim his gun at them. Tina whacks at a small buoy on board which ricochets and pushes Roy off the boat, still tied up. Sadie starts the boat and as Roy is pulled along behind, the shark bites off his foot before munching its way up his body. RIP Roy, you were evil but you did it for love.
The ending
Tom gives Tina her killer bangle back and she tells him she knew he would find his way back to her. They kiss. Another coastguard boat arrives with help.
Roy speaks, from beyond the grave, in a voiceover, as his skull sinks to the seafloor. It lands next to where Nikki’s already sits, awaiting him.
Tina is on a news channel explaining that climate change caused the attack. While she knows it will jeopardise her job she criticises GoPak, the firm she was assisting as a lawyer to start that drilling in Alaska.
The moral of Chum: the real monsters are Homo Sapiens not the cartilaginous fishes (that’s sharks to you).
There is no mid or post credits scene.