The following contains spoilers for Under Paris, now streaming on Netflix

Under Paris shares a distinct character archetype with Jaws but gives the role a very dark twist. On the surface, Jaws and Under Paris have a number of similarities. Both movies are focused on an unexpected shark appearance in public waters, forcing a handful of experts to try and stop the creature from slaughtering innocent civilians. In many ways, Under Paris even seems to be taking certain cues from Jaws, with a number of Under Paris characters having direct parallels to Jaws‘ cast.

Under Paris is also a much darker film than the bombastic and over-the-top special effects might lead audiences to believe. The film ultimately has a grim message about humanity’s culpability in the changing landscape of the world. This plays into one of the clearest threads between Under Paris and Jaws, with both films having a very similar character archetype who suffers a very different (and very grisly) fate in Under Paris‘ ending.

Under Paris’ Mayor Character Was Clearly Inspired By The Mayor In Jaws

The Mayor In Both Shark Movies Works Against The Heroes For Monetary Reasons

Under Paris‘ Mayor is a very similar character to Jaws‘ Mayor Vaughn, with the two sharing a lot of similarities. Anne Marvin plays the otherwise unnamed La Maire de Paris in Under Paris. In many ways, she’s a modern take on Murray Hamilton’s Jaws character Larry Vaughn, the mayor of Amity Island. Both are politicians who find themselves at odds with the police and oceanic experts over the danger posed by shark attacks. Both characters are driven primarily by publicity and public perception, openly refusing to acknowledge the experts because of the negative impact it will have on their plans.

Both mayors cite the financial burden of closing the bodies of water to the public. While Mayor Vaughn fears the financial downturn that could be caused in the small town if they close the beaches during the height of summer, La Maire de Paris has invested a great deal of money in a triathlon to celebrate the upcoming Paris Olympics. Both characters are blase about the danger, demanding results but refusing to listen to expert testimony on the situation. Both are representative of the human impulse to ignore danger for the sake of the self, making themselves a roadblock that the heroes have to overcome.

How Under Paris Gives The Mayor Character A Darker Fate Than In The Jaws Franchise

Notably, both films take these similar characters in ultimately very different directions. Vaughn realizes the weight of his actions after the film’s third notable shark attack, as his own children were also swimming at the beach. While he’s still sleazy and easy to detest, the film makes him somewhat sympathetic thanks to his regret and ultimately lived to return in the sequel. By contrast, La Maire de Paris is only interested in the success of her program, actively ignoring the threat of the sharks and lying to the public as the triathlon begins.

La Maire de Paris is at the race when the French army accidentally sets off the lingering bombs in the Seine River, and is last seen realizing what her actions have wrought right before she’s swept away in the ensuing flood. Her likely death fits into the overall bleak tone of Under Paris, which uses La Maire de Paris as a chief example of how humans’ willful ignorance could cause their doom in the long run. While the Le Maire is clearly inspired by the same archetype as Vaughn and plays a similar role in the narrative, their diverging fates underscores the themes at play in Under Paris‘ ending, and highlights the biggest differences between the two shark movies.