Shark season comes early this year for moviegoers in the underwater thriller 'Dark Tide,' released today on DVD and Blu-ray and starring HalleBerry and Olivier Martinez

Directed by John Stockwell (Blue Crush, Into the Blue), 'Dark Tide' stars Academy-Award winner Halle Berry as shark expert Kate Mathieson, a woman who's still out of sorts a year after her friend/fellow diver Walter (Sizwe Msutu) was killed during a routine shark expedition off the coast of South Africa – an expedition led by Kate.

She hasn't conducted any shark dives since the accident, and the mounting business expenses are getting the best of her. Just when Kate is at her most vulnerable, she's paid a visit by her estranged boyfriend/underwater photographer, Jeff (Olivier Martinez). Kate's erratic behavior after Walter's death pushed the couple apart. Jeff returned home to France, allowing Kate space to grieve.  

Jeff's unexpected return - with a proposition in hand to rescue Kate from her financial straits – makes Kate suspicious, but she hears him out.

Brady (Ralph Brown), a very wealthy London businessman, is willing to pay a hefty sum if Kate will take him and his son, Nate (Luke Tyler), also a promising photographer, on a trip to swim with the sharks. Brady is a man accustomed to having whatever he wants, and he taunts Kate at every turn to deliver.

Kate calls his bluff and takes him to Shark Alley – the world's deadliest feeding grounds. And that's when Murphy's Law kicks in...

Overall, 'Dark Tide' is somewhat of a 'Jaws' lite. There are several suspenseful moments and the underwater scenes at Stockwell's deft hand are both tranquil and menacing.

Rated PG- running time 114 minutes. English and Spanish subtitles. Bonus feature: theatrical trailer.