Josh Hartnett's Netflix thriller Below arrives to sharply divided reviews

Josh Hartnett's new Netflix thriller, Below, is a limited series rather than a feature film. Creator Jesse McKeown sets its sea monster story in a small community, according to Variety Movies.

The Hollywood Reporter describes the six-part series as following a fisherman in a remote Newfoundland village, his quirky family and an aquatic creature powerful enough to sink ships. That gives the show two central interests: the people living beside the water and the danger lurking beneath it.

The October 8 coverage shows a broad split in critical reactions. Variety Movies calls Below an exhilarating sea monster thriller, offering one of the most enthusiastic assessments in the coverage.

The Hollywood Reporter, also reviewing the series on October 8, calls it "likably silly." Its assessment suggests a thriller whose appeal can coexist with its more outlandish premise.

The same day, Sydney Morning Herald draws a sharper distinction between the opening stretch and what follows. Its review praises the first half's monster, thoughtfully drawn small community and David Wenham, but expresses disappointment with the rest.

The Daily Beast Latest Articles delivers a more negative verdict, describing the six-episode story as a shallow attempt to recreate Jaws. Its criticism focuses on a lack of substance beneath the monster-movie surface.

The disagreement is about more than whether the creature provides thrills. The reviews differ over how much the community and characters add, and whether the series sustains its promising setup across six episodes.

The ending has also become a focus of coverage. Mashable reports that Netflix announced Below as a limited series, but that its finale leaves the door open for more story. TIME.com has published a separate, spoiler-marked explanation of the ominous ending.

The open question is whether that ending will remain unresolved or lead to another installment. Mashable identifies room for the story to continue, but the supplied coverage does not report a follow-up announcement. An open ending is not, by itself, confirmation of more episodes.