Invasion of the Mermaids (2025)

In the 2025 fantasy-thriller Invasion of the Mermaids, director Selina Moore crafts a haunting and visually arresting underwater odyssey that reinvents mermaid mythology for a new generation. With a blend of dark fantasy, ecological horror, and emotional drama, this film dives deep—both literally and thematically—into a tale of survival, seduction, and humanity's consequences.

Set in a near-future coastal world ravaged by climate instability, the story follows marine biologist Dr. Eva Marlowe (Jessica DeLaney) as she investigates strange disappearances along the Atlantic seaboard. What begins as a scientific mystery quickly turns into a nightmare when Eva discovers that a race of sentient mermaids—long hidden beneath the ocean—has decided to strike back against humanity’s pollution and destruction of the seas.

But these aren’t the dreamy, singing mermaids of fairy tales. With sleek, iridescent scales, predatory eyes, and telepathic powers, they’re part majestic, part monstrous. Led by their queen Neritha (portrayed chillingly by French actress Adèle Rousseau), the mermaids communicate in haunting chants and lure ships into shipwrecks, manipulating tides and minds alike.

Jessica DeLaney anchors the story with a layered performance, portraying Eva as both a scientist driven by truth and a woman caught in a personal reckoning. The supporting cast includes Diego Luna as a skeptical coast guard officer and Rina Sawayama in a breakout role as a hybrid human-mermaid torn between two worlds.

The film’s production design is stunning—especially the underwater sequences, filmed with a mix of practical effects and groundbreaking CGI. Cinematographer Liam Ko’s use of bioluminescent lighting and deep-sea shadow play evokes both wonder and dread. Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score, infused with whale-song motifs and eerie lullabies, elevates the tension throughout.

What sets Invasion of the Mermaids apart is its blend of genre thrills with an urgent ecological message. The script, while occasionally heavy-handed, offers sharp commentary on climate change, colonialism, and the cost of ignoring nature’s warnings.

Invasion of the Mermaids is a bold, genre-bending spectacle that combines myth and menace with timely themes. It's a film that dares to ask: what happens when the creatures we've romanticized for centuries finally fight back?