Big Shark

"Big Shark" splashes into the shark movie genre with a unique twist that's as unpredictable as its enigmatic creator, Tommy Wiseau. I had the privilege of catching its Canadian premiere amidst a sea of enthusiastic "The Room" aficionados, with Greg Sestero himself gracing the event. The energy in the theater was electric, resembling a blend of chaos and jubilation.

What sets "Big Shark" apart is its embrace of audience participation. While cult classics like "Rocky Horror" and "The Room" boast established interactive rituals, this film dared fans to improvise, test waters, and discover what tickled their funny bones. The result? A cacophony of laughter, occasional dialogue drowning in the uproar, and surprisingly, impromptu musical renditions echoing throughout the theater. Yes, singing took center stage alongside the film's antics.

Unlike its predecessor, "The Room," "Big Shark" feels purposefully engineered for audience engagement. Tommy Wiseau, the mastermind behind this madness, seemingly orchestrated this pandemonium intentionally (or did he?). His deliberate or perhaps serendipitous inclusion of participatory elements pays off handsomely, elevating the viewing experience to an interactive extravaganza.

For fans of "The Room" or anyone reveling in the delight of interactive cinema, "Big Shark" is a must-watch. Wiseau's creation, arguably the apex predator of shark movies in 2023, swims circles around the disappointing "Meg 2." I left the theater eagerly anticipating a second viewing, a sentiment echoed by the audience around me.

"Big Shark" isn't just a movie; it's an event. Dive into this cinematic whirlpool if it graces your city-you're guaranteed a rollercoaster of hilarity and, dare I say, a newfound appreciation for shark-themed mayhem.

Tommy Wiseau's latest horror monster film is an enjoyable ride that's true to his signature style, with nods to his cult classic 'The Room.' The film's imperfections add to its charm, and it's clear that Tommy put a lot of heart into it. The story and characters are well-crafted and entertaining, making up for any limitations in the movie's budget. Best watched with friends, you'll laugh, sing along, and maybe even shout at the screen. If you're a fan of Tommy's previous work or simply looking for something different in the horror genre, this film is worth checking out. But be warned, seeing this movie in theaters may turn into a midnight rocky horror style experience that you won't forget anytime soon.

The first star is for the appreciation and love shown to New Orleans. The second star is for the majority of the shot composition and lighting, that crew did a very great job and the style came through and worked. The third star is for character Tim and the actor's energy and commitment, he brought his A game to a sloppy and incoherent script and never wavered, bravo.

I love The Room and the Wiseau personality because they are entertaining, and that film was a genuine effort to make a good film that failed in many ways but succeeded in unexpected ways.

Big Shark feels like a film meant to be bad and succeeding as just that. Scenes are drawn out to the point of insanity, with pointless ad-libbed improv of certain phrases, possibly several takes worth of the same dialogue and plot beats. In fact, the film consistently retreads itself, the characters setting about a rarely discussed "The Plan" only to find them drinking or playing pool or having a stroll or a drive.

It almost comes across as allegory for the aimlessness and arrested development of modern men, bold attitudes and bravado as a facade for underlying insecurity and inaction, always proclaiming goals they never quite reach, with the big shark representing the chaos of the world and its perception as impending doom in broadcast reaction but its treatment as an inconvenient interruption in actual action.

I have heard the film is unfinished, and the lack of polish, fx, credits, or coherent editing reinforces that. Fixing the audio, more cuts, added missing fx, and some editing fixes would go a long way to making it less a slog than it needs to be. It is entertaining with an audience because Tommy Wiseau draws and interesting and eclectic crowd, but unlike The Room, this film is a hard watch and even the typical complementing Wiseau crowd was getting worn out of these sections.

I did enjoy it for what it was, but Best F(r)iends and The Room are better films in my opinion. Big Shark makes it seem like Tommy hasn't learned much as a filmmaker over his 20 year career. I am sure there are talented people willing to work with him, obviously there are, and his production side wasn't given the care the other aspects of the film deserved. I am not dismissive of TW's talent to entertain, but this film left me disappointed even for the skewed expectations I have as a fan of the man.

I was invited to see this movie and after reading the reviews, I thought what the hell. Why not see a movie at 10PM in this disgusting theater in Dallas, and WHY a premiere??? I had to leave an hour in because I couldn't hear a damn word. The crowd attracted to this movie is utter trash. If you've seen Gremlins, that scene of all them in the theater, that's the crowd. Loud. Throwing spoons? Drunk. Making inappropriate comments about body parts and screaming random stuff trying to be funny. I work too hard to be surrounded by idiots and yeah, I said it. So now this movie... I gave it an honest 3. Wish I could've heard the damn thing! They did a lot of nonsense improving, talking over each other yet I could tell they spent a lot on the shark and CGI. The acting wasn't bad, I've seen worse. The scenes were cut weird and drawn out but that's what makes these movies so popular I guess. I'll never know what happens unless it's screened in the comfort of my own clean home. If Tommy decides to make more movies and he wants a premiere, premiere them in a normal theater to weed out the trash.

In order to fully appreciate this film you need two things. Lots of drink before it starts and a decent amount of audience participation. That's because it's terrible. Now I know that the creator of "The Room" (2003) was unlikely to deliver us an award-winning epic, but I think even I was disappointed by just how poor this is. When New Orleans is threatened not only by rising flood waters, but by a menacing shark it falls to three highly decorated fire-fighters to find away to save their city. The acting and dialogue are like a very bad rehearsal for a "Bill & Ted" film, the visual effects stop being entertaining fairly quickly and that just leaves us with a mess of a movie that all-too-often just made me cringe. Tommy Wiseau is clearly a shrewd man, but this attempt to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is just risible on about every level and even with ensemble guffaws of embarrassment from the other suitably lubricated folks in the cinema it becomes pretty much unwatchable. A parody of many other films, it may be trying to be - but for me, well it's just not funny!