Killer Shark

Given the last few killer shark crap fests that passes for movies SWAMP SHARK was actually one of the better killer shark movies, granted it was a tad on the silly side but it was a fun movie and CGI weren't really anything to talk about but then again this is a made for TV movie so its acceptable.

The shark itself looks pretty interesting, while watching the film I thought to myself if SWAMP THING was a shark this would probably be what he would look like (oddly enough the film is called SWAMP SHARK go figure) plus the acting in the film was actually very good, which one of the surprises about this film since the acting in all the other shark movies in the B variety usually sucked.

Overall, its a fun movie and I recommend it if you want to just chill in front of the TV and its way more entertaining than SHARK NIGHT 3D believe it or not.

RELEASED TO TV IN 2011 and directed by Griff Furst, "Swamp Shark" chronicles events in the Louisiana bayou when an exotic shark that's nigh invulnerable due to being used to low depths is released into the swamp. Kristy Swanson, Sophie Sinise & Jeff Chase play the sibling owners of a restaurant whose livelihood is threatened due to the creature. Jason Rogel plays an overweight-but-intelligent Asian worker with eyes on the younger sibling. Robert Davi appears as the corrupt sheriff while D.B. Sweeney is on hand as a gung-ho game warden.

The low reviews are hilarious because "Swamp Shark" works for what it is, a made-for-TV nature-runs-amok flick. The tone is generally serious, but comic booky with campy/amusing elements (e.g. the sheriff & his deputies). True, it's hackneyed and rips-off elements of "Jaws" (so what else is new?), but you can't help but root for the five protagonists and you can't beat the authentic Louisiana bayou locations. Moreover, there are a few decent cuties, including Sinise. Speaking of which, Natacha Itzel has an unexpected and suspenseful strangling scene, which is well done.

THE FILM RUNS 85 minutes and was shot in Henderson & Lafayette, Louisiana. WRITERS: Jennifer Iwen & Eric Miller (also Charles Bolon).

GRADE: Borderline B/B-

This is a SyFy production and it's a typical one. Again, it's a creature against humanity and here we have to do with a shark, sadly, the shark is as always for SyFy CGI and badly done. The acting is by some wooden and the movie doesn't starts at any moment. It all takes too long before the shark attacks and even that isn't bloody or gory. The shark comes and goes a few times before he bites of a head in pure CGI style. There are some weird things too, when it starts to rain it rains only above one boat. The other boat a bit further doesn't have any rain and stranger is that the boat that is in the rain , well, the people on it doesn't get soaking wet. Their clothes stay dry, maybe it's so hot in the swamps... Not my cup of tea, one to watch and forget. And just this, if the people behind this kind of flicks want to tease with nudity then show it but don't just cut it out. SyFy didn't convince me here...

Initially when I sat down to watch this movie I was expecting it to be yet another of those endless streams of crappy b-movies about killer animals, a movie with lousy effects and an equally lousy storyline. "Swamp Shark", despite its name, was actually surprisingly nice in comparison with so many others of the same genre.

The storyline in "Swamp Shark" was pretty much as expected, a killer shark on the rampage, in a swamp nonetheless, terrorizing the people in the area and going on a feeding frenzy. Of course it terrorizes the wrong people and they decide to hunt it down. I mean, what else are restaurant owners to do, eh? Pretty much textbook storyline here, so don't expect any brilliant ideas or surprise plot twists. And you already know the ending of the movie right from the first minute of watching it. But hey, the movie was still entertaining.

As for the cast in "Swamp Shark", well then I think they were actually alright, and put on good performances. Of course, with a movie like this, it is not going to be award-winning performances, but still, the actors and actresses did good jobs with their given roles. Most of the cast was fairly unfamiliar to me, so it was good to see some new faces.

The special effect and CGI in "Swamp Shark" was good enough. Sure there were a couple of scenes where you don't buy into the CGIs, as they were just too much of an eyesore, but in overall general, the effects and CGI came off working well enough.

Despite "Swamp Shark" being somewhat better than so many of the same genre, there just isn't enough entertainment value in the movie for a second watching. You watch this movie once, then bag and tag it on the DVD shelf.

A corrupt Louisiana sheriff named "Sheriff Watson" (Robert Davi) is buying rare and exotic animals and reselling them for a profit. In one particular purchase, a strange but exceedingly deadly type of shark is brought to him but manages to escape into the bayou. Not far from there is a family-owned restaurant called "the Gator Shed" which is run by "Rachael Bouchard" (Kristy Swanson) with the help of her brother "Jason Bouchard" (Jeff Chase) and younger sister "Krystal Bouchard" (Sophie Sinise). Naturally, since the shark needs to feed, and an annual celebration nearby called the "Gator Fest" just happens to have plenty of people frolicking in the water, things begin to get rather dicey for all concerned rather quickly. So much for the plot which is, of course, very similar to "Jaws" and several of its sequels and clones. Nothing really new. Along with that the acting wasn't that good, some of the scenarios bordered on the ridiculous and the special effects left much to be desired. On the other hand, this film had some decent suspense and a few attractive young ladies (like the aforementioned Kristy Swanson and Sophie Sinise) to keep things interesting. Even so, the good points simply weren't sufficient to overcome the flaws mentioned earlier and as a result it's difficult to rate this film higher than I have. Slightly below average.