Super Shark

Don't even try to take this film seriously, because it's obviously made for laughs. I saw it with some friends on a "b-movie night" and we laughed our asses off! The overly plastic animation of the shark, how it attacks and the clichés of the main characters almost getting it on with each other on screen, the bad acting (seriously, these "actors" are even worse than you in drama class), the way how the shark overcomes the attacks, etc etc.

Even the camera work could've been better, but this film is just another stick of hay on the postmodern pile where I'm looking for needles that don't have "property of Christopher Nolan" laser printed on them (although he barely touches Kubrick's genius, but that's another topic).

If you're a critic you will hate it, if you wanna see a movie for super laughs, get super shark.

SUPER SHARK is another nonsense B-movie monster flick that comes to us courtesy of the SyFy Channel. This one's directed by cheese specialist Fred Olen Ray, so you have some idea of what to expect from the quality: it's ridiculous, nonsensical, and barely hangs together as a proper movie.

The inspiration behind this one, as with so many, seems to be PIRANHA 3D, with the camera repeatedly ogling bikini babes and generally putting to the audience a kind of fun-loving, hedonistic lifestyle. Into this nonsense comes a prehistoric shark which has grown to gigantic proportions and seeks to wreak havoc on the local population. The efforts of the typically evil corporate villains only serve to increase the menace.

You know exactly what to expect from a film like SUPER SHARK, so here we go: bad acting across the board, terrible CGI effects, and a general lack of cohesion. This one's played out in a tongue-in-cheek fashion which at least gives it a mildly campy air. Still, the effects of the giant shark really are terrible, and this is slim pickings indeed for monster lovers.

The US military tries to keep a "Super-Shark" at bay, but our leading lady exclaims, "This isn't working!" The shark jumps around on dry land, threatening to eat everyone in sight. This turns out to be lifted from later in the story. One week earlier, an oil rig mishap seems to trigger the madness. Oceanic Investigation Bureau (OIB) marine biologist Sarah Lieving (as Kat Carmichael) suspects oily executive John Schneider (as Roger Wade) caused the shark growth with environmentally unfriendly chemicals...

Still sporting his wavy "Dukes of Hazzard" hair, Mr. Schneider notices Ms. Lieving is attractive. "If only I had a mustache to twirl," he says. Minus his southern accent, Schneider sounds a bit like Robert Wagner. Lieving hires "Blue Moon" skipper Tim Abel (as Chuck) to help her find the monster shark. He also notices Lieving is attractive. Schneider works for former "Dark Shadows" reverend Jerry Lacy (as Stewart). A bikini contest is moderated by "Good Times" jive-taking Jimmie "J.J." Walker (as Stevens). Not dynamite.

*** Super Shark (12/8/11) Fred Olen Ray ~ Sarah Lieving, John Schneider, Tim Abel, Jerry Lacy

Super Shark (2011)

** (out of 4)

Offshore drilling is to blame for a giant shark that gets set free and goes on killing rampage.

Fred Olen Ray directed this low-budget creature feature that's certainly not an Oscar-winner but then again the goal wasn't to win awards. Ray is an expert when it comes to these types of movies so he knows what his fans want and that's pretty much what he delivers. I mean, if you're willing to sit through a movie called SUPER SHARK then I'm sure you want to see a shark, correct? Well you're going to get plenty of shark action because the director gives us all sorts of action scenes and plenty of shark footage.

Yes, the CGI shark looks fake but then again all of these movies feature fake looking sharks but for the most part this one here looks good enough. There are plenty of scenes with the shark attacking people, jumping through the air and even crashing onto land. Just wait until the end when the shark does battle against a really fake looking tank. Tim Abell and Catherine Annette are good enough in their roles and for the most part the characters are entertaining.

Obviously SUPER SHARK isn't a masterpiece but for this type of movie it's entertaining enough to watch.

I am guessing you may have heard the song "Baby Shark" and I apologize for putting this back into your head. But as silly as the song is, the movie seems even sillier. CGI sharks in the water, CGI sharks on land ... well they are kind of everywhere. And this actually makes Sharknado look like a masterpiece.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is really just for the hardcore shark horror (or animal horror?) fans out there, that can't get enough of this stuff. Everyone else should really just avoid this. No real character moments and even the "battle" at the end (which is also given away at the beginning of the movie) is horrendous