Killer Shark

The middle part of 2011 is proving to be a good period for the SyFy channel and their originals. Earlier this year SyFy's 51 (see review here) and BEHEMOTH (see review here) were promising, but both failed in their respective executions. BEHEMOTH promised a huge, planet-destroying creature but simply gave us a lazy, Lovecraftian-influenced beast who was attached to a mountain. But then last weeks ICE ROAD TERROR really surprised me with how fast-paced, gory, and fun it was (see review here), and now SWAMP SHARK, premiering on Saturday, June 25th at 9pm (ET/PT), once again proves that when the boys and girls over at SyFy really wanna make an entertaining flick, they can do it.

SWAMP SHARK stars the original BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, Kristy Swanson as Rachel Broussard, the owner of the Gator Shack restaurant located right next to the swamplands of the Atchafalaya Basin. She runs the restaurant with her younger sister Krystal (Sophie Sinise, Gary Sinise's daughter) and her older brother Jason "Swamp Thing" (Jeff Chase). Everything's going really well as the town prepares for their yearly big event, Gator Fest, until crooked sheriff Watson (Robert Davi), who sells illegal exotic animals (??!!!?) accidentally releases a shark into the swamps. Yeah I know; it's a silly and completely absurd set up, but it actually fits the entire campy world created in SWAMP SHARK. Swanson is one of the first people to spot the shark and instead of balling up into a panicking, hysterical woman, she grabs her hunting rifle, a boat, and anyone else who believes her and goes out to hunt down the swamp shark. I loved Swanson's character and since her best known film is the original BUFFY, it would've been hard seeing her as anything other than a butt kicking hottie.

And what self-respecting SyFy Original would forget to include some kind of 1980's pop culture reference? Not too worry; SWAMP SHARK has Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs as a red neck deputy. I would've like to have seen him in a bigger role, but his role is pretty fun.

One of the people Swanson recruits to hunt the shark down is Charlie (D.B. Sweeney; where's he been?), a mysterious man hanging around the town. Their first hunting party doesn't, as you can imagine, go very well and they loose their boat and are forced to regroup. But in the meantime the town is preparing for Gator Fest and the shark has really gotten a taste for human flesh. Of course we get tons of nods to the granddaddy of shark films (and arguably all "giant creature" flicks), JAWS, but everything in SWAMP SHARK is done with such a fun spirit that you just sit back and go along for the ride. Davi's sheriff Watson is so sleazy that you can't help but smile every time he's on screen. The man knows there's a shark in the swamp (because he's the one that accidentally released it) but does nothing to try and fix the situation. He doesn't send out a hunting party and he doesn't prevent people from swimming in the swamp even after the dead bodies start piling up (in pieces). I loved Davi's character and it's nice to see he still "has it"!!

And maybe I'm just getting completely desensitized to bad CGI, but I thought the shark looked pretty good!! SyFy actually exhibits some restraint and doesn't show off the beast at every opportunity. We see flashes of it here and there and get teased way more than SyFy usually does. Of course there's the standard, "must have" scene of the shark jumping out the water to kill someone. This is the best look we get of the shark (until the final reel) and it was actually pretty cool looking. The body count could've been higher for my tastes, but the killings we do get were well-filmed. Director Griff Furst (who also directed last year's flaccid SyFy flick LAKE PLACID 3), takes his time here and sets up some pretty suspenseful kill scenes. And if you're like me you'll wonder why the two twenty-somethings, who wanted some privacy to have sex, took a canoe out into the swamp not 20 feet away from their friends. Sex in a canoe? Hey why not!!

And just like in ICE ROAD TERROR, we get a little more blood than the usual SyFy Original. We get to see a lot of post-attack, ripped apart torsos and appendages, and we're privy to a lot of blood spraying all over various cast members. Yeah people, this one is pretty fun. Maybe it's because Summer's here? Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for a fun "beast attacks" flick? Or maybe it's just because the people over at SyFy are putting in some time and effort into their scripts!! But writers Charles Bolon, Jennifer Iwen, and Eric Miller give us a fun, light- hearted, and fast-paced script that despite the holes in logic keep you interested up to the end. And just wait until you see how they finally kill the shark!! I thought we were gonna get a very JAWS-like ending, but the writers took a hard left turn and gave us something original, fun, and very bloody. Nice job.

A great cast who're obviously having a really fun time, a solid script with some originality in it, and some well-crafted death scenes make SWAMP SHARK a really entertaining and fun summer flick. SyFy has renewed my love of the "attacking beasties" summer flick and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next!! Catch SWAMP SHARK this Saturday, June 25th at 9pm (ET/PT) on SyFy. Seriously!!

(2011) Swamp Shark HORROR

It has a bunch of teens boozing during "Gatorfest" until Sheriff Watson (Robert Davi) chases them away. Sheriff Watson then goes to see someone about illegal animal smuggling, and this killer shark that was held captive inside a tanker truck eventually frees itself by rattling it back and forth so aggressively that it rolled itself back into the water. The sheriff then instructs the person he was with to keep it quiet, and that is how the "Swamp shark" got into the area. The next scene then centers on another part of town, on the Broussard family owned business restaurant called "The Gator Shed" run by an older sister, Rachel (Kristy Swanson), the younger sister, Krystal (Sophie Sinise), and tall bulky brother, Jason (Jeff Chase) which the residents nickname him as Swamp Thing because of his football-like built figure. As they too celebrating "Gatorfest" with friend of the family and server/ helper, named Martin (Jason Rogel) while Rachel's boyfriend Tyler (Richard Tanne) works at the bar. When a known drunk who causes trouble became the first victim of Swamp Shark, the Broussard family also notice that the alligators were not responding and assumed they too were victims too as they have beepers tagged onto them.

One of the major problems with this film is the fact that the teenagers who were celebrating and so forth all have parents and so forth, and yet not a single one of them have like ever called or so forth. It is also kind of strange how the Swamp shark can swim to several places at once so quickly besides the corny CGI.

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.

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-

A small Louisiana town prepares for their annual summertime Gator Fest while a mysterious tanker truck arrives in town. For reasons not entirely clear, it is delivering a shark to nasty sheriff Robert Davi (as Watson). The shark breaks out and runs amok in the swamp. It begins to munch on people, leaving behind body parts to look gross for the camera, when discovered. The "Swamp Shark" also snacks on alligators needed for the Gator Fest. Taking charge of the unfortunate situation is gun-savvy blonde bar restaurant owner Kristy Swanson (as Rachel Bouchard). She is assisted by mysterious stranger-in-town D.B. Sweeney (as Tommy Breysler) and big, southern-accented brother Jeff Chase (as Jason)...

This is "Jaws" (1975) in a swampy southern setting. Producer Ken Badish and director Griff Furst pull out the usual bag of shark tricks. There are a couple of intriguing relationships that go nowhere. Original vampire-slaying "Buffy" Swanson is obviously having a sexual relationship with handsome younger Richard Tanne (as Tyler), reversing usual gender roles. Also, servile busboy Jason Rogel (as Martin) unexpectedly yearns for Swanson's sexy young sister Sophie Sinise (as Krystal). Having either of these end unexpectedly would have lifted the story. There is nothing too suspenseful, but Mr. Furst is very good at staging non-shark interplay, giving the characters and script more life than you'd expect.

***** Swamp Shark (6/25/11) G.E. Furst ~ Kristy Swanson, Robert Davi, Richard Tanne, Sophie Sinise