My review of Sharktopus

I watched this at the behest of Irukandji.

So, I don't know how to describe Sharktopus other than to say that it doesn't take itself seriously in any way. acting, plot, special effects, yeah, none of that here.

Acting/Characters: The characters in this film are so generic of other films like this, I have to wonder if they weren't spoofing other films of this nature. The horribly humorous nature of their acting had me laughing which I'm sure is what was the intended result. One of the more major characters chose to do this one after his role in The Dark Knight as the mob boss Maroni. But you know, I have to imagine that a film like this is incredibly fun for actors to do once in a while. Not all the time of course, but occasionally it would be fun to do. They looked like they were having fun with it. The acting was incredibly cheesy but that's what the whole point was. It was really fun. But, they made the #1 faux pas that any film with a killer anything can make: KIDS!!! There is akid that might be killed by the sharktopus. Whatever I know the kid isn't going to be killed despite the fact that he is incapable of moving a half inch even though the sharktopus isn't near him and is focused on something else. Thankfully they only make this mistake for about 5 minutes but gall darnit that's 5 minutes too many in my book. 5.5/10

Plot: Well, a killer sharktopus is terrorizing people off of the coast of Mexico...grrrr...so...many...Jaws...references. Not to mention that a lot of the kills were foreshadowed a few minutes before they actually happened if that. It was a cute plot overall that the untrained eye (and I mean that in the sense that you would never have to have seen a film to not get it) would say that this film was trying to come off as serious and maybe even scary. Yeah, not remotely. Maybe a 5 year old kid would be scared by it but I highly doubt it. It is meant only to be a fun film that you watch only once in your life and then move on. The plot did drag on occasionally, but it was overall decent. They could have cut a bit though. I know, the film only had a 89 minute running time, but it was still dragged on. 6/10

Screenplay: eh, in a film like this, the screenplay is more or less incidental. You have some occasional cheesy lines that you laugh at that you could maybe pick out later, but overall it was forgettable which in this case is good. It was bad, but still so bad it's good for the most part. The stupid lines wore off in comedic value after a bit, but it was okay. Like too many films, it was the weakest part. 5/10

Likableness: I highly enjoyed watching this through most of it. It got boring by the end but it was engaging for the most part. It was stupid and over the top but it was likable. Cheesy dialogue, generic plot to spoof, tons of Jaws references (including a variation of the music of course) and stupid characters who can't fire guns right. It was fun overall. So, I've seen it, I'm glad I saw it because it was fun, but now...moving on. 6/10

Final Score: 22.5/40 56% (D)


TRIVIA TIME: 1. A "Sharktopus" is mentioned in the SyFy series Sanctuary, in the episode "Requiem". When Will and Helen come upon a field of mangled mermaids while in their submarine, Will theorizes it could have been a sea creature, like the Kraken. When Helen scoffs that the Kraken is a complete myth, Will mutters that he is glad he did not say Sharktopus.

2. In the episode "Under the Pea Green Sea" of the DePatie-Freleng cartoon Here Comes the Grump, Princess Dawn, Terry Dexter and the Grump encounter a "Sharktopus".

3. "Sharktopus" appears on a list of creatures to rescue from a dying planet in the Futurama episode "Love's Labours Lost in Space".

4. Producer Roger Corman has a cameo in the film.

5. The design of the Sharktopus was done in pre-production.

You can tell they had the effects budget of Avatar...but they put more thought into the storyline than Avatar.