Empire of the Sharks (2017) by Mark Atkins


Director: Mark Atkins
Year: 2017
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Sharks; Post-Apocalyptic

Plot:
In a post-apocalyptic future, a group of humans growing tired of their subservience to a warlord who controls a group of man-eating sharks sets out to stop him when they realize he's taken hostage a member of their colony that can also control the sharks.

Review:

This here wasn't all that bad of a post-apocalyptic shark film. One of the better elements here is the fact that this one goes for the more traditional route of the creature feature genre. The setting of the future with the floating fortresses and the future technology present give this a great build that's part of the storyline here revolving around the search for water controlled by the warlord. This gives the film a kind of starting point that provides the film with the kind of action that works well here, from the opening scenes of the raid on the village giving this one a great burst with their abduction tactics as well as the use of the sharks, the aborted rescue attempt that forces the retreat back into the submarine where they get chased away and the later scenes of them inside the compound trying to figure out the different powers she possesses by having her interrupt their treatments manages to provide this one with the kind of stylistic scenes usually featured here.

The attempt to breach the fortress is a lot of fun with the layered attack featuring plenty of different modes of attack giving this one a great build as the different parts being exercised throughout here allow for a great sequence, and when placed with the fantastic finale where they manage to put their plan into action to finally save them is a spectacular finish here that melds the post- apocalyptic action with the sharks into a rather big finale. Continually featuring the sharks or the attempts to rescue the group means this one moves along really nicely and gives this a lot to really like that holds this up over its minor flaws.

The main issue to be had here is the fact that there's just so little traditional shark action here with the post-apocalyptic setting that it might potentially turn off more looking for traditional fare. Giving this that setting provides this one with the rather different tone than most others and sets up the different kinds of scenarios that really don't provide the kind of typical virtues here that gives this a different feel. Likewise, the film has way too much lame CGI that provides rather comical scenes here with the sharks under orders from both parties that fill up the screen and really highlight the low-budget with their obvious usage. Still, this one has a lot to really like.


Overview: ***/5
While there's points of interest in this one, the fact that it's all pretty much based around one or two areas makes this slightly enjoyable if not overly recommended. Only give this one a chance if you're a fan of the post-apocalyptic style of genre feature or appreciate these cheesy creature features, while those that can't tolerate them should heed caution.

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