Director: Jon Turteltaub
Year: 2018
Country: China/USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Sharks
Plot:
After a submarine accident in the middle of the ocean, a former diver is called upon to rescue the trapped crew only to find the cause that trapped them was a giant prehistoric megalodon shark that has now escaped into the world's oceans forcing him to track down the creature and stop it.
Review:
For the most part, this was an enjoyable mainstream creature feature. One of the biggest attributes here is the strong mainstream qualities afforded to the film. Not only is the overall look and feel of the film, including the sleek and slick layouts of the underwater research station with the glass and steel chambers and high-end technology strewn all over the location as well as the high-end special effects work all creates a fantastically enjoyable entry. That effects work, featuring stellar shots of the underwater sea-life in the grotto and the titular sharks all being enjoyable enough to really like here.
That also helps out considerably with the action scenes here. The rescue attempt requiring the two boats to get the crew out of the creatures' lair offers the ind of explosive action sequence that really works as it also offers the rationale for letting the sharks out, while the initial attack on the station features some chilling moments. The lead attack on the first shark manages plenty of open water fun in the matter of tactics employed against it as they dive in the cage or tracking it with the restraining equipment which brings about the eventual method of capturing the first specimen in a fun, exciting manner.
The last half of the film, though is where this really wins out. The action in this section is far grander and much more spectacular, including the stellar sequence of the second shark making it's appearance to the crew as well as the ensuing race to stop it before it disappears. The beach attack is absolutely spectacular and wholly enjoyable with the scenes of the shark swimming through the sea of humanity attacking the support buildings or the various beachgoers there before leading into the over-the-top battle to finally put the creature down, resulting in a full-on spectacular battle to do so. These here are what manage to hold this one up over it's few flaws.
The only real issue to be had with this one is the simplistic story that brings about a series of intense cliches. It's way too familiar with what's going to happen here which keeps things going along at a steady pace due to hitting all the familiar beats and plot-points, from the rescue attempts being pulled off at the last minute to the characters kept out of danger simply by their billing and rendering the encounters with them as quite bland. The idea of the second shark getting free and coming up only once the first one is defeated also feels rather lackluster due to being such a common trope of the scene. As well, the ending is a little anticlimactic that offers up a solid idea but is somewhat of a letdown in terms of storyline catharsis compared to what came before. These here are the film's few issues.
Overview: ****/5
Overall, there's so much fun to be had with this one that it really manages to hold itself up really nicely even with a few minor problems that emerge due to the simplistic approach. Give this a shot if you're a hardcore creature feature fanatic or appreciate this kind of mainstream style genre effort, while those that don't enjoy the style here should heed caution.
Comments
Post a Comment