Director: Christopher-Douglas Olen Ray
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Sharks
Plot:
Getting stranded in an oceanic atoll in the Pacific, a scientific research team trying to enjoy a field trip to a remote atoll finds the area stalked by a monstrous, multi-headed shark lurking in the nearby waters and tries to stop it's rampage before they become truly trapped in the area.
Review:
Overall this was such an immensely, utterly fun and exciting entry that perhaps illustrates the Sci-Fi Channel at the top of its game. What really works here is that this one is filled with some fine action scenes scattered through the film, starting with the opening double- attack of the water-skiers and the resulting boat attack setting up the big feature here in the rather short ambush attacks rather than any kind of extended sequences throughout the first half. This enables the film to showcase a fun plot with all kinds of cheesy action here with the underwater welder, the later attack on the group on the atoll that causes the impressive panic as the place starts sinking, and the dual ambush of the boaters that really makes this one quite enjoyable for the first half.
For the most part, this is good enough even though there's other fun to be had in the second half as these explore more lengthy action scenes with the fun of the boat-race back to the ship that discovers the shark's existence, a tense beat-the-clock segment where the group tries to distract the creature while making repairs as it's nearby and the glorious finale which gets in a lot of exceptional work. The tension of the island slowly breaking apart and sinking resulting in great earthquake-like reactions, a fine tidal wave crashing ashore and a spectacular dual-headed attack for each head getting a victim at the same time, all leading up to the barricade in the shack and ultimately the fine manner of ending this which is all great, cheesy fun and gives this one a lot to like in the action here.
More great fun is had in that the CGI for the shark attacks aren't mind-numbingly atrocious as they actually look acceptable despite being somewhat noticeable of what's going on, and the use of the animatronics for the close-up attacks are pretty good as well so overall the effects are actually not that bad looking. As well, this is filled with lots of bloody, violent attacks on women in bikinis and less, so it's also got a lot to enjoy there in its exploitation offerings. The other big plus here is the creature's origin, as while the story might be fantastic, it's certainly realistic and has a minor basis in reality which is another rather nice sign.
There's really only one flaw here in that the shots with the animatronic heads are edited in such a haphazard way that there's trouble telling what's happening there which is a distraction. They're violent and incredibly haphazard with the way they're edited, attempting to distort attention away from the switch done with the creature during the sequence but only making it obvious instead. Another small facet is the obvious decision at the end to briefly switch the shark into a single-headed beast in obvious shots for several moments. Otherwise, this is still one to be one of the more entertaining experiences around.
Overview: ****/5
A cheesy and wholly silly shark movie that makes for quite a lot of fun with the outlandish concept getting employed rather nicely, this is exactly what kind of film you think it is based on the title and imagery shown. Go into this one mainly if you're a fan of those cheesy killer shark efforts or a fan of the creative crew, while those who have little interest in the style or genre should heed caution.
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