Director: Leigh Scott
Year: 2014
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Sharks
Plot:
Launching a new product on the market, the creators of a new holiday creation involving genetically mutated great white sharks to be the size of piranhas to use as pets find the fish have gotten free and ravaging the city, forcing them to turn to a pair of inept exterminators to stop them.
Review:
This was a pretty underwhelming if still slightly watchable effort. One of the only positive aspects here is the cheesy nature of how the sharks are brought about and created. Managing to focus on introducing the creatures as a Christmas present for people during the holidays and realizing too late that they’re still vicious killing machines shows a rather intriguing set up here, and allows for quite a few decent attacks as a result. The swarming of the dancer friend in the bathtub offers a great attack, while the massive attack at the strip club on the various patrons has quite a lot to like.with all the attacks and gore. With the finale having some nice bits of suspense with the race to stop them against the deadline coming alongside the ravenous shark attacks as well as the fine practical effects for the creatures, these are what the film manages to get right.
There were a lot of issues to be had with this one. One of the biggest problems is the fact that hardly anything happens here for so long that it’s just not that interesting or enjoyable. This one manages so few attacks with the sharks that it’s entirely possible to forget that’s what the film is about as the series of setups about the company trying to find the gift for the holiday season, the struggles of the exterminator company to stay afloat and his personal life problems that all manage to take center stage instead of the sharks. It takes so long before they become a focal point that it’s nearly half-over before they’re a factor in the film and really take the lead in the film.
The other issue here is that the film, for as short as it is, manages to rush itself through several sections when it wasn’t necessary. The creatures go immediately onto the market and seem to overtake the city without any kind of special notice or mention, as that whole section is completely glossed over. The need to show the ineptitude of the kidnapping goes nowhere when the entire thing is forgotten about almost immediately afterward in order to team up against the creatures while the finale here is the biggest culprit since there are whole swathes of the story this jumps past that show how the fish are stopped and everyone is alerted about being saved. It serves a needed function but stands out to hold this down.
Overview: *.5/5
While it serves to be a watchable genre effort, the fact that there are some pretty big flaws to be had within this one that make it pretty uneventful in terms of shark action and then skipping around in the story tends to lower this one somewhat. Really only look into this one if you’re a true shark fanatic or a fan of the creative crew, while those who are turned off by the flaws or the style should heed caution.
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