Written by Joe Gause
Here we go again! It’s another movie about something dangerous in the water. I’m not gonna lie here, folks, I wasn’t expecting to much out of this one, but to my surprise I enjoyed it quite a bit. So here’s the short and skinny. A bunch of college kids set off to a lake house to enjoy a much-needed vacation. There is a fair amount of drinking and flirting and tomfoolery (always wanted to use that word). Early in the film we discover that Sara (Sara Paxton) has a dark secret with one of the town locals. As the party gets under way, trouble starts to brew in paradise when one of the partygoers gets his arm ripped off by a shark! In a panic to get him to the hospital they call the town sheriff (Donal Logue) only to find out that he and the locals have been releasing sharks into the saltwater lake and filming the shark attacks to sell to the folks at the Discovery channel! So, as you might guess, there is a fair amount of suspense-filled scenes with our heroes trying to not only escape the sharks, but also escape the crazy sheriff and the locals. It all comes to and end in a way that doesn’t leave you wanting to smack the director (which is rare in Hollywood these days).
Now let’s talk about my opinion. The cast was pretty good. I loved seeing American Idol Katherine McGhee getting her hands dirty (and surprising me with her lack of clothing; it almost made me forget how awful her singing was). I believe she has found her niche in acting. The supporting cast also did a great job in telling this crazy and at times over-the-top story (but come on, it’s from the same guys who did the Final Destination films). The film didn’t drag on, and pacing was pretty good. In fact I do wish it had been a tad longer.
The sharks, well, they looked fake. But let’s be honest, all sharks in shark movies look fake. As long as the story is good and the actors sell it well, it doesn’t matter. I mean, look at Jaw; that shark looked beyond fake, but we still loved the movie because the cast made us believe it was real. The same thing happens here, so my hat’s off to them. Not only that but I absolutely loved how the writer (Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg) didn’t rely on the sharks as the main focus of terror (like Pirarah or Deep Blue Sea) Adding the crazy locals into the mix really made for an exciting ride.
Video
Blu-ray installment comes in standard widescreen 1.85:1. As far as quality it doesn’t get much better. Most of the film takes place at night, but you won’t have any trouble seeing any of the action. Even the underwater scenes come out clear and crisp. Black levels seem to be right on, and colors are quite nice. I didn’t notice any color overlay in the film, possibly a tint of green for underwater scenes. But nothing that’s distracting.
Audio
5.1 DTS-HD makes for a booming presentation. Lots of bass in the action sequences, but not so much that it drowns out the dialog. I totally recommend this for you Surround Sound folks. You get lots of slashing and sound effects all around that totally immerse you into the film.
Special Features
Shark Night kill machine: nice little behind the scenes documentary of the making of the film. Nothing too special, but entertaining nonetheless.
Shark Night survival guide: another interactive perk that should just be avoided.
Fake sharks, real scares: A closer look at the sharks of shark night. Very informative and pretty entertaining. Its funny how much work goes into making sharks that still look fake.
Final Thoughts
Let me put it this way; it’s not Jaws, but it’s a million times better than any other shark movie since Jaws! I recommend Shark Night to anyone looking for a good time. Its funny and frightening, and just cheesy enough to make you laugh without kicking yourself for buying it. I’ll be watching it again I’m sure (if for nothing else than to see McPhee stripping down, just kidding Katherine, I am very impressed with your acting abilities and I hope to see you in more films soon). Anyway, folks, pick this one up, it gets my seal of approval; it’s a good one to have!
