Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Eric Roberts, Hector Jimenez, Roger Corman, Ralph Garman, Sara Malakul Lane,
Shandi Finnessey, Amanda Philipson, Brent Huff, Roxana Ortega, Kerem Bursin, Michael Gaglio | Written by Mike MacLean
UK Certification 15 | UK RRP £5.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 89 minutes | Directed by Declan O'Brien
Seeing as my all-time favourite film is Jaws, I've got something of an affinity for killer shark flicks. I've seen them all, from the spate of Nu Image productions that began with the Shark Attack trilogy a little over a decade ago, to a bootleg of The Last Shark and a VHS-to-DVD transfer of Bruno Mattei's Cruel Jaws, recorded off Japanese television in the '90s. And yes, with the keen exceptions of Deep Blue Sea and The Reef, I know full well just how terrible most of them are.
Since most of these movies play out their outlandish plots so seriously, it's very easy to poke fun at all their imperfections, which are usually the crass digital effects, scripts and actors. But what happens when you discover a film that mercilessly pokes fun at itself for the benefit of its audience? Let me introduce you to Sharktopus, produced by the legendary Roger Corman.
A half-shark, half-octopus hybrid created for the military that escaped from the US waters where it was being monitored has swum down to Mexico for a nice, sunny vacation. Or was it a rampage down the coastline? Yes, that's it. The sharktopus, codenamed S-11, is using its deadly Great White jaws and spear-tipped tentacles to turn bathers into human sushi, and so, of course, it must be stopped.
So what is honourary Oscar-winner Corman doing not only producing but having a cameo in such a silly film? Firstly, he and his wife are now going to be presenting all kinds of made-for-Syfy creature features as part of a recent deal with the network (his next is Piranhaconda with Michael Madsen!), and secondly, Corman's name is synonymous with all things silly, let's be honest. A match made in heaven, perhaps?
Sharktopus is by no means a good film – in fact, it's atrocious – but deliberately so. It knows just how awful and dumb it is. It's bursting with self-referential material, hideous dialogue, ropey CGI, a hammy Eric Roberts – the works – and these trashy elements are exactly what make the surf music-scored picture an hour-and-a-half of campy fun. No longer will you be laughing at the film alone or with your friends, but you will be laughing at the film along with everyone who was involved in it. It's a tentacle-in-cheek bloodbath that is every bit as outrageous as it looks and sounds.
EXTRAS ? Just the trailer.