The Film
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Shark Night has come to Blu-ray. Well, it's still safe, as long as you aren't going into lakes in Louisiana or maybe into any video stores.
Shark Night tries to capitalize on the phenomena of 2010's Piranha 3D. Piranha 3D was a minor hit, thanks to its use of blood, boobs and humor. Unfortunately, Shark Night takes itself way too seriously -- but not seriously enough to ditch those bikinis.
Director David R. Ellis, the same dude that taught us that Snakes on a Plane was very possible, brings this equally ludicrous tale to the big screen. When it was in the theaters, it was Shark Night 3D. Wisely, Fox didn't think that type of release was necessary for the Blu-ray.
The film starts off with a bouncing bikini bottom that soon loses its top -- and then its leg, its arm, and maybe even its torso. Shark Night features six good-looking coeds and one dweeb (sorry Joel David Moore), a lake house, and a lake that's apparently filled with terrorizing sharks. It's all a slight tease, however. This film is rated PG-13. How scary could it get?
It's about as scary as it is believable. However, the movie does its best to let us know that sharks in a lake could happen. One character mentions that this is actually a saltwater lake, while another drops trivia that these are bull sharks, which can survive in both saltwater and freshwater. If you ask me, the whole movie is bull-shark; stay away from Shark Night.
Need to take a second dip? Check out Joe Lozito's theatrical review of Shark Night 3D.
The Picture
As mentioned, Fox didn't bother releasing this title in 3D. While it probably wouldn't have made the movie more enjoyable, it would have made some of the scenes less ridiculous. There are a lot of cheap 3D shots, with blood, sharks and boat debris flying towards the screen. They just look kind of stupid here, and not just because of the weak CGI. Otherwise, the film looks pretty good overall, with good-looking skintones on good-looking people, and some other nice colors. There's also a decent amount of detail. Once the action goes underwater, however, it's sort of murky and noisy.
The Sound
For the most part, the dialogue in Shark Night is clear -- a lot clearer than that gross Louisiana lake the kids opt to swim in. However, whenever music creeps up, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track completely blasts the dialogue out of the water (no pun intended). Surprisingly, the movie isn't as much of a music video as you'd expect -- or hope for -- so it's not that big of a deal. If you find yourself wishing that you could hear more of the dialogue that's coming out of this movie, you have a whole set of other issues that you might want to address.
The Extras
Shark Night offers a collection of extras for the short attention span. There are two featurettes about the film's productions and the fake sharks. There's also "Shark Night's Survival Guide," which offers shark trivia wrapped inside a cheesy promo piece. Finally, "Shark Attack! Kill Machine!" just may save your life -- or at least 84 minutes of it. This highlight reel cuts to the chase and condenses every one of the film's kill scenes in under 6 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Shark Night is Piranha for the pre-teen audience. In other words, it's completely unnecessary. Fair audio and video aside, this movie is the Blu-ray equivalent of chum.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
