Eric Roberts headlines a cast of unknowns as Nathan Sands, an egotistical bio-geneticist who, along with his equally brainy daughter, has developed a hybrid half-shark/half-octopus for use by the US military. Apparently, the clumsy mass of teeth and tentacles is the ultimate weapon in aquatic attack and defence, but when its control unit malfunctions during a test run, the mutated monstrosity seems content on unleashing hell upon a popular tourist resort.
Desperate to keep the creatures existence secret and any gory massacre out of the headlines, the military hires Sands, his daughter and a notorious shark hunter to track down and capture the crazed killing machine before it can cause any real damage. Unsurprisingly, that foolproof plan soon runs into trouble when a ruthless news reporter and her equally troublesome cohorts become embroiled in the proceedings.
Itd be easy enough to excuse Sharktopus as one of those tongue-in-cheek, knowingly ridiculous B-movies, but this latest in a long line of schlocky shockers deserves little praise. Fair enough, the story is simple and straight forward and doesnt need to make any excuses for itself, but the usual distractions of playful banter, outlandish characters and inventive set pieces are largely absent here.
Why exactly the usually credible Eric Roberts is involved will remain a mystery. Hes got a proven track record of solid performances in all manner of genres, including some genuinely hilarious comic turns, but is reduced to by-the-numbers dialogue here. Perhaps the poor chap lost a bet; perhaps he was drunk when he signed away on the dotted line.
Whatever his reason, it certainly wasnt for financial gain. Even by B-movie standards, Sharktopus proves itself an incredibly amateurish endeavour. The sets and locations are cheap and garish, the direction clumsy and nauseating. Itll come as no great shock that the titular monster of the movie is as ridiculous looking as it sounds, but rather than embrace the madness, the moviemakers have aimed for an all time low with some downright atrocious CGI. Nobodys expecting Avatar here, but this crawls miserably below the bar.
Overall Verdict: What could have been an enjoyable enough B-movie romp is unfortunately let down by a sheer lack of effort by all concerned. The cast and dialogue are largely lifeless, while the eponymous Sharktopus is just plain embarrassing.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary
Reviewer: David Steele