Undescribable Perfection

Powerful

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

A corrupt Louisiana sheriff named "Sheriff Watson" (Robert Davi) is buying rare and exotic animals and reselling them for a profit. In one particular purchase, a strange but exceedingly deadly type of shark is brought to him but manages to escape into the bayou. Not far from there is a family-owned restaurant called "the Gator Shed" which is run by "Rachael Bouchard" (Kristy Swanson) with the help of her brother "Jason Bouchard" (Jeff Chase) and younger sister "Krystal Bouchard" (Sophie Sinise). Naturally, since the shark needs to feed, and an annual celebration nearby called the "Gator Fest" just happens to have plenty of people frolicking in the water, things begin to get rather dicey for all concerned rather quickly. So much for the plot which is, of course, very similar to "Jaws" and several of its sequels and clones. Nothing really new. Along with that the acting wasn't that good, some of the scenarios bordered on the ridiculous and the special effects left much to be desired. On the other hand, this film had some decent suspense and a few attractive young ladies (like the aforementioned Kristy Swanson and Sophie Sinise) to keep things interesting. Even so, the good points simply weren't sufficient to overcome the flaws mentioned earlier and as a result it's difficult to rate this film higher than I have. Slightly below average.

Picked this, and MONSTERWOLF, up for £3 each in Tesco- and watched SWAMP SHARK tonight expecting something awful. Surprise! It's actually aces. I admit, I was attracted mainly by the magnificent creature on the box art; which looks exactly like my shark-obsessed six year old had won a competition to draw the scariest shark he could imagine, and then have it made into a film. It looks like nothing on Earth- and predictably the movie itself never reveals it in the same type of glory. Ordinarily, this would annoy me, but the sense of fun the film radiates more than makes up for this disappointment.The characters are engaging, the cast seem to be having a great time with some good material, and even when the titular beastie isn't around the movie continues to be interesting and enjoyable, buoyed by the script, performances and direction. Yes, the cgi is less-than-stellar- of course it is, but it really doesn't matter one jot. And the fact that they use some good old fashioned rubber sharkery at times just increases the fun.One or two gory bits, but nothing that's going to offend the younger members of the family unless they're particularly squeamish, no nudity and no swearing means it's a pretty good bet as an entry level horror film for parents like me, keen to hook their offspring on the genre.Yes, not all of it ties together, and one specific thread (the younger sister and her nerdy chef admirer) is left unresolved, but the sheer shock of picking up a three quid movie that gave so much back completely negates any misgivings I may have had over this.Oh, and the Cajun soundtrack is brilliant. I want the album now (or at least its inspired me to go buy some of the type of music featured) and the DVD menu screen is not only a visual delight (the cover-creature in full-body magnificence) but the looping music track is great too!

Swamp Shark is a SyFy Original Picture, and in spite of not being particularly shocking or scary, it's still highly watchable. The plot concerns a dastardly sheriff who releases a man-eating shark into the bayou, and the subsequent attempts of a brave local family to remove the thing before it eats too many of their establishment's customers. Robert Davi plays the heavy with gleeful malevolence, Kristy Swanson is back in heroic form as the head of the family, and D.B. Sweeney lends his affable charm to a mysterious role that becomes quite clear the first time you see him using a zoom lens.The shark is actually rather effective through most of the first two thirds of the movie. The filmmakers take a cue from Jaws and don't show too much of it, mostly a fin slicing through the water and the occasional dappled view of it (rendered in CGI of course) gliding through shadows underwater. It works, right up until the end when it finally launches itself out of the murk and into clear view, at which point it's as realistic looking as any SyFy Original Pictures CGI monster, which is to say: not in the slightest.But most people who tune in for these flicks aren't there for the thrills and chills anyway. We're there to watch familiar actors chew up the scenery in a goofy monster movie, and on that score, Swamp Shark completely delivers.

What a title! Too bad you can't say what a film! It's routine low-budget Syfy Channel original picture fodder. During an animal smuggling trade involving the local town sheriff, it goes terribly wrong as a monstrous shark is accidentally released in the backwoods swamps. There it mauls the gators kept at the McDaniel's "Gator Shack" restaurant, where that night Rachel the owner saw a fin in the water. The sheriff "doesn't" believe her that a shark did it, but she along with some others decides to go out in bayou to prove it. Also to make matters worse, the Gator Fest is on which means more visitors to the area. Nothing startling here (although giggles occur watching the shark jump out of the water to fly across the screen)… as you know what you're about to watch. It's going to be ridiculous, which it is… but is it going to be enjoyable? It's one thing to be silly, but it's got to be entertaining. "Swamp Shark" has its moments, but I found it to tread water for too long with lapses of character's simply rambling on about what they are going to do, than actually doing it and when they do its rather unremarkable. Some crazy things occur, but simply not enough. However what they storm up to dispatch the shark has to be seen to be believed. Hey it's original, but it will have you bug-eyed. The story plays the trump soap operas, delivers annoying characters, throws around ineffective cheap jolts, consists of lousy CGI shark effects and the homage's to "Jaws" are obvious (from story threads to scenes), some even joked about (like the use of a gas cylinder for the climatic battle --- "That's not going to work"). Standing out more so was the photography, which frames some picturesque locations, by instilling some spacious shots and local flavour. While serious the humour is still there, but the b-script doesn't use that mock-style to get it across. Performances are acceptable. Kristy Swanson is looking comfortable and former football player Jeff Chase appears. Robert Davi is good fun in his slimly sheriff role and his comeuppance is a complete hoot. There's a mixture of crumby CGI (where the fin gets a good workout), but also old-fashion special effects of a rubber shark bursting out of the water. It was good to see some practical effects used. This Sci-fi original is ludicrous, but incredibly flatfooted.