...a silly movie that could have been more humorous and energetic.
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I was overwhelmed by feelings of dread when I popped "Shark Swarm" into the old DVD player. The last creature feature I reviewed was the insanely insipid "Grizzly Rage." After watching "Shark Swarm," I´ll concede that it wasn´t nearly as stupid as I thought it would be. It won´t be winning any awards, but it´s certainly not the kind of offensively idiotic fare that gets churned out on the made-for-TV market. Chalk that up to the producers hiring a decent cast of actors along with a director who looks like he knows what he´s doing. I´m speaking of James A. Contner, a veteran of television series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Star Trek: Enterprise."
Being a film about killer sharks, "Shark Swarm" will inevitably draw unfavorable comparisons to the king of all shark movies, "Jaws." One of the first summer blockbusters, Spielberg´s unforgettable classic set the standard by which all shark movies must live up to. And let´s face it; none of them have come close. There was the Renny Harlin dud, "Deep Blue Sea," and the "Jaws" sequels got worse and worse with the last film only memorable for Michael Caine´s response to the abomination, "I have never seen it…I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific." "Open Water" tried to do something a little different with the concept, even if it did stretch it too thin. "Shark Swarm," however, doesn´t even attempt to do anything new. The sharks chow down on unsuspecting swimmers while the stalwart hero´s warnings continually fall on deaf ears.
Just like "Jaws," "Shark Swarm" is set in a small, seaside town. Instead of Amity Island, we have the sleepy town of Full Moon Bay which has hit on hard times. Its fishing industry has dried up and the majority of the townspeople have sold their land to wealthy developer, Hamilton Lux (Armand Assante). Lux plans on converting Full Moon Bay into a ritzy community of exclusive condos, promising more money and jobs to the residents. The only holdout is fisherman Daniel Wilder (John Schneider) who stubbornly refuses every offer Lux brings to the table. Day after day, Wilder and his first mate Clint (Brent King) hit the seas vainly searching for a decent catch. The townsfolk aren´t happy that Wilder is blocking Lux´s efforts for redevelopment, but he´s supported sternly by his wife, Brooke (Daryl Hannah), and daughter, Kim (Mimi Michaels).
Unbeknownst to everyone, Lux has secretly been dumping toxic chemicals into the water to kill all the fish. The chemicals have an unforeseen side effect on the sharks. Essentially, Lux´s goop angrys up the blood. The sharks are driven into a feeding frenzy and without any fish to eat; they choose the closest, tastiest morsels they can find…humans. We aren´t just talking about one Great White shark here, but swarms of sharks of all different species. Great Whites, Hammerheads, Makos, Bull sharks, etc.
"Shark Swarm" originally debuted on the Hallmark Channel as a two-part event. As such, the film clocks in at a 164 minutes. A monster of the week picture that´s nearly three hours long? Good God. The film definitely feels padded out as the script is bogged down with an unwieldy ensemble cast and multiple B-stories. Aside from the previously mentioned characters, the protagonists also include Wilder´s brother, Phillip (Roark Critchlow), a professor at the local university and an expert on shark behavior; Bill Girdler (F. Murray Abraham), a fellow professor and environmental activist; Amy Zuckerman (Heather McComb), an EPA agent investigating Lux´s operation; and a pair of surfers named Chris (Shane Van Dyke) and Weezer (David Thomas Jenkins) who are new in town. Of course, Lux wouldn´t be much of a villain if he didn´t have henchmen. His right-hand man is Kane Markus (John Enos III).
The sharks and Lux´s land grab scheme form the crux of the story with assorted subplots sprinkled in liberally. Kim has been accepted into a school across the country in New York and doesn´t know how to break the news to her parents. She´s also romancing Chris the surfer. Phillip has a meet cute with Amy at the local tavern and the pair strikes up their own romance. There are even some flirtations between Grandma Wilder and the pastor of her church. Folks tuning in to see blood in the water might be turned off by all the mushy stuff. But, "Shark Swarm" is by no means a family friendly picture. The body count is pretty high with nearly forty people being munched on. Considering this is a made-for-TV movie, don´t expect to see visceral carnage.
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[release]23863[/release]