Shark Night 3D Review

In the times when the biggest of Hollywood flicks are releasing in India on the same day as their widespread global release, it is rather surprising to see a much smaller film like 'Shark Night' being delayed by exactly a year. Really surprising indeed! Nevertheless, one can also sense from the opening credit title roll itself that this one is a B offering from Hollywood which is pretty much a set piece affair, what with babes, bikinis and lakes (instead of beaches) being the order of the day. You expect some skin show, blood and thrills in the offering and that's exactly what you get, even though the narrative follows a typical slasher format.

This time around the culprit is, what else, but a shark. Or shall we say, a bunch of sharks belonging to varied species. There is a reason behind the lake being infested by sharks and while this is what also brings a twist to the tale, one just feels that if only rest of the film, especially in it's later part, could have incorporated more thrills, 'Shark Night' could have been a much engrossing affair.

A bunch of college goers are invited by Sara Paxton for a lakeside holiday in her home town and while one almost gets an 'American Pie' kind of an outing, the fact that this is a much 'restrained' affair with sharks leading the show instead of 'Frat Parties' means action and some fair amount of thrills dominate the proceedings. Oh yes, those looking for some bikini babes won't be disappointed as there is some good eye candy in store, what with Katherine McPhee, Alyssa Diaz and of course Sara being totally uninhibited. However with a slasher narrative coming into picture, you know their days are numbered!

This means there is no surprise in store when killings begin. Joel David Moore and Sinqua Walls are destined to meet their ends too and the ones who remain have to battle some other issues with local goons (Chris Carmack, Joshua Leonard) who are far deadlier than just the sharks. What makes them do things that they really do? Well, revealing that would only lead to spoilers though one can sense a clear inspiration from 'The Condemned' here.

Nevertheless, more than the storyline it is some action and thrills that one looks forward to. This is available in good doses right from the beginning where Sara enjoys a chase only to take a backseat once sharks take over. What aids this are some good 3D effects, especially the ones shot underwater. The background score and sound design is apt too, as is expected from a film of this genre.

Meanwhile director David R. Eliis ensures that this 90 minutes affair is more of the popcorn munching variety than being scary. This means there are no moments of repulsion or one ending up looking the other way when the blood floats around. Thankfully there are no gory scenes either that end up making 'Shark Night' a tolerable watch. Yes, the production values and an ordinary script don't quite warrant the film to be even considered in the league of some of the biggest outings belonging to this genre. However watching it without any expectations does make 'Shark Night' a fairly entertaining one and a half hours watch.

Rating: **1/2