Sharktopus (2010) Review: Syfy + Roger Corman = Silliness
“Half-Shark. Half -Octopus. All Terror.”Synopsis: A half-shark, half-octopus creature created for the military, creates a whole lot of terror in Mexico while a scientist who helped create it tries to capture/kill it. | ![]() Watch now on Amazon |
Calamity Brains:
The best thing about Sharktopus is the idea of a half-shark, half-octopus with biomedical implants. But like most Syfy productions, it takes a fairly generic script (a creature is terrorizing the coast! We must stop it!), adds one weird detail (it’s not boring like a normal shark!), and proceeds to pretend its a real movie. It always seems like a lot of production value goes into these things, but considering how poor the CGI and acting usually are, I’m not sure where it actually goes. In Sharktopus’ case, I definitely got the feeling that the video crew really wanted a vacation at some spring break locations, so maybe all the extra money went to cervezas on the beach.
Note that Roger Corman’s name is attached as producer, which helps sell movies to a certain crowd (gee, I wonder who those weirdos are). But make no mistake – this movie is not a Roger Corman direction. It’s all Syfy – full of bad acting, mediocre special effects, and a distinct lack of boobs. But Corman does have a brief cameo, and his daughter also makes a quick appearance.
Sharktopus is also very heavy on the bikini-clad babes and shirtless dudes, but since it’s a Syfy flick there are no boobs. And while I enjoy the eye candy, bikinis can’t make up for everything else the movie does wrong. I liked the soundtrack and the design of the creature… but that’s about it. Most of the movie feels very phoned in; for example, there’s no consistency regarding the size of the creature. Am I supposed to be afraid of something the size of a swimmer? The size of a shark? The size of a car? It’s a mystery!
Unlike other silly creature features, Sharktopus doesn’t quite have enough to recommend it without some drinks and good friends. That’s why we made a drinking game to help you get through it.
Calamity Brains’ Rating: C-
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