PopHorror Let's Get Scared
A group of college kids head for the lake for the weekend only to discover that it is full of man-eating sharks, and that isn’t even the worst thing that they have to worry about.
I always enjoy a good killer shark movie (and Lord knows that there are a ton of them out there), so when I first heard about Shark Night back in the day, I thought it sounded like it might be fun. My wife and I went to see it the day it came out and I went into it hoping for the best. I mean come on, it’s a movie about a bunch of sharks swimming around eating college kids, so it had to be good, right? Plus, we saw it in 3D, which made things even cooler.
So, after everything was said and done what did I think? Was it as awesome as I had hoped it would be or should I have just stayed home and watched Jaws or Open Water again to get my fill of killer shark shenanigans?
Keep reading to find out…
Even though most critics and audiences didn’t care for Shark Night, I thought it was decent enough for what it was. It isn’t the most original premise in the world, but that is okay because you don’t really watch killer shark movies for any sort of ground-breaking or unique plot that hasn’t been done before. You go to see people get eaten by sharks. While the filmmakers did try to put a different spin on how the sharks got in the lake and why they were eating people, the main reason I wanted to see it was for all the fun death scenes and just some good old fashioned killer shark action in general. I know that a lot of people complained about this movie and bemoaned the fact that Bait came out the same day in Australia and that we got this film in America instead, but I still enjoyed it and had a good time with it.
I do like the fact that the people behind it (director David R. Ellis and writers Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg) tried something a little different. Spoiler alert: We have a bunch of rednecks putting sharks in the lake so they can film people getting eaten by them and then making money by selling the videos of the gruesome deaths to others who are willing to pay to see such a thing. It’s an interesting idea if you ask me and I applaud the fact that they threw this concept into the mix because it not only helps the movie a bit more original but also to stand out among all the countless other shark movies out there. I think it is cool because it means that the protagonists not only have to deal with the sharks that are trying to eat them, but the human villains that put the sharks in the lake to begin with. It may not be the most realistic plot device in the world, but it works if you don’t think about it too hard and makes the movie a little more fun in general.
I think that the cast did a fantastic job as well. The always cool Sara Paxton (The Innkeepers, Static) is great in the lead role, and her character is just a likeable and cool person that you can’t help but root for (plus she rules when she becomes Action Girl toward the end). Dustin Milligan (Hot Frosty) is great as the guy who has a crush on her, and I dig the fact that he goes from being a nerdy guy to a hero as the movie progresses. Also on board is Donal Logue (Blade) as one of the antagonists, and even though I am not really a huge fan normally, he does a decent job here as he is a little less obnoxious than usual. All in all, I thought that the movie had a great cast and everyone does a good job bringing their characters to life, and as a result, you want to see most of them survive and make it through the movie alive (plus, I loved the dog that appears in the movie and was very happy that he doesn’t get eaten.)
I also love the fact that they incorporate a bunch of different sharks in the movie as well. We get a wide variety of them including a thresher, a bull shark, and the always present Great White that is mandatory for shark movies. Much to my surprise however, they actually have cookie cutter sharks make an appearance, and the scene involving them is one of the best death scenes in the movie, if you ask me. I have always loved sharks and have been fascinated with them since I was a kid, so the shark nerd in me was extremely happy that there were several types in this movie.
I dig Shark Night and think that it is one of those movies that gets more hate than it deserves. It isn’t perfect and it won’t change your life or anything, but it is a lot better than most people say it is. If you are into sharks and shark movies like I am, you will most likely enjoy it if you don’t take it too seriously, so I recommend that you just sit back and enjoy the ride. 
