REVIEW: Shark Night 3D (15)

Snakes and Piranhas have taken all the headlines recently when it comes to exploitation creature features, so Hollywood decided to bring it back to where it all began, with sharks… in 3D! But will ‘Shark Night 3D’ make a big splash?

Sara (Sara Paxton) and a group of six college friends head to her house on an island in Louisiana for a holiday filled with sun, sea and… sharks! Their peaceful break is disturbed by a giant shark, intent on killing anything and everything that enters the ocean. With their friend Malik (Sinqua Walls) injured, and only a couple of colourful locals for help, the group try to survive and find a way to get to safety before they end up in a watery grave.

Aside from ‘Jaws’, the most obvious comparison to make to this would be the boobs ‘n’ blood exploitation piece ‘Piranha 3D’, which scooped up a whole lot of money at the box office and whose success no doubt inspired this film into production. However, ‘Piranha’ at least had a tongue in cheek feel to proceedings, presenting itself almost as a comedy. ‘Shark Night’ opts for a more earnest approach, which results in a film which is more nasty than exploitative. Surprisingly, however, it’s remarkably dull- even the death, which have their share of gore and ‘jump-out-of-your-seat’ value, are nothing to write home about. So, if the titillation and violence is lacking surely the story will carry you along? Not particularly. Rednecks, students, not dreadful storytelling but nothing different from the average slasher/disaster flick.

The cast aren’t here to grab your attention, only to appear human enough that you may be bothered when the shark comes a-chomping. Of all of the cast Sara Paxton is probably the most memorable as Sara, and for entirely opposite reason Joshua Leonard (most notably one of the three ‘missing’ filmmakers from notorious 90’s horror ‘The Blair Witch Project’) as twisted hillbilly Red.

Overall a surprisingly bland film, which remembers the shock and gore, but forgets to bring humour or originality. Not terrible by any means, but proof if any were needed that having “3D” in the title is no guarantee of quality.