Close the beaches or the Bad CGI Sharks might get you

There are great shark movies. And there are bad shark movies. And then there are great bad shark movies. Opening this year’s Shark Weak 3, we take a look at a forthcoming movie that definitely falls into that latter category. Reminiscent of Shark Weak 2’s winner of the coveted and totally not made up ‘Golden Shark’ award, “House Shark”, “Bad CGI Sharks” sets out to deliver exactly what the title promises, with knowing wit and tongue-in-toothy-cheek attitude.

Two estranged brothers must find a way to overcome their differences and survive the night as their childhood shark movie script comes to poorly rendered CGI life before their eyes.

Straight out of the gate, “Bad CGI Sharks” sets out its metatextual stall with a weird yet whimsical framing device, which calls back to the likes of “The Outer Limits” and “The Twilight Zone”, as we’re introduced to Bernardo (Matteo Molinari), our quasi-mystical narrator who’ll pop up regularly on both sides of the fourth wall. To whet our appetites, he shares with us a deliberately titillating in media res from the movie’s middle act as a sexy lingerie-clad lady succumbs to a shark attack in her bedroom. Before he pulls us back to the present and explains the movie’s McGuffin, a magical clapperboard muse which brings would-be scriptwriters’ works to life to better inform their art.

Clearly a labour of love for its three principle filmmakers, Matthew Ellsworth, Jason Ellsworth and Matteo Molinari, “Bad CGI Sharks” is a hugely imaginative, knowingly surreal and frugally funny film, unlike almost anything you’ll have seen before. As much a love letter to childhood dreams of filmmaking as to bad shark movies, “Bad CGI Sharks” revels in the tropes and travesties of the genre.

Yes, the shark is archly poorly animated, yet it takes real care to get it just the right kind of bad for the film to work. That’s the joke. Yes, the script is punctuated by an occasionally crude and immature sense of humour which sniggers at period blood or the grisly details of sex-change surgery but again, that’s the joke. These are two brothers who are dealing with the consequences of a script they wrote in the wild, heady days of puberty coming back to plague their now grown-up lives; a metaphor for Matt’s reconciliation with his arrested development older brother Jason.

The guerrilla filmmaking approach makes the most of the suburban Californian locations and there are visual gags aplenty as the sharks wreak havoc through the night. It’s all good, goofy, breathless fun with more running away from wonky monsters than a Scooby Doo marathon and while the performances are occasionally a little self-conscious, the cast is so darn likeable you don’t really mind.
Short on gore, but rich in heart and ideas, this is a pretty good silly shark movie by and for lovers of bad shark movies. In amongst the sophomoric humour, there’s some sharper satire and even some biting social commentary. Some bad shark movies are a chore to watch, but “Bad CGI Sharks” is not one of them and the makers have used an abundance of imagination to ensure the limits of their resources aren’t apparent on screen. It’s not so bad it’s good, it’s actually pretty good good. This is one big fish you need to catch when it’s released this August!

shark weak 3
bad cgi sharks review
logo

Related posts

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) Review

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) Review

I've spun my The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review onto the web How much you enjoy “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” might depend on how much you care about the backstory of Richard and Mary Parker, Peter’s parents, and their connection to Oscorp, because it devotes a considerable amount of its...

Craggus’ Trek Trek Phase II Vol 12

Craggus' Trek Trek Phase II Vol 12

When the Captain says 'Fire at Will!', it's time to GTFO of there. Craggus' Trek Trek Phase II Vol 12 Craggus' Trek Trek Phase II Vol 12 brings us character tropes aplenty as Geordi gets a visit from HR again while Lwaxana Troi tries to get married again and Beverly starts up...

Ad Astra (2019) Review

Ad Astra (2019) Review

Ad Astra elevates ‘Take Your Kids To Work Day’ to a cosmic scale. We all remember how exciting it was when you got to visit your mum and dad at work, right? James Gray’s thoughtful, introspective and quietly engrossing sci-fi meditation “Ad Astra” sets out to explore the bond between...

Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not

Star Trek Discovery offers us a partially obstructed view to a Trill. *SPOILERS* Once again, an episode opens with another trademark "Star Trek: Discovery" maudlin philosophical personal logs. You know, the ones the records clerks at Starfleet Headquarters must have dreaded receiving...

Star Trek: Lower Decks S1E01 – Second Contact Review

Star Trek: Lower Decks S1E01 - Second Contact Review

While it’s animated realisation might take some getting used to, there’s a lot to like about “Second Contact”, the pilot episode for “Star Trek: Lower Decks”, the latest and quirkiest member of the “Star Trek” fleet. Taking its name – and indeed its era – from “Star Trek The Next...

Doctor Who: Kill The Moon Review

Doctor Who: Kill The Moon Review

I'm over the...erm...natural satellite of the Earth with Kill The Moon After last week’s episode seemed to finally get the components to click together, I had high hopes for this week’s episode, particularly after an “Alien”-inspired trailer. And you know what?...

Prom Night (1980) Review

Prom Night (1980) Review

Surely he can be serious, but this may be the last time. The original “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, “Prom Night” is a classic old-school slasher film, but from Canada, eh? Six years ago, High School seniors Kelly (Mary Beth Rubens), Jude (Joy Thompson), Wendy (Anne-Marie Martin)...

The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) Review

The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) Review

The Girl With All The Gifts is a story worth unwrapping. Breathing new life into the rotting husk of the zombie genre, “The Girl With All The Gifts” bites off far more than the usual undead apocalypse. It’s a horror movie with more than just a culinary focus on braaaaains. In the near...

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
The Inner Circle
5 years ago

Just saw the trailer on Twitter,this looks like a complete hoot!!!