Shark Weak 5 comes to a close with the 100th Shark Weak Review!
Love ‘em, hate ‘em or, let’s face it, love to hate them, shark movies are everywhere and with Sharksploitation, Stephen Scarlata casts his net wide and deep to explore the cultural roots of humanity’s obsession with sharks, from the earliest primitive myths through the cultural inflection point of Spielberg’s Jaws, right up to the present day churning chum bucket of big studio fare like Meg 2: The Trench or Something In The Water and microbudget schlock like Jurassic Shark and Sharks Of The Corn and everything in between (looking at you, Sharknado).
Given the creatures’ importance to global human culture, it’s little surprise that cinema has long had a fascination with sharks. Early films such as The Sea Bat (1930) and Tiger Shark (1932) featured them not as the primary adversaries but as a feature of the natural order, and it was only later that sharks started to be associated with evil, notably as the pet of choice of screen villains everywhere. The James Bond films certainly enhanced their menacing reputation as they were used as de facto henchmen by the likes of Emilio Largo in Thunderball and Doctor Kananga in Live And Let Die but they reached their evil cinematic apogee when Spielberg elevated Peter Benchley’s novel to iconic status, birthing not one but two new cinematic paradigms: the summer blockbuster and the sharksploitation genre. Sharksploitation rides the roller-coaster of the shark movie’s rises and falls from the 1975 blockbuster wave, exploring how Jaws not only captivated audiences but spawned an entire subgenre of aquatic horror that not only terrorised the deep but eventually came ashore and defined creature features for five decades and counting.
The brilliance of Sharksploitation lies in its ability to balance the sublime with the ridiculous. One moment, you’re deep in scholarly discussions with marine biologists and conservationists who deconstruct the myths perpetuated by shark films. The next, you’re revelling in the campy carnage of B-movies like Sharktopus and Ghost Shark. The film swims effortlessly between these extremes, and there’s delight in watching the participants stray out of their lanes, with directors and producers advocating for more understanding and conservation of sharks and the marine biologists indulging in their own guilty pleasures of schlocky horror shark movies.
Scarlata’s documentary is a mosaic of interviews, archival footage, and cinematic history. Figures such as Roger Corman and Joe Dante, who have both contributed significantly to the genre, share their insights and anecdotes, adding depth and humour to the narrative. Wendy Benchley, the widow of Jaws author Peter Benchley, offers a poignant reflection on the unintended consequences of the film’s success—namely, the demonisation and subsequent slaughter of sharks in the real world.
The film’s structure is a testament to Scarlata’s meticulous research and passionate storytelling. Each segment flows seamlessly into the next, creating a rhythmic cadence that keeps the viewer engaged while the documentary’s visual palette is rich and varied, from the grainy black-and-white clips of early shark films to the high-definition frenzy of modern Sharknados.
For afficionados of the genre, Sharksploitation is a glorious trip down memory lane and, if you’re anything like me, a handy shopping list for titles that may have passed you by. As well as contributions from the great and the good of Hollywood, there’s also a healthy amount of time spent with the hucksters of the genre, such as Mark Polonia and the SyFy veterans like Misty Simmons and Anthony C Ferrante. Ironically, it’s in these interviews that their works – variable in quality as they obviously are – find a sense of redemption as you get a feel for the intent the filmmakers had even if the execution fell far short. Their genuine affection for the genre shines through, whatever you may think of the finished product.
While Sharksploitation dives headfirst into the cultural and environmental impact of shark movies, it’s not always entirely successful in highlighting the delicate balance between entertainment and ecological responsibility, showing how the portrayal of sharks in media has shaped public perception and, in many cases, policy. This dual focus should enrich the documentary, making it not only a celebration of sharks on screen but also a call to action for their conservation but the call to action isn’t quite as loud as the acclaim given to some of the trashier movies it examines.
In the end, Sharksploitation is a fin-tastic odyssey through the highs and lows of shark cinema, a documentary that enlightens almost as much as it entertains, leaving viewers with a newfound appreciation for the genre’s storied past and the figures who helped shape it and keep it alive and swimming. I can’t think of a better film to have watched to round off Shark Weak 5.
Fin
