Sharktopus

The name "Roger Corman" has been synonymous with cheapie schlock for over half a century now, and the bargain-basement sea monster crapfest Sharktopus is another proud title under his production house banner. Indeed, it boasts all the hallmarks of a terrible film in 2011: a gimmicky name, terribly-composited computer-generated effects, and Eric Roberts.

The plot is exactly what you'd assume given the film's title: a shadowy genetics concern creates a mutant supercreature for the military, but lose control of it almost immediately and have to head to beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to recapture it as shirtlessly as possible. The shirtlessness is mainly down to Kerem Bursin as bad boy military hero and genetics-working-guy Andy Flynn, who is called back in to the company that fired him two years ago to help hunt the monster down, as well as stir the repressed passions of Sara Malakul Lane, the genius-scientist daughter of the retrieve-the-beast-at-all-costs Roberts: who in turn, as the head of said genetics concern, demonstrates that a masterful performance in The Dark Knight shouldn't get in the way of picking up some quick bucks on a Mexican holiday.

The film is part travelogue (one hopes that the Puerto Vallarta tourist board kicked in some production dollars: sharktopi aside, the place looks simply lovely!) and part showcase of some of the least convincing acting and CGI that clearly limited dollars can buy as the titular beast eats most things on land and sea, changes size dramatically from shot to shot and wreaks havoc on a town already plagued with continuity errors and terrifyingly shaky camerawork. Still, if you're putting a film calledSharktopus in your DVD player, you're probably the sort of person who finds sombreros that appear and disappear from shot to shot hilariously entertaining; and by that (admittedly limited) criteria, this is a masterpiece. 

Extras Trailers

More television, DVDs, games and gadgets in Sydney? Sign up to our weekly newsletter