This was a documentary that I originally started when staying at my in-laws' house during a visit. It was a long day, so I decided to put this on until I fell asleep. It was one that I then finished the next day that I was in the office, treating this like a podcast. Sharksploitation is a genre that I've dipped my toe into, but not one that I've fully explored. There were voices here that intrigued me since I know they're experts on the subject.
What I really like here is how in-depth this documentary goes. It pays homage first to the movie that made this all take off in Jaws. That movie wasn't the first though. It was the biggest blockbuster though. There were movies as far back as the 1930s like The Sea Bat, Tabu: A Story of the South Seas and Tiger Shark. Roger Corman, in all his low budget goodness, was even making his own in the late 1950s and early 60s. Mainstream movies even used them like James Bond villains.
After Jaws though, we saw the Italians ripping it off. There are also movies like Tentacles, Orca or Piranha, doing something different with it. There are even things like Grizzly or The Car that are taking the screenplay and just doing modifications from it. It would then lead to true sharksploitation that is over the top with Sharknado and Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurs. I could list more, but I won't to keep this brief.
The history is good. Hearing from experts like Peter Klimley, David Shiffman, Gregory Stone and Emily Zarka give realistic insight. Then you have important voices like Rebekah McKendry, Roger Corman, Joe Dante and other filmmakers adds a deeper look from the film industry side as well.
This is a well-made documentary. The research is there. I love all the clips that are edited in to show what they're saying and give a good visual representation. Not only that, I like that they start with the movie that truly made this take off. Then giving the history before and the state of cinema after is well done. This is an interesting documentary for horror fans. I highly recommend to fans of shark films, especially the lower budget variety.
My Rating: 8 out of 10.
What I really like here is how in-depth this documentary goes. It pays homage first to the movie that made this all take off in Jaws. That movie wasn't the first though. It was the biggest blockbuster though. There were movies as far back as the 1930s like The Sea Bat, Tabu: A Story of the South Seas and Tiger Shark. Roger Corman, in all his low budget goodness, was even making his own in the late 1950s and early 60s. Mainstream movies even used them like James Bond villains.
After Jaws though, we saw the Italians ripping it off. There are also movies like Tentacles, Orca or Piranha, doing something different with it. There are even things like Grizzly or The Car that are taking the screenplay and just doing modifications from it. It would then lead to true sharksploitation that is over the top with Sharknado and Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurs. I could list more, but I won't to keep this brief.
The history is good. Hearing from experts like Peter Klimley, David Shiffman, Gregory Stone and Emily Zarka give realistic insight. Then you have important voices like Rebekah McKendry, Roger Corman, Joe Dante and other filmmakers adds a deeper look from the film industry side as well.
This is a well-made documentary. The research is there. I love all the clips that are edited in to show what they're saying and give a good visual representation. Not only that, I like that they start with the movie that truly made this take off. Then giving the history before and the state of cinema after is well done. This is an interesting documentary for horror fans. I highly recommend to fans of shark films, especially the lower budget variety.
My Rating: 8 out of 10.