Rating: B-
Dir: Declan O’Brien
Star: Kerem Bursin, Sara Malakul Lane, Eric Roberts, Héctor Jimenez
Even The Asylum, masters of the mockbuster, isn’t safe from having their concepts knocked off, For what we have in these two movies is their “dual creature feature” concept, e.g. RoboGator vs. Crocosoid [I completely made that up, but head honcho David Michael Latt just make a note on his iPad], ramped up by the simple method of combining the two. So, rather than a shark taking on an octopus, we have a shark combined with an octopus, and you get the worst of both: shark mouth at the front, slimy octo-tentacles (with spikes, because… why not?) at the rear. Brilliant! Of course, as the original shows, this could only be the product of top minds in the military-industrial complex, specifically Dr. Nathan Sands (Roberts).
The beast wears a device on its skull to allow for it to be controlled, but during a trail run, this breaks, allowing the creature to go on a rampage down the coast to Mexico. His daughter, Nicole (Lane), goes after it, accompanied by former minion Andy Flynn (Bursin), initially trying to bring it back under control, then realizing when that’s not going to happen, to destroy it. It’s a lovely idea, especially since it allows the beast to roam both the water and the land, as necessary to the plot. The film doesn’t hang around, and moves briskly from attack to attack, the hunters chasing in its wake.
This pacing is definitely one of the strong suits, but the makers also don’t take themselves too seriously, and aware how ludicrous the entire concept is. [It’s a Roger Corman production – he shows up in a cameo as a beachcomber] In particular, witness the discussion between two boat workers, eating their lunch and discussing ways to die, before being plucked off the craft by the sharktopus. Or the bit where a bungee-jumping beach bunny leaps to her inevitable doom: as soon as the scene starts, you know its only a matter of time. Much like Sharknado, it’s a film where both makers and viewers are on the same page, having fun with the concept, and rolling with the idiocy. As such, it can only be enjoyed.