SHARK NIGHT 3D

Seven friends, all students at Tulane University in Louisiana, decide to spend a weekend at the lakeside villa of one of them, Sarah. Upon arrival, after a confrontation with some locals, including Sarah's ex-boyfriend, the seven start to party, with alcohol, games, and wakeboarding. Malik, the athlete of the group, tries wakeboarding on the lake but is grabbed by something that tears off his arm. The terrified friends rescue their injured friend and discover that the lake (salty) is infested with numerous sharks of different species. Sarah, Nick, and Maya decide to take Malik by jet ski to the nearest hospital before he bleeds to death, but it won't be easy to navigate among the voracious fish. Following the 3D success of the fourth "Final Destination", David R. Ellis embarks (literally) on another horror in three dimensions that, on paper, should have been the blockbuster of the summer of 2011. The formula consists of throwing the viewer into an aquatic teen-horror, since the previous year "Piranha 3D" by Alexandre Aja received more praise than criticism, but multiplying the threat and making it as varied as possible. Just as it happened in "Snakes on a Plane" – another flagship film of the Ellis stable – in "Shark Night" there is a multitude of killer beasts, all sharks but of different species: from the classic great white (which here is presented as the "final boss") to the bull shark, passing through hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, and the small but deadly cutter sharks. The result did not meet expectations and, with a budget of 25 million dollars, "Shark Night" failed to bring in even 20, flopping at the box office. The curious fact, however, is that the film also found particular hostility from critics, labeled almost everywhere with unflattering words. Okay, maybe "Shark Night" won't be the masterpiece capable of casting a shadow over the Spielbergian shark, but it's not a poor-quality product either, on the contrary, if we frame it within the productions with killer sharks distributed in the last 10-15 years, we are faced with one of the most dignified and entertaining films of the genre. First of all, it must be considered that for once the Spielbergian plot is abandoned with a shark terrorizing bathers to throw itself into a different, almost original plot. It must be said that the final development of the plot, with the real motivation behind the presence of the sharks in the salty lake, is not a stroke of genius, on the contrary, it is quite improbable, but it is always and in any case trying to say something new, banning genetically modified animals, military plans, and unscrupulous mayors. The film has a lot of rhythm, entertains by showing always different sharks that devour youngsters and makes really good use of the natural location. The characters are linked to the usual stereotypes of the teen movie, with the athlete immediately knocked out, the shy and nerdy guy destined to save the situation, the nerd of the group, the hysterical one, and the inevitable beautiful girl in danger, played by Sara Paxton of "The Last House on the Left". There are even rednecks to reinforce the situation! Therefore, everything is reduced to clichés and highly predictable plot twists, but at least we have the merit of not finding ourselves in front of a bunch of idiotic and annoying characters as often happens when the cast of horror films is predominantly under 30. If you're wondering, since "Piranha 3D" was also mentioned, no, "Shark Night" does not step on the accelerator of splatter and gore and beyond an arm cut off, a guy cut in half, and blood gurgling on the surface of the water, there is not much else. The sharks are very well made, thanks to a mix of (excellent) digital effects and animatronics. As mentioned, "Shark Night" was made in 3D and this is evident from some "effects" that play with the relief, but in Italy, for the moment, only satellite channel subscribers can enjoy the stereoscopy, since Ellis's work did not find a cinematic distribution, ending up directly on satellite channels, also in 3D. "Shark Night" is therefore a fun and carefree vacation horror that bets everything on hungry sharks and good-looking young people destined to serve as their banquet. A film with few pretensions that, if seen in the right conditions, will not disappoint the fan of the aquatic beast movie. Rounded-up vote.