There is a lot that I should like about this movie:
- Jason Statham (including a hilariously unnecessary shot of his eight?
10? 12? pack);
- the strong international cast (although I can’t see Cliff Curtis and
not get the residual Once Were Warriors creeps);
- it’s a Chinese/US coproduction, with all of the bi-cultural rah-rah
silliness that that entails;
- the titular creature is a GIANT RELICT SHARK, I mean, precisely in my wheelhouse.
But as it happens, this movie stinks. It’s stupid, of course, but that’s expected. The real sin is that it’s boring. Everything is telegraphed, and the movie moves on the rails, but a stupid movie often does. It’s just so totally lifeless, so that where a movie about a 100’ long Carcharodon should feel like a Toho Studios joint, featuring humanity helpless in the face of some unstoppable rubber suit monster; it’s really a lot more like an episode of Law and Order, a lame and stilted procedural. I give this movie two stars – one for the shark, and one for the Chinese co-production.
{{<rating 2>}}