Eric Roberts is one mean dude. He played a nefarious gangster in The Dark Knight,
and a villainous hunter of people with special abilities on Heroes. All the
goodness in the Roberts family must have went to his perky little sister, Julia,
because Eric can easily play evil with the best of them. In Sharktopus, the
latest Sy-Fy Channel opus from legendary movie producer Rodger Corman, Roberts
plays Dr. Sands, the evil head of a research company that’s been hired by the
U.S. Navy to create a special shark/octopus mutant. Why? Well, the film explains
the Navy needs Sharktopus to go after such high seas scoundrels as pirates (modern
day pirates are becoming the new favorite villain in B-rated action flicks, lately).
You’d think the Navy would have enough equipment and personnel on hand
to be able to deal with anything that’s thrown at them without resorting to a crazy Dr. Frankenstein scheme like this. But a few minutes into
Sharktopus, a viewer quickly realizes that this goofy movie pretty much exists
in its own weird little world. When the control mechanism that keeps Sharktopus
in line gets smashed (just as you would expect it to), Dr. Sands and his brilliant
scientist daughter, Nicole (Sara Malakul Lane), asemble a special Sharktopus-hunting team. They hire a head-strong hunk--who overacts so badly he looks like he came from the William Shatner school of acting--to lead the team that will stop Sharktopus before he can hurt anybody.
Well, um…they’re too late. Because the big bugger doesn’t waste any time in going on a rampage, where he starts chowing down on vacationers (mostly gorgeous, bikini-clad women---and thanks, Rodger, for the salacious eye candy!) off the coast of Mexico. We’re treated to a travelogue of sorts of every conceivable Mexican beach resort, which are used as backdrop for the film, while their scantily-clad guests become the main dish for Sharktopus. One wonders if the cast and crew spent a lazy vacation at the beach and then wrote it off as a business expense by shooting some scenes at the resort where they stayed.
Sharktopus himself looks sort of silly; it’s basically a shark head that’s stuck
on an octopus’ body. And for some strange reason, his tentacles keep turning a
bright pink in a few scenes, like he’s been out in the sun too long without sun
block. Sure, the movie is very ridiculous--hell, the name alone is enough to
cause a giggling fit--but the filmmakers know this, and they run with it. If
nothing else, this is a great bikini movie, with more female hard bodies on
display than a typical "best bikini" contest during spring break in South Beach.
Don't take it seriously (the fimmakers sure don't), have fun and enjoy the view.
--SF
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