DAM SHARKS (2016)

DAM SHARKS (2016)

Tagline: These man-eaters really give a dam.

(Action, Adventure, Sharks With Beaver Brains) [PG-13]

Sorry, this whole river of sharks scenario never really figured into my long-term plans. 

In this one, a company owner named Tanner Brooks invites a good-sized group of his employees on a team-building retreat. The river nearby just happens to have a bunch of sharks hell-bent on building a bridge to trap their prey. What they are building the bridge with is a terrifying and sinister prospect. Can local official Kate and Carl stop them before they kill everyone in the area? 

So yeah, someone clearly wanted to make a movie where they could use the title “DAM SHARKS”, so that is likely how we got this crazy and grisly plot. In fact if anything, this might be the shark movie with the highest kill count ever when you consider off-screen carnage. I guess that kind of makes sense coming from the same studio that is responsible for LAVALANTULA and WYVERN among a long list of other B-movies mostly shown on the SYFY channel. 

Where this movie sets itself apart in a long long long list of shark films is that it’s actually very good and loaded with likable characters that can actually act. Jessica Blackmore is a fantastic lead as Kate. She is essentially the lead person going after these sharks, but probably gets fewer lines than Stella played by Neka Zang who is overall the most bada-s character in this movie. Directorially this is also really well done. We get some cool superfast cuts when they are prepping to do something so a lot of this doesn’t feel like it's being dragged out. We also get some subtle comedy and this movie is not overly serious which makes it fun. I also liked that the blood and guts look pretty fake and CGI-ish because I am not a blood and guts guy. We also get some subtle nods to SHARKNADO, JAWS, and even INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. Through the use of good camera angles and a decent soundtrack, it makes what must have been merely a few actors and a crew’s day on the lake seem like a tense life-threatening adventure. 

Acting-wise aside from Jessica Blackmore and Neka Zang, we also get pretty good performances from Robert Craighead as Carl, Kabby Borders as Joline, and especially Jason London who plays Tanner Brooks (the rich guy that lead them on this retreat). London has been in over 128 productions with 12 either completed or in post-production as of the writing of this review. 

If I have to list a few complaints, it’s going to be about the actual plot. I think shark movie fans would have been fine if these sharks had simply broken down a dam or were threatening to break down a dam as opposed to building one. The other major issue for me is the actual look of the sharks when they are jumping through the air. They actually look more like gray Beluga whales which are pretty crazy because the rest of the shark effects are fine, especially for a made-for-TV movie. 

Having said all that, this is one of the best b-movie I have ever seen as far as balance and just giving us some cool characters in an interesting setting. I would put it right up there with MAMMOTH. Among shark movies in general it’s top 15 or 20. This is a solid 6 out of 7 movie that I would like to buy at some point to add to my shark movie collection. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF CINETEL FILMS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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