Shark Attack 3: Megalodon





release year: 2002
genre: shark drama
viewing setting: home DVD 12/2/21

synopsis: A beach in Mexico is menaced by a prehistoric shark that's not quite as extinct as suspected.

impressions: So this one didn't seem to be linked to the previous two - rather than unusually aggresive normal sharks, it instead has giant prehistoric ones. As I did last time, I'll just list random things that got my attention in this one: sharks grunting underwater like gorillas, a tiny shark tooth being hailed as something much larger, topless women on beach that also has little kids running around, same actress from the first movie in a different role, the usual water-depth discrepancy wherein huge sharks are shown swimming in deep water right before attacking someone in shallow water, lots of Spanish being spoken, a doomed waterskier who gets taken and pulled away by the shark, inconsistent shark size, SharkCam, revelation of the much larger mama shark, the ramming of boats, an evil mayor who looks like a Neandrathal, sudden introduction of the word "Meg" to refer to the huge shark, an interlude at the church to pray for help, an old Navy soldier/sub-pilot/hacker/getter-of-handy-stuff, a shark punching through the side of a boat, the big shark eating a speedboat whole...and a raft full of people...and a jetski...the best R-rated pickup line ever...pothead IT guys...shark vs yacht...rich people jumping off of the yacht for no good reason...the shark making a perfect catch on one of those...a last-ditch plan...a teaser at the end. I found myself wishing that the origin of the Megs would have been explained. All in all, the filmmakers did a pretty good job with a low budget, and the result here was entertaining.

body count: 17 confirmed human kills, plus a big swirdfish and a smaller shark

acting: Long before his bad-guy role in the Arrow TV series, John Barrowman is the main hero here. Jenny McShane is some sort of researcher. Ryan Cutrona is the super ex-Navy guy who has, and can do, everything. Bashar Rahal is the evil mayor (?) who does nothing to help with the shark problem, ditto Harry Anichkin as the CEO of the telecommunications company.

final word: It wasn't the highest-budget production, but it was entertaining and fun.

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