CERT: TBC / RELEASE DATE: TBC
Hands up anyone who saw the title and thought this was going to be another cheap straight-to-TV shark knock-out? Yep, us too. It’s a relief, then, to report that this – while not being a completely different beast – has much more to recommend it than what we’ve come to expect.
A forgotten experiment from WW II has been resurrected from its icy burial ground in the form of weaponised, flying sharks. If that’s not terrifying enough the army is made up of zombified soldiers. The mastermind of this diabolical scenario is the now-repentant Dr Klaus Richter (Thomas Morris), who sends his daughters to the front line in an attempt to put right what he started back in the 1940s.
Once you get over the abundance of rather naff-looking CGI, it’s not hard to warm to Sky Sharks. The action and gore is so OTT that you will find yourself grinning uncontrollably. The majority of the environments are computer generated, giving it a cheap yet highly stylised appearance. Nazis used to be a staple of exploitation cinema in the ‘70s, so it’s fitting that another ‘70s trope is revived here too: female nudity. Director Marc Fehse is unapologetic in where he points the camera, and there’s only really one part in which it seems sleazy. The CGI gore is forgivable since it’s presented in such an outrageous way, but the biggest cheer would undoubtedly come in one of the few prosthetic effects, which is a glorious periscope-through-the head gag. The biggest negative for this reviewer was the soundtrack. Rather than complementing the action, it’s quite a distraction. It’s a good job the visuals make up for it.
The numerous cameos from genre names adds an additional layer of credibility, and Tony Todd bags the biggest of the star roles with a perfect turn, even if it looks like his section was filmed during the lockdown! Unless we missed them, sadly, Dominic Brunt and FrightFest directors Ian Rattray and Greg Day may have ended up on the cutting room floor – speaking of FF, it’s a shame the film is opening the festival online as there is one shot in particular that would have brought the house down in Leicester Square.
Like the bastard son of Iron Sky and Dead Snow, Sky Sharks has Nazis at its heart, but in a way that allows the audience to have a little fun. As in those films, the fascists are not included to be celebrated, but add to the somewhat delightful, bad taste sleaziness of it all. Stick through the rather lengthy credits, too, for some little Easter eggs.
