Ever since Jaws [1975], countless shark movies increases like a feeding frenzy in chum filled waters, that scary dorsal fin rises up piercing the surface, all knowing just under is an apex predator listening for sounds of panic and sensing the blood its rows of razor sharp teeth prepare to saw, tear, and rip into flesh of its intended prey. However, in this case, the sharks are filmmakers on the prowl to make a horror movie about a shark complete with often lame CGI and an odd storyline is sometimes included, their prey – you the viewers. Most of these films copy from each not just with the plots, or titles but the artwork too, that the marketing behind it takes on some creative standpoints. There’s likely over 180 shark flicks in total and each year it seems to increase on average by 10, so many often contain awful humor and sexist behaviorisms; all working on the reckless abandonment of the youth, to leave in harm’s way quickly, though at least one becomes a marine biologist or shark expert before the film ends. Lately, the common theme when it comes to creating titles in this sub-genre of animal attacking is to place a word in front of shark; for example, Sky Sharks [2020], Ozark Sharks [2016], Sand Shark [2012], Ghost Shark [2013] to the utterly ridiculous Jurassic Shark [2012]; and Virus Shark [2021]. Well now it’s time for Toxic Shark, from director Cole Sharpe and screenwriter Ashley O’Neil (Lavalantula [2015]) which was filmed in Puerto Rico, on a half-a-million dollar budget some nice scenery definitely helped distract of the oddness on the screen, needless to state the film was distributed by Syfy to coincide with the Sharknado marathon week, or their version of “Shark Week”.
A tropical singles’ retreat hosted by a hilarious Reese (Eric Etebari), former trainer to the elites and Hollywood stars on a small island in the middle of nowhere attracted only the beautiful singles, namely a group of friends for sun, sea, sand, and the promise of sex, but delivers bikini T&A. Early on, Maggie, a worker at the resort is riding a horse by the ocean’s edge, to becomes skittish and suddenly the sole toxic shark leaps out of the water making an CGI agile maneuver to gobble the girl off the horse and leave the beast untouched, oh and the horse doesn’t even move. The shark is smart enough to rub its body against boats to corrode them with highly arsenic infected body making nearly worthless, wow that toxin made the shark really smart. On this adventure we have the primary focus on a few people, namely Eden (Kabby Borders (Dam Sharks [2016])) studying to become an environmental biologist brought to the island for getaway her studies and former boyfriend by her friends Audra (Christina Masterson (Truth or Dare [2017])) and Gabriella (Cirstina Jayo). Meanwhile another group of college friends chat among themselves Ryan (Owen Saxon), and Zane (Sean Samuels) who bring along Sam (Bryce Durfee (Crabs! [2021])) to the same fitness retreat, and you guess it he’s Eden’s ex. Soon they both bump into each other on the beach and their arguing takes center stage, thankfully it gets interrupted when Gabriella gets injured in the ocean by something and is carried to the infirmary, meanwhile if comical strangely placed Ryan constantly worries over that his shirt is too tight, which it, somehow this considered funny. She has also become patient zero, and the retreat owner is not too pleased about this latest issue, it leads to some staff Jesse and Erin taking larger leadership roles and criticize their boss, generating a realistic moment. The shark makes for everything to take perilous point, with boats becoming destroyed and the beast is infecting everything the water, its ability to hunt thoroughly more effect to hunt and shred its victims, attacking them on land and sea, without the toxic element this falls perhaps to bottom, of viewable movies. There’s plenty of non important characters that appear for shark fodder, while a few others in more secondary roles become land dwelling zombies or at least rabid loons, the first options are better sounding.
Look, its simply another c-grade shark movie, not quite a b-movie, it is missing a lot of bare T&A, but plenty of cheesy and campy moments, overall, an average entry due to storyline and cheap effects, but the shark it’s just okay. While the actors do hit their marks providing an adequate level of talent, its Etbari who goes for the gusto, give his all with outrageous behavior that is funny to watch I think he’s trying to give a send performance to the mayor from Jaws [1975]. The plot seems a tad scattered, but it’s trying to stand apart of numerous of shark themed movies from the toxic causing people to turn zombie-like to using magnets to disorient or scare the shark, well something like that. It had a decent budget and included a lot of clichés from stereotypical characters to a shark roar, then again a big film like Jaws: The Revenge [1987] did that too and yes lacks shark facts; however, no one is here for them.
Believe it or not, this isn’t bottom of the barrel, yes another mindless shark feature, with bright green toxics, scared of magnets and its toxics infect humans turning them zombies, but delivers large body count of 15 folks. Therefore, chew it over a few times, and look at other worst movies, like Shark Exorcist [2015], that’s garbage, this well the title says it all.
Tagline: This vacation really bites.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6973866/
IMDb Rating: 3.5
Baron’s Rating: 3.0