Chompfest 2023
It was inevitable that supersized sharks would devour the screens large and small, in fact as of August 2023 17-films feature this monster shark in the storyline, the worst was Jurassic Shark [2012] and closely behind Raiders of the Lost Shark [2015], but after The Meg [2018] the formula changed from centralized nature attacks/environmental horror to over-the-top action. Sometimes filmmakers learn invaluable lessons from b-movie films and their filmmakers behind them, just looking at Roger Corman his resume is proof of that, and The Asylum and Wild Eye Releasing studios show there’s market for bringing bloodshed, carnage, T&A wrapped up in a disaster package for raucous good time all to enjoy. Unfortunately, The Black Demon, missed that important memo, director Adrian Grunberg was woefully paired with screenwriter Boise Esquerra’s underachieving script, which attempts to repeatedly convince viewers of the tragic effects of offshore drilling’s effect on nature and communities mix in some ancient Aztec Religion. He completely forgets to focus the action and terror on the Shark, rather shifting the audience’s attention to both lame characters and dull dialogue, while abandoning most of the context of the subgenre that uses nature attacking humans, found in such movies as Grizzly [1976], Dogs [1976], Day of the Animals [1977], Prophecy [1979], Long Weekend [1978], The Breed [2006] and countless more.
Given the opportunity Paul (Josh Lucas (American Psycho [2000])) an environmental engineer and executive of Nixon Oil takes advantage of a personal-work trip with his family, wife Ines (Fernanda Urrejola (Whispers of the Forest [2014])), his children Audrey (Venus Ariel) and Tommy (Carlos Solorzano) who accompany him to the Baja Coast. While it’s required to investigate the Diamonte oil rig set for decommission however their visit is marred by a desolate town, the idyllic surrounds now lie in ruins with locals upset with his presence. Nevertheless, he has his family, stroll aimless about encountering a shrine for an Aztec god Tlaloc {*1}, (this leads strange undeveloped subplot) they stay at broken-down restaurant which surprisingly has a strong Wi-Fi connection, as he heads to the refinery. His journey is anything but easy, passing through contaminated treacherous waters, soon encounters the last two remaining workers Junior (Jorge A. Jimenez) and Chato (Julio Cesar Cedillo) and was informed about The Back Demon, a megalodon that hunts the waters near the rig, which he dismisses. Meanwhile, his family flee the area due to the unwanted advances of a group of men of the local area, though it appears as if they truly seek to force them into one direction away from their vehicle and to a boat. Hence, they soon join the others on a broken oil rig. The film tries to give a compelling storyline but fails greatly as it promises from the movie poster and description about a supersized predator but is absent for the majority of the flick. Boise and Grunberg both attempt to showcase an executive coming to terms with his willful destruction of nature and how it was his fault to doom the area both naturally, socially, and economically to the locals. Clearly going too deep for the typical shark happy watchers of these films and again there’s a hint of a supernatural connection between a wooden toy boat Paul’s son plays with on the ocean and the shark itself. Um, okay.
Overall, the weakest character is Paul, sadly his role can’t hold the entire film together, his insufferable attitude is a thorough downer. This of course requires a further explanation the character dialogue exchanges are wildly unnatural to each moment in the film, shouting, calm and then irrational logic for various situations, it all seems misguided. His emotional arc in the storyline lacks conviction, and one must endure his constant complaining and defensive position with more intense yelling to justify his actions yet shockingly finds the strength to become the hero, which was clearly foreshadowed thanks to misplaced mystic-supernatural suggestion. Then the shark is missing-in-action, in fact Jaws [1975] had more appearance of a broken animal on screen than this film does at any time. The script seems to strive more for drama of a stressed family dynamic and deceitful father, while having a deep understanding of the characteristics of the roles of the key people which is often good herein it loses its intended viewers that crave a thrilling shark tale. Lastly, the entire subplot of Aztec gods, and the supernatural could have been a game changer if introduced with context and woven throughout the film rather having it become hit or miss. I found Urrejola to be wonderful in providing and carrying the emotional weight of the film, and honest concern for her children, while Jimenez and Cedillo both bring good chemistry, banter, and help a sluggish second act. A saving grace of the film is found with some scenic scenes and solid production values, which are pleasing to the eye.
Sadly, the film never lives up to the movie poster nor does it give respect to those wanting to see the shark dominate the screen in a terrorizing fashion. While the rule states to hide the monster or in this case the shark to generate more tension, one needs to show glimpses of a fin or shadows, something to make the viewer cringe, but with this film the cringe is in lack of entertainment from the shark. The conclusion makes one recall Independence Day [1996] though at least that movie finished with a spectacular explosion and fun entertaining finale, unlike this lackluster sail back to port.
Incidentally, this is only the second, ever in writing reviews that at the start of it the ration on IMDb was 4.1 and when finished it dropped to the current level of 3.7/10.
TAGLINE: Nature bites back.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10279472/
IMDb Rating: 3.7/10
Baron’s Rating: 3.5/10
{*1} – Deity for earthly fertility and water