If nothing else is true about this film, it's at least honest. The title says it all, and the basic premise says even more. Before 5 minutes have elapsed we've already seen the shark and some outrageous CGI; a first-person camera shows us the perspective of swiftly swimming through crystal-clear, pristine tropical waters at the same time that a third-person perspective shows a shark fin rising from the muddy swamp of Arkansas - the same swamp in which a 4-wheel vehicle is stuck in mud that doesn't even touch the undercarriage. Meanwhile, the director, makeup artists, hair stylists, and wardrobe treat the women as though they were preparing for a wet t-shirt contest, or mud-wrestling, instead of prison work detail. No, there's not one scrap of authenticity, or subtlety, to be had in 'Sharkansas women's prison massacre' - but at least it tells us as much the moment we first stumble onto it.
In fairness, truly, this never pretends to be anything it's not. The feature is intended purely for silly fun, and is definitely built that way in every regard. 'Sharkansas' is blunt and forthright nearly across the board, from dialogue and scene writing, to acting, to effects, to editing, and well beyond. Plot is minimal, largely arbitrary and unnecessary, and plainly outrageous. The content generally has at least as much in common with sexploitation flicks of the past few decades (albeit sans nudity) as it does with the endless sea of shark attack movies. Some lines and scenes come close to being clever or earning a laugh, but they're often shortchanged in the next moment by some combination of curt editing, unconvincing performances, and/or subsequent inclusions that are considered with far less care. Whether we have Jim Wynorski's direction to thank, or the screenplay, or the cast themselves, the acting is without exception either underwhelming or overcooked.
It would be very easy to keep going, dissecting and critiquing every last iota of this picture, but to be honest, I'm tired. And does it really even matter? Maybe I've just grown hardened to such fare, or worn down, after watching my share of inane low-grade schlock - but when all is said and done, this is marginally entertaining. It's at least competently made, besting similar fare like 'Shark exorcist,' or 'Avalanche sharks.' Even if it's not put to the best possible use, there's some cheeky intelligence underlying the construction of the story and many scenes. And, after all, it's a nonsensical sci-fi horror adventure romp, ultimately sharing some territory with modern major studio fare like 'Deep blue sea' or even the 'Jurassic World' series, alongside 50s B-movies like 'Monster from Green Hell' or 'The Trollenberg Terror,' as much as anything else - does anyone think the folks behind 'Sharkansas women's prison massacare' even care what anyone has to say about it?
If you have the occasional craving for third- or fourth-tier monster flicks, you might like this. If you don't, you won't. It really is as simple as that, and other details just kind of fall away. In the very least, you could do much worse, so if you're looking for something to put on where you can just turn your brain off and relax - well, this just might be the film for you.
In fairness, truly, this never pretends to be anything it's not. The feature is intended purely for silly fun, and is definitely built that way in every regard. 'Sharkansas' is blunt and forthright nearly across the board, from dialogue and scene writing, to acting, to effects, to editing, and well beyond. Plot is minimal, largely arbitrary and unnecessary, and plainly outrageous. The content generally has at least as much in common with sexploitation flicks of the past few decades (albeit sans nudity) as it does with the endless sea of shark attack movies. Some lines and scenes come close to being clever or earning a laugh, but they're often shortchanged in the next moment by some combination of curt editing, unconvincing performances, and/or subsequent inclusions that are considered with far less care. Whether we have Jim Wynorski's direction to thank, or the screenplay, or the cast themselves, the acting is without exception either underwhelming or overcooked.
It would be very easy to keep going, dissecting and critiquing every last iota of this picture, but to be honest, I'm tired. And does it really even matter? Maybe I've just grown hardened to such fare, or worn down, after watching my share of inane low-grade schlock - but when all is said and done, this is marginally entertaining. It's at least competently made, besting similar fare like 'Shark exorcist,' or 'Avalanche sharks.' Even if it's not put to the best possible use, there's some cheeky intelligence underlying the construction of the story and many scenes. And, after all, it's a nonsensical sci-fi horror adventure romp, ultimately sharing some territory with modern major studio fare like 'Deep blue sea' or even the 'Jurassic World' series, alongside 50s B-movies like 'Monster from Green Hell' or 'The Trollenberg Terror,' as much as anything else - does anyone think the folks behind 'Sharkansas women's prison massacare' even care what anyone has to say about it?
If you have the occasional craving for third- or fourth-tier monster flicks, you might like this. If you don't, you won't. It really is as simple as that, and other details just kind of fall away. In the very least, you could do much worse, so if you're looking for something to put on where you can just turn your brain off and relax - well, this just might be the film for you.