PLOT: A group of friends is stalked by a large shark whose only purpose is to kill.
REVIEW: The fact that Maneater is a killer shark movie should already set your expectations right from the jump. I mean, when was the last time we had a good one? But that also means that most people going into this should have their expectations set low. In a lot of ways, this is what would happen if you gave Artificial Intelligence the task of making a killer shark movie. It hits all the moments you would expect it to and doesn’t deter once. But is that a good thing?
Nicky Whalen stars as a woman who just had her engagement fall apart. She’s in a tropical location with friends to have fun and let loose. They decide to embark on a booze cruise and end up right in the hunting grounds of a massive Great White Shark. I’m sure, just from that description, you can guess what happens next. The shark attacks aren’t very visually impressive and don’t have much weight to them. They try including these close ups, but it just looks like a stuffed toy biting the victim instead of a real shark.
The group of friends is annoying, while never providing any kind of humanity to the proceedings. They are all caricatures. Shane West is the only person other than Whalen that doesn’t completely embarrass themselves here. They’re both really trying, which is honestly huge for a film of this ilk. Usually, the name actors are the ones hamming it up the most. There’s a really weird dynamic going on with Whalen and the sea captain. They tease like these two will get together despite the fact that he’s married. And you know, his wife is on board the ship! It’s genuinely one of the more baffling aspects of an already baffling film.
Trace Adkins pops up as a grieving father who is essentially Maneater‘s Quint. His subplot attempts to tug at your heartstrings but doesn’t really work. Any drama in this feels like that of a high school play. One of my favorite aspects is all the very melodramatic moments spread throughout the film. They clash so heavily with the rest of the film-even blasting the sappy music during these times. It’s hysterical.
The CGI in Maneater is not the most impressive, but it doesn’t quite drop down to the level of The Asylum (although it’s close). The biggest problem with the movie is the absolute lack of tension. The fun part of these killer shark movies is the tension that exists beneath the surface at all times. But here, since every attack is so silly, the tension is non-existent.
I can’t imagine anyone is going into Maneater expecting the next Jaws. But even still, will Killer Shark movies improving their production values (The Meg, 47 Meters Down) this kind of shark movie just doesn’t work. If anything, they probably should have taken a little money away to make this slightly schlockier. But if you’re into the Shark Attack or Sharknado series, then you’ll have some fun with this one. While I can’t recommend it as good cinema, I can say it provides plenty of absurd entertainment. And based on that ending, I’d say a sequel isn’t far off.
Maneater is IN THEATERS, ON DEMAND, AND DIGITAL NOW.