Review of Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) by Jason H — 24 May 2010

Now I have been rather critical of the movie studio The Asylum, like many other movie-goers have, about their shameless attempts at cashing in on major studio theatrical releases. Whenever a blockbuster film would hit theaters, The Asylum would have a straight to video release that was a blatant rip-off. I know what I am about to say is going to sound strange, especially since I think this film is a terrible one. But if Asylum would stick with making films like Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus, I probably wouldn't be as angry at them as I usually find myself to be.

Having said that, let me assure you that Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus is an awful little film. If you can't tell by the obvious title, the movie features an enormous shark and octopus who eventually find each other in the ocean and do battle. Yes, it is every bit of hilarity that you could imagine it to be. But through its embarrassing nature there is a level of fun with Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus. I'm an admirer of the campy b-grade sci-fi films of the 1950's and 60's, especially the ones that feature some sort of large creature who was brought to life usually by being exposed to nuclear radiation of some sort. This is just a modern day version of one of those films.

The two title characters of this film start off frozen in a block of ice off the coast of Alaska. Keep an eye out for the poorly used stock footage during this scene that gives the seas of Alaska a tropic-like sea floor. The military are experimenting with a bunch of sonar transmitters that they are dropping into the ocean. Why exactly? Who really knows, but it is enough to break the ice prison holding these two titans of the sea and release them into the world's oceans once again. I know this is a bad movie, but I can't help but question exactly how two creatures frozen for millions of years just pop back to life because of some pointless military experiment with sonar.

Let's not forget that this is a straight to video release, so the budget on the film isn't anywhere near a major studio's budgeting capabilities. The CGI in Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus is bad, but again it's in that fashion that makes the experience somewhat more enjoyable. Just watch as the Mega Shark leaps from the ocean and bites down on an airliner; this could possibly be the highlight of the entire film. You think that is amazing, wait to you see the same shark illogically become larger for one scene that requires it to sink a U.S. Navy ship. But let's stop kidding ourselves, we don't watch a movie titled like this to see these creatures take down human structures. I kind of wish there was more fighting between these two, and a little less build up. The movie takes almost until the very end before the two finally meet up and battle it out. It's fun, but it could have been more.

I could point out the bad acting in Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus, but what can you really expect when the film's two leads are Lorenzo Lamas and Deborah Gibson. Yes folks, Debbie "Shake Your Love" Gibson, whose surgically altered face has rendered her speaking voice to sound like someone who is perpetually congested. Much like a Godzilla sequel that pits him against some new menace, you are most likely going to go into Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus wanting to see these creatures wreak havoc. There could have been more, but the film is still stupid fun.