Sharkzilla (2002) (aka: Megalodon) starring Leighanne Littrell, Robin Sachs, Al Sapienza, Mark Sheppard directed by Pat Corbitt Movie Review

Sharkzilla (2002)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Leighanne Littrell in Sharkzilla (2002) (aka: Megalodon)

Somewhere, Beneath the Sea

Nexecon Petroleum are using their Colossus, the largest deep driller, to explore for oil in the icy cold North Atlantic waters much to the annoyance of geologists and naturists who fear that Colossus could cause catastrophic destruction to the sea bed. What no one could have expected was the drilling to reveal another ocean beneath the sea's bed which has remained hidden for millions of years. But there is worse to come as this hidden ocean is the home of an ancestor to the Great White Shark, the 60ft monster known as Carcharadon Megalodon which destroys everything in its path. Now the limited crew aboard the Colossus along with a reporter and her cameraman they must do battle with this Megalodon.

I don't normally do this but I saw in another review of "Sharkzilla", which referred to it by its other name "Megalodon", the words "don't waste your time or money on this ridiculous movie which is completely unbelievable" and I had to laugh because frankly what do you expect from a movie called either "Sharkzilla" or "Megalodon". Even if you don't read a synopsis before watching this the title should be a warning and a quick squint over a synopsis would reaffirm that all this is is another far fetched creature feature so there really can't be complaints about being ridiculous and unbelievable.

Al Sapienza in Sharkzilla (2002) (aka: Megalodon)

In truth I am getting a bit sick and tired of seeing so much negativity surrounding these lower budget creature features because the groan factor of the characters, effects and the storyline are all part of what makes them a b-movie and to many are crucial in their enjoyment. And "Sharkzilla" delivers all of this with attractive female characters, a ridiculous storyline, some dumb things which people do and a lot of dumb things which people say.

But do you know what? For all the typical dumb-ass stuff going on "Sharkzilla" has something which many of these b-movie creature features doesn't have and that is atmosphere. Scene after scene has the perfect combination of pacing and silence to draw you in to what is happening and whilst the special effects are not up to James Cameron level they are better than you usually find in this sort of movie. Not only that but "Sharkzilla" has some surprisingly effective performances with Al Sapienza doing a nice job of playing his character with that mix of arrogance and empathy.

What this all boils down to is that "Sharkzilla" is a lot more entertaining that many would give it credit for and unlike some of the more recent creature features this one actually has some atmosphere.


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