Shark Night Blu-ray Review
Score: 47
from 3 reviewers
Review Date:
'Shark Night' features competent filming and acting but lacks the visceral excitement expected, with a subpar Blu-ray presentation not worth recommending.
Disc Release Date
DTS-HD MA
Video: 55
The 1080p AVC-encoded video presentation of 'Shark Night' offers vibrant and well-saturated daytime scenes showcasing good fine rendering and color pop, but struggles with severe banding, elevated black levels, and directionless lighting, resulting in flat, washed-out night scenes and occasional noise and banding issues.
Audio: 55
Shark Night's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix offers dynamic range and strong bass that bolster jump scares, but suffers from occasional overpowering music that overshadows dialogue. The front-to-rear balance and surround effects create an enveloping experience, though the sound design can feel unoriginal and excessively loud at times.
Extra: 27
The Blu-ray Extras of 'Shark Night' include a montage of film kills, trivial shark survival tips, insights into animatronic and CGI shark creation, a brief making-of with director interviews, and the theatrical trailer, providing viewers a varied yet concise behind-the-scenes look.
Movie: 27
The Blu-ray of 'Shark Night' disappoints with lackluster CGI, a slow-paced first act, and the absence of its intended 3D effects, culminating in a PG-13 shark movie that neither achieves suspense nor the campy fun of similar genre films.
Video: 55
The Blu-ray video presentation of "Shark Night" offers a mixed visual experience. Originally shot in high definition 3D, the transfer to 2D retains some of the polished clarity, especially evident in the crisp definition and fine rendering during close-ups and certain well-lit scenes. Geographic locations and vista views benefit from this high-definition treatment, with bright exterior scenes showcasing dynamic whites, vivid earth tones, and bright colors like blue. However, black levels are elevated, leading to washed-out low light sequences. Despite this, shadow detail remains commendable, ensuring discernible levels of detail in darker scenes without noticeable artifacts or anomalies.
Conversely, the transfer's overall quality suffers due to several factors. The conversion from 3D to 2D reveals gimmicky shots intended for 3D that fall flat in traditional viewing. Some scenes display stellar clarity with fine detail in skin textures and foliage, while others appear soft, especially those with significant CGI, such as the digital sharks. Color reproduction is generally bright and adequately dense, emphasizing the film's sunny setting. However, lighting inconsistencies sometimes give the film a cheap, made-for-TV appearance. Contrast levels are acceptable but marred by occasional blown-out highlights and as deep as needed black levels that can spike noise in darker scenes. Banding is also an issue, particularly visible in the initial shots and occasionally in gradients like the blue sky.
Overall, while daytime scenes offer rich color saturation and satisfying detail, nighttime sequences are plagued by flat blacks, underdeveloped shadows, and errant noise that obscure detail. Specific scenes, likely affected by their original 3D design, add artificiality and detract from the viewing experience in 2D. Despite these drawbacks, there are no major compression-related distractions, making "Shark Night" a passable yet inconsistent visual presentation on Blu-ray.
Audio: 55
"Shark Night" is presented on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, which aims to heighten the film's suspenseful and thrilling elements. In the earlier segments of the movie, the audio maintains a front-oriented perspective, offering appreciable dimension, sharp dialogue, and crisp channel separation. This initial setup assures intelligibility and sets a solid foundation. As the film progresses, particularly when the unsuspecting teens arrive at the lake, the soundscape broadens, incorporating both front and rear channels. The result is a balanced mix that integrates panning sequences effectively to create a moderately immersive experience.
While the overall sound design is competent, it is not without its flaws. The mix exhibits variability in its implementation of surround sound, especially during high-action scenes where bass-heavy music can occasionally overpower dialogue. Despite this, the dialogue is mostly clean and comprehensible, with moments where the rear channels are actively employed for effects such as splashes, screams, and explosive sequences. This aids in crafting a dynamic auditory experience supported by solid imaging, clarity, and an equitable blend of music, sound effects, and subtle nuances. The dynamics range impressively drives the film's more active moments, and the bass response adds palpable presence without veering into bloat.
However, not all aspects of the sound design are laudable. Certain scenes because of their loud and bombastic nature, employ heavy low-frequency effects (LFE) to deliver intense bass during explosions or crashes, which some might find excessive. Occasionally, a particularly loud "jump scare" sound can feel artificial or prematurely deployed, detracting from the intended suspense. While there is effective utilization of surround elements—especially in creating a seamless movement of sounds from speaker to speaker—the mix sometimes resorts to unoriginal sound tactics that might not appeal to everyone. Overall, while not groundbreaking, the audio presentation manages to provide a good, albeit inconsistent, listening experience.
Extras: 27
The "Shark Night" Blu Ray extras offer a compact yet engaging look behind the scenes, providing valuable insights into the film's production and context. Notably, the "Shark Attack! Kill Machine!" montage strings together all the movie's shark attacks in a succinct five-minute sequence, making for a thrilling highlight reel. The "Ellis Island" featurette provides brief but informative interviews and on-set footage focused on director David Ellis. "Shark Night's Survival Guide" offers humorous trivia on avoiding shark attacks, cleverly paired with film clips. Additionally, "Fake Sharks, Real Scares" delves into the creation of the film's animatronic and CGI sharks, revealing the impressive effort behind their realism. The package is rounded out by the original theatrical trailer.
Extras included in this disc:
Shark Attack! Kill Machine!: All the kills from the movie in a five-minute sequence.
Ellis Island: Featurette with interviews and on-set footage of director David Ellis.
Shark Night's Survival Guide: Trivia on avoiding shark attacks using clips from the film.
Fake Sharks, Real Scares: Behind-the-scenes look at the creation of CGI and animatronic sharks.
Theatrical Trailer: The original trailer for the movie.
Movie: 27
"Shark Night” promises an exciting aquatic horror experience but falls short in both story and execution. Directed by David R. Ellis, known for "Snakes on a Plane," it attempts to merge the natural terror of “Jaws” with the over-the-top absurdity of “Piranha 3D.” However, it neither achieves gripping suspense nor does it embrace a guilty pleasure vibe. Setting off with med-school hopeful Nick (Dustin Milligan) and his friends to a luxurious lake house, things take a dire turn when Malik (Sinqua Walls) loses an arm to a bull shark. What follows is a convoluted plot involving voyeuristic rednecks who’ve stocked the lake with sharks for online entertainment, making a half-hearted attempt at social commentary.
Technically, the film struggles with its intended 3D spectacle, rendered ineffective by its 2D Blu-ray release. The obtrusive CGI sharks and gimmicky slow-motion scenes that might have popped in 3D now look glaringly artificial and out of place. The narrative suffers from prolonged setup and formulaic character development, making the eventual shark attacks feel anti-climactic. The depiction of violence is restrained due to its PG-13 rating, featuring vague bloodiness and minimal gore, which may disappoint fans seeking visceral thrills. Furthermore, the supposed love story between Nick and Sara (Sara Paxton) is overshadowed by their struggle against the sharks and maniacal locals.
The movie's overuse of clichés and unforgivably slow pacing make it uninspired. Scenes meant to deliver tension and terror fall flat, while character actions remain predictable and uninvolving. With minimal nudity and diluted horror, "Shark Night" misses the mark of even a decent B-movie charm. Instead, it ends up as an underwhelming entry in the genre—more likely to elicit yawns than screams. While it potentially serves as light-hearted entertainment for a group of friends, particularly with a drink in hand, it lacks depth or significant thrill to be memorable.
Total: 47
"Shark Night" attempts to capitalize on the aquatic horror genre but ultimately falters in delivering a compelling experience. While competently filmed, the movie suffers from underdeveloped characters and lacks the visceral thrills and over-the-top entertainment that fans of the genre expect. The actors do a commendable job with their limited material; however, the script does not provide them with enough depth or memorable moments. Despite this, the technical aspects of Fox’s Blu-ray presentation are decent, featuring a solid though unspectacular video and audio transfer.
From a technical standpoint, the video quality of the Blu-ray is average, failing to fully exploit high-definition capabilities. The color balance and clarity are acceptable but not standout, which detracts from potentially immersive shark attack sequences. The audio, while clear, lacks the dynamic range necessary to elevate the tension and suspense intrinsic to horror films. Such a presentation falls short, especially when compared to other recent titles in the genre that offer more engaging audiovisual experiences.
In conclusion, "Shark Night" on Blu-ray doesn't justify a purchase. Given the subpar technical execution and a lackluster narrative, it is advisable to look into other shark-related titles such as "The Reef" or await classic releases like "Jaws" in high definition. Save your time and money for more worthwhile offerings in this genre.
Blu-ray.com review by Casey BroadwaterRead review here
Video: 70
What's especially awkward here is that there are several scenes that prominently feature imagery that's clearly supposed to be in 3D--sharks jumping out of the screen, boats jumping out of the screen,...
Audio: 70
When the blaring music doesn't mask the vocals--which, to be fair, is most of the time--dialog is clean and comprehensible....
Extras: 40
Shark Night's Survival Guide (1080p, 4:08): A collection of dumb trivia about shark attacks, using clips from the film as illustrations....
Movie: 40
See, Shark Night isn't just a man-versus nature monster movie, it's also a rednecksploitation horror tale about two voyeuristic and enterprising bait-shop owners--the propeller-scarred Dennis (Chris Carmack)...
Total: 40
Shark Night isn't awful--it's competently filmed and features actors who do what they can with their underwritten roles--but it just doesn't deliver the kind of visceral and/or over-the-top experience...
High-Def DigestRead review here
Video: 60
There's one sequence in particular, when Blake is driving Malik to the hospital on a Sea-Doo where the blacks suck out every sort of detail while Blake sits in the middle of an obvious green screen slathered...
Audio: 60
What's even worse is when they pound out a big "Dunnnnnnn!" to prematurely frighten the audience, giving the illusion of something happening when nothing is....
Extras: 20
...
Movie: 20
Sorry honey, but all that skimpy bathing suit is doing is calling sharks from far and wide to imitate the opening scene of 'Jaws.'...
Total: 40
With subpar video and average audio this doesn't even seem like a movie someone should pick up for a bored night at home....
AVSForumRead review here
Video: 84
Images onscreen exhibit plenty of fine rendering and crisp definition that on occasion rises to higher levels especially during close ups which can be very revealing....
Audio: 84
Early on the audio has a front oriented perspective with appreciable dimension, channel separation and crisp, descriptive dialogue that is always intelligible....
Extras: 30
Kill Machine! - 5 minute selectable montage of the film's shark attacks (HD) Ellis Island - 4 minute featurette on director David Ellis (HD) Shark nights Survival Guide - 4 minute feature that offers tips...
Movie: 30
Determined to get him to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible, it isn't until they're far from shore that they realize the lake is teeming with hungry sharks, and a tiny speedboat isn't about to...
Total: 57
Screen Onkyo PR-SC5508 THX Ultra 2 Audio/Video Processor Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier Oppo BDP-93 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)...
Director: David R. Ellis
Actors: Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack
PlotA group of college friends, including Sara, Nick, Blake, Malik, Maya, Gordon, and Beth, decide to spend a fun-filled weekend at Sara's family lake house on a small island in the Louisiana Gulf. What starts as a carefree vacation quickly turns ominous when Malik is severely injured while wakeboarding, and they discover he was attacked by a shark. With no immediate means to contact outside help due to lack of phone signal, and the nearby marina abandoned, they are left stranded and vulnerable.
As night falls, the group realizes that the lake, unusually infested with aggressive sharks, is not a natural occurrence but a sinister setup. Desperation mounts as they attempt to rescue themselves and their increasingly wounded friends, uncovering dark motives and terrifying revelations along the way. With each attempt to escape met with deadly resistance, the friends must navigate both the treacherous waters and the human threats orchestrating their deadly predicament.
Writers: Will Hayes, Jesse Studenberg
Release Date: 02 Sep 2011
Runtime: 90 min
Rating: PG-13
Country: United States
Language: English