Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Bait 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

'Bait' doesn't jump the shark.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 21, 2012

Get everyone out of the water.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the supermarket....BAIT 3D!!!! Duh duh duuuuuummmmmm! Actually, it's not that bad at all. Audiences won't fear the supermarket, the water, tsunamis, armed criminals, or even sharks after watching Bait, but credit the movie for taking this hugely massive shark craze (seriously, there are tons of these things out there) and doing something even the least bit original with it, and not just that, but foregoing that ultra-cheap model of SyFy/Asylum "success" and populating the movie with honest special effects, a fair cast, plenty of nasty gore, and even, shocker, a halfway decent story with some brief moments of real emotion to give it some teeth, well teeth other than those teeth. Add that the movie makes very good use of its 3D visuals, and Bait proves to be a surprise little venture that won't go down in the history books as the next Jaws but that does offer a refreshing, even satisfying little outing, warts and all.

Excuse me, where do you keep your live flesh?

A freak tsunami slams into the Australian coast, stranding a group of suddenly interconnected people, most of them strangers, into a flooded supermarket that quickly becomes the roaming spot for a hungry Great White shark. Josh (Xavier Samuel) was once engaged to Tina (Sharni Vinson) but a tragedy has torn them apart. She's recently returned to Australia with a new man in tow after an extended stay in Singapore. Ryan (Alex Russell) has just been fired from the store. His eleven-month-long girlfriend Jamie (Phoebe Tonkin) is a kleptomaniac who would be in deep trouble with the law if her father wasn't a cop. Doyle (Julian McMahon) and his partner have plans to hold up the store. The robbery turns deadly moments before the waters come crashing through. Now, these and other tsunami survivors must figure out how to work together to both make their suddenly dangerous environment safe while keeping out of the hungry jaws of one big shark.

There's more good than bad to be found in Bait. It's the sort of movie that requires audiences be both in the mood for a gory Survival Horror type film and accept that it doesn't aim to be the next masterpiece of Horror cinema, even if the movie does take itself far more seriously than do any of the garbage made for television or direct to video shark movies. After all, "Bait" has a pretty "serious" sounding name; this isn't 2 Headed Shark Attack or Ausie Supermarket Shark Attack. The movie plays things rather straight, offering up an interesting and somewhat gloomy atmosphere and a few good gory kills. It satisfactorily develops its characters and while there's not much of a sense of loss when one or more of them kick the bucket, or here, find the teeth, it's not the sort of movie in which one actively roots for the sharks out of spite for the lazily crafted character roster. To be sure, there are no truly memorable characters and the dynamics and interactions are very much bland (there's not much mileage out of old relationships rekindled or the robbers-victims angle) but at the very least the scripted dialogue isn't a joke and it comes naturally thanks to all-around competent performances, which is alone reason enough to praise the movie over the bottom-feeding recycled junk that pops up on TV every week.

Unfortunately, the movie doesn't do much with its setting, and it's not like it really could. Other than the high shelves that aren't totally submerged and that provide the survivors something of a safe haven, the supermarket setting is fairly under-developed and not particularly critical to the story. The characters are not inside long enough to make use of whatever food might still be good, for instance. The movie does manage to create a fairly foreboding atmosphere, but that's more a result of the darkness, the water, and the shark, not the physical location in which all of those elements come together. What the movie does do well is deliver good visuals and visual effects. The tsunami scene is well put together; combined with the added 3D layer, the destructive wall of water seems to wash through the theater. The wetness saturates every frame and all but destroys the screen. It's a quality visual and the flooded store afterwards proves suitably inhospitable and foreboding. However, the movie never quite captures a sense of absolute dread and hopelessness in the same way a movie like Frozen does. With Frozen, viewers feel the cold and fear and hopelessness up on the lift. In Bait, audiences feel relatively safe and free from danger, detached from the experience rather than living it. It's very much a one-sided affair despite the 3D immersion. Still, it's a serviceable movie, well made and certainly worth watching if only for the great 3D visuals, fine watery set design, and departure from the now-standard goofy shark movie tone.

Bait 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bait 3D bites into Blu-ray with a top-notch 1080p 3D transfer. The 3D image is wonderful, offering everything viewers want out of such a presentation. First, colors and brightness aren't hindered. The image is pleasantly bright, evident from the opening moments on the beach where sandy terrain, vibrant yellow shirts, and crystal-clear blue waters dazzle in their stability and accuracy. Even red blood floating through the water looks fantastic. Just as important, details are exquisite, right down to the finest skin lines and pores. Such quality details are evident whether under the bright sunshine or low-level light of the flooded store. Colors remain impressive even in the film's primary location; the darkness doesn't allow for a sparkling palette, obviously, but an underlying balance is evident. Black levels are fine, and flesh tones are mostly even. The 3D elements are impressive. There's a strong sense of depth and length throughout, whether looking down the side of a car or in wide shots of the store and its expansive layout and lengthy shelves. Many objects are noticeably shapely, with a real, perceptible volume and place in the film's environments. Water level and underwater shots are so real that it seems like viewers are peering into a large aquarium. The picture makes good use of a few gimmick 3D shots as well, including a shark jumping straight towards the camera at both the beginning and end of the film, as well as a shot of a gun sticking out of the screen during the early robbery. This is a tip-top 3D transfer that ranks fairly high and, for mature audiences, would make a great 3D demonstration piece.

Bait 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bait 3D swims onto Blu-ray with a high quality Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. From the outset, listeners are treated to a very immersive, convincing sound presence. Beachside ambience is quite thorough; the natural sounds of seagulls, rolling waves, and children at play gently surround the listening audience and help to seamlessly recreate the environment from a sonic perspective. The tsunami brings, literally, a tidal wave of sound into the home theater, crashing through the store with striking potency and balance and plenty of volume but also seamless accuracy and not merely a barrage of noise. Post-tsunami, listeners will enjoy the constant dripping sound that plays almost like a gentle rainfall inside the washed-out store; it, too, completely surrounds the listening audience with impeccable clarity and ease. General creaks and collapsing sounds are accurate and plentiful. Music is clear and well-spaced. Dialogue is focused and never lost under the surrounding effects, though on a few occasions it does sound a touch unnaturally low in volume. Altogether, this is a wonderful soundtrack that's as sonically enveloping as the 3D presentation is visually captivating.

Bait 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bait 3D contains only a storyboard gallery (1080p) and a DVD copy of the film on disc two.

Bait 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bait 3D fails to capture a true sense of terror, never quite pulling off the task of submerging the audience into the waters with the other characters and the shark. But it's well put together, somewhat entertaining, and offers very good 3D visuals. Still, characters are rather dull and the dynamics are lacking. It's a hit-and-miss movie to be sure, but the hits definitely outweigh the misses and the picture easily elevates above the corny made for television ventures that are so prevalent and, with a few exceptions, tired and poorly made. Bait could have been more, but isn't that the story with most movies anymore? Anchor Bay's Blu-ray 3D release of Bait delivers outstanding picture quality and great audio. Unfortunately, the supplements are limited to a storyboard gallery. Still, the release comes recommended on the strength of the 3D picture and the passably good movie.