Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Dinoshark Blu-ray Movie Review

When is Kittyshark coming?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 4, 2011

These creatures have been extinct for over 150 million years.

Dinoshark is one of those movies of which one could feasibly write a completely accurate review without even watching a single frame. Only the title and a slight bit of background knowledge on these style of films, in addition to a familiarity with the names "SyFy" and "Corman," are pretty much all one needs to thoroughly understand the picture from top to bottom. And there's not much to understand. The title and the names involved imply a paper-thin plot built around the title, not a title derived from the story; cheap special effects; bad-to-miserable acting; and an end product that's a fun little diversion of the old "so bad it's good" variety. Expand out to 800 or 1,000 words and, voila, a review of a movie that's bound to be so predictable that nobody would be the wiser if the writer didn't actually give the movie the time of day. Well, of course, this intrepid reviewer did actually give the movie a courtesy watch from start to finish, only to have every suspicion listed above confirmed. Dinoshark is typical low-budget SyFY fodder, but with the expected slight uptick in quality thanks to the involvement of Roger Corman and a lead actor who's not yet a washed-up has-been.

I make that loser Sharktopus look like a Mega Piranha.

A chunk of ice drops from a glacier, releasing several baby Dinosharks frozen in place for 150 million years. Three years later, they're all grown up and out to kill, heading down the Pacific towards Mexico where Trace McGraw (Eric Balfour, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) has just arrived. Back amongst friends and hoping to make a little money captaining a friend's boat, he's never been happier. His luck changes when he sees a strange and aggressive creature kill two rescue workers and destroy their boat. When he hears word that one of his friends has also been killed, he takes matters into his own hands and sets out to take out the Dinoshark at all costs. He teams up with an environmental science specialist named Carol (Iva Hasperger) who traces the Dinoshark back 150 million years. She requests the assistance of a Dinoshark specialist, Dr. Frank Reeves (Producer Roger Corman), who will play a pivotal role in helping Trace and Carol understand what it is they're up against and how to kill it before it can devour even more innocent people.

As expected, Dinoshark lays on the cheese-whiz thick and heavy; this movie is insanely cheap and completely superfluous, but it still manages to be a whole lot of fun, even if it's one of the most unoriginal pictures ever made. In fact, it's pretty much Sharktopus with a different cast, a different title, and a different CGI antagonist. Dinoshark does nothing to distinguish itself from the crowd, except, maybe, that it reeled in a fairly well-known current actor in Eric Balfour, and even while he's still in his prime at that. Balfour is fine, but the acting is otherwise borderline atrocious, in part thanks to a do-nothing script and in part to some terribly robotic performances that have less life than the digital Dinoshark. Still, all things considered, the movie proves to be a little bit better than the average SyFy "Monster" flick; Roger Corman hasn't lost his touch for making something out of almost nothing, and while Dinoshark is pretty much nothing, he still squeezes out a good time at the movies (or in front of the TV, as the case may be here) even with almost nothing new with which to work. That's the mark of a good veteran filmmaker. Corman milks the product for all its worth, playing fast and loose with his plot, characters, special effects, and plausibility, but he never takes the movie so far out into the deep end that it becomes anything other than a watchable and entertaining B-level extravaganza.

Like has been said about so many other movies -- because it's a simple truism of cinema -- Dinoshark is all in good fun, a movie that asks its audience to take it in with a huge block of salt and accept that it's intention is not to make its audience think but instead provide them with 90 minutes of mindless entertainment. Expectations are key to one's acceptance and enjoyment of the movie. As noted above, Dinoshark doesn't mask what it really is. This is the ultimate "truth in advertising" kind of movie, one where the audience knows pretty much everything about it just by eyeballing the title. There's no mystery, no question about what the movie has to offer, and no doubt as to whether one will like it or not. Dinoshark is so self-explanatory that it needs no support; that the effects are typically cheesy, the acting is subpar, and on and on should be ingrained in the very essence of anyone with even a passing familiarity with these sorts of movies. It is worth noting that Dinoshark features a couple of fairly graphic post-kill shots of mangled corpses that might bother some viewers, but this is otherwise a tame and generic little time-waster that won't win any awards for originality, but it should satisfy anyone in search of a mindless afternoon movie.

Dinoshark Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dinoshark floats onto Blu-ray with an average 1080p transfer. Despite a few slight edge halos, a somewhat artificially sharpened look, and some sporadic noise, the image holds up rather well, looking about as good or better than it did on SyFy HD. Colors are sometimes vibrant and sometimes duller than expected, and flesh tones favor a reddish shade, though given the shooting locales, a sunbaked appearance isn't unexpected. The image is generally clear and sharp -- a few softer shots do creep in from time to time -- and detail is steady but not exceptional. Dinoshark definitely has a flat, lifeless HD video look about it. That does the Blu-ray no favors, but overall, Anchor Bay's transfer seems fairly accurate to what is a wishy-washy source.

Dinoshark Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dinoshark tears into Blu-ray with an all-around solid Dolby True HD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. While the opening title music is nothing impressive -- even with decent energy, fair clarity, and an aggressive volume -- it manages to set the stage for a track that goes for a good-time texture that might not be the clearest or most lifelike ever assembled, but that is instead as loose, energetic, and fun as the movie it accompanies. Underwater scenes do manage to deliver a fair bit of immersive energy and a palpable sense of pressurized depth thanks to some hard-working LFE and surround elements. Otherwise, the subwoofer and back speakers don't carry many effects, though they do chime in in support of music. Most atmospherics -- rolling water, screeching seagulls -- are handled adequately by the front half of the soundstage. Gunshots pop but don't ring out with much positive energy, but when it's clear the actors aren't pulling triggers, the actions aren't working, and they are feigning recoil -- muzzle blasts are all-digital -- it's hard to take them seriously, anyway. Fortunately, dialogue is steady and accurate as it flows from the center channel. There's a lot of energy to the track, but it's not abundantly and realistically clear. Still, it's a fine listen for a midlevel made for TV romp.

Dinoshark Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dinoshark features only a trailer (1080p, 2:10) and a wonderful commentary track with the always-enjoyable Roger Corman, his Co-Producer and Wife Julie Corman, and Director Kevin O'Neil. The track is moderated by Perry Martin. Roger Corman dominates the track, discussing the history of the project, working with SyFy, and more. Julie discusses working alongside Roger, the film's look and production values, shooting locales, and other interesting tidbits. O'Neil shares plenty of positive insights as well, speaking on a general spread of film-related topics. Roger Corman commentaries are always some of the best in the business, and this one is no exception; it's almost worth the price of admission alone.

Dinoshark Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dinoshark is a completely transparent film; there are absolutely no surprises, no deviations from the norm, nothing to set it apart from every other similar picture except, of course, for the title. Audiences should know exactly what they're going to get without even watching the movie; a review is almost superfluous, so chances are most are interested only in the technical specs of Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release. While not a show-stopper, Dinoshark's 1080p transfer and lossless soundtrack are both aceptable considering the quality of the film and its made for television roots. The commentary track is typical Corman goodness, and the trailer is a nice little added touch. Fans of this sort of moviemaking can buy with confidence, while others who are just curious or who have never seen a movie like this are encouraged to rent.