Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus

Title: Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus

Director: Ace Hannah aka Jack Perez

Writer: Ace Hannah aka Jack Perez

Starring: Deborah Gibson, Vic Chao, Sean Lawlor

Year released: 2009

Initial thoughts (Pre-screening): This may be my favorite B movie ever. It pains me having to objectionably critique it.

Their synopsis: “..In the melting Arctic, two prehistoric sea creatures have been unleashed from their tombs of ice…they terrorize the ocean with an appetite for destruction that engulfs anything in their path…”

My synopsis: Badass monsters wreckin’ shit. Debbie Gibson still lookin’ good.

Quick review: Entertaining and purposely stupid. You can’t ask for much more in a B movie.

Pros: This. This. This. And later, this. The action scenes in this film will live on forever.

Cons: The missile launch sequence about halfway in? I’ve seen it in other movies. That’s lazy.

Biggest movie cliché: Obstinate naval commanders.

Favorite quote: “Pheromones.”

Say a nice thing: Lorenzo Lamas plays a casually racist asshole. It’s a genuinely funny and awesome character.

Say a racist thing: Deborah Gibson’s character has sex with Vic Chao’s character. It’s gross. Miscegenation is an abomination and a sin.

Best cameo: The guy I thought was Nice Guy Eddie from Reservoir Dogs.

Biggest suspension of disbelief: The size of both the shark and octopus changes based on what the film wants them to destroy.

Most relatable current event: The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 730. Perhaps caused by Mega Shark or Giant Octopus? We can only speculate…

Final review: One of the reasons I like this movie, is that it has some level of self-awareness. It understands that what’s going is silly. The action scenes clearly reflect this, but the script does as well, albeit more subtly. It does right what Mega Piranha does wrong. For instance, the act of doing science in this film is staring intently at different colors of liquid, occasionally mixing and/or shaking them, then reacting. It looks ridiculous at first, but it’s calculated foolishness, meant for comic effect. Some would say I’m giving the movie more credit than it deserves, but I’ve seen enough of these to know the difference.

Even under scrutiny, this is a fun movie, that’s also pretty well done. Still my favorite.

Ranking:

3.5 bees