There are a lot of bad shark movies out there. Probably many worse than this, and I've probably seen some of them. I'm generally easy to please with shark movies. The simple sight of a fin ominously breaking the water's surface to stalk someone is enough to create suspense for me. Decent use of models/special effects/stock footage to depict the shark, some chase scenes, some munching...I'm happy.
But Maneater is dire.
Having recently enjoyed The Reef 2, I gave this a go, since I recognised all the headlining actors (B-grade shark horror flicks generally have no-name casts.) Second or third tier toplining cast, sure, but I've seen them all in other things and they're fine actors.
The four main credited cast members are fine, but they struggle with the script's horrendous dialogue. The supporting cast, forced to deliver this terrible dialogue as well, but with less skill, are painful to watch. The characters are mostly flat, so there's no suspense in waiting for them to get munched.
And the special effects. Boy, are they bad! The old Sy-Fy shark movies of old would have been embarrassed to have effects like this. The shark looks terrible. The film would have done better relying more on the old fin-popping-out-of-the-water trick to generate tension. The awful effects really took me out of the film.
TL;DR: Bad script, bad acting, awful special effects, no scares, no suspense...this ranks right at the bottom when it comes to shark attack movies.
But Maneater is dire.
Having recently enjoyed The Reef 2, I gave this a go, since I recognised all the headlining actors (B-grade shark horror flicks generally have no-name casts.) Second or third tier toplining cast, sure, but I've seen them all in other things and they're fine actors.
The four main credited cast members are fine, but they struggle with the script's horrendous dialogue. The supporting cast, forced to deliver this terrible dialogue as well, but with less skill, are painful to watch. The characters are mostly flat, so there's no suspense in waiting for them to get munched.
And the special effects. Boy, are they bad! The old Sy-Fy shark movies of old would have been embarrassed to have effects like this. The shark looks terrible. The film would have done better relying more on the old fin-popping-out-of-the-water trick to generate tension. The awful effects really took me out of the film.
TL;DR: Bad script, bad acting, awful special effects, no scares, no suspense...this ranks right at the bottom when it comes to shark attack movies.