Shark Tale

Mark:

Why did I happen to take my annual leave during school holidays? Idiot. It’s always the same thing – a whole bunch of made-for-kiddies films comes out, and I sit around on my hands wishing I could see something requiring a mental age over that of my goldfish.

Lumped with the urge to see a film, and a list of options that included seeing Thunderbirds or Catwoman again (or, God help me, Dodgeball), I decided to see this animated follow-up from Dreamworks, the makers of Shrek, with the hope it might have some material appropriate for my age group. Disappointingly, it has neither the wit nor charm of Monsters, Inc. or Shrek and basically sucked ass.

Sure, at moments I smiled, even harumphed at one point, but it didn’t make me laugh, unlike the knucklehead I was sitting next to, who persisted in reading aloud the supposedly funny references to our culture printed on the billboards in the little fish town. (‘Coral Cola’ in flowing white on red? Lame, at best, and yet the neanderthal next to me thought it was hilarious, read it out, then burped! Burped!)

I guess I shouldn’t have expected too much, but Martin Scorsese! The guy’s in a film every few years, and he chooses this? Sheesh. The other voice talent are fine, it’s just the plot is so banal. Who cares? Good guy with heart of gold, but wants to be something more. Does wrong thing to get it. Realises before it’s too late, everything works out, he gets the girl and retains his good-ness. Give me a break. When is Hollywood going to realise the children have brains too? Give them something that challenges them for once!

Not worth it.

Rating: 1.5 stars
Review by Mark Lavercombe, 21st September 2004
Hoopla Factor: 1.0 stars


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