Bait 3D marks the third new shark movie I have screened for review within little more than a week’s time, right behind Jersey Shore Shark Attack and Shark Week. The bar may be set low, but Bait was better than either of them.
A Deep Blue Sea from Down Under, Bait strings viewers along for about 20 minutes before circling its killer concept: A particularly brutal tidal wave hits the coastal-set Oceania Food Mart, a grocery store with built-in underground parking garage. Because such spots have floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a pair of Great Whites gets in and looks to make lunch out of the dozen or so survivors (for now) who sit perched atop the counters.
It’s dumb, yet fun enough while it lasts. The latter is all one really asks from such a rental; since there’s no way Jaws can ever be topped, why try? Instead, director Kimble Rendall (founder of ’80s band Hoodoo Gurus — no kidding!) simply lets loose with buckets of blood and silly set pieces. Julian McMahon (TV’s Nip/Tuck) is the biggest name in the cast, yet even he knows he’s playing second fiddle to his finned co-stars. —Rod Lott
Hey! Read This:
• Jersey Shore Shark Attack Blu-ray review
• Shark Week DVD review
