Space Sharks: The New So-Bad-It’s-Good Sci-Fi We Didn’t Ask For?

Shark Week 2024 is over. Luckily we all survived this annual media event celebrating the fantastically finned predators of Earth’s oceans. But are we land-dwellers safe from black-eyed, razor toothed menaces from beyond the stars? That is the question posed in Space Sharks. This new sci-fi adventure film directed by Dustin Ferguson and available now from Wild Eye Releasing.

A Journey Through Shark Cinema

Intergalactic beings of aquatic origin go back as far as the giant lobster-like Gargon from 1959’s Teenagers From Outer Space. We can also flash forward to the 80’s, in Star Trek IV when we experienced the intrepid crew of the starship Enterprise transporting whales to the final frontier. As for sharks, they’ve gotten some pretty good representation on the big screen over the years as well.

While Steve Spielberg’s JAWS terrified beach-goers starting in the 70’s and continued its attack on theaters to diminishing returns throughout the 80’s. Kids eventually bit back against these sleek and savage hunters through a popular line of fruit snacks called Shark Bites. Even Vin Diesel himself was shilling for sharks in the 90’s, when a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles inspired toy line called Street Sharks taught the youth of America how to get JAWESOME!

Space Sharks, uses all of this goodwill and positive PR to craft a story of terror that takes the idea a shark attacks out of the water and onto our turf. Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water…you realize you’re not safe ANYWHERE. On land or on see, humans are dead meat walking.

Space Sharks – A Campy Adventure with Mixed Results

Here’s the thing about Space Sharks, if you’re expecting even Sharknado levels of production and writing, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. However, if you’re always on the lookout for the a fun low budget sci-fi flick, you might get something out of this movie for the camp factor.

Space Sharks opens with some very nice CGI graphics of a spaceship interior. It then quickly jumps to the cheapest lab set imaginable. Familiar faces like Scott Schwartz, who played Flick in A Christmas Story and actor for hire, Eric Roberts wear lab coats. They spout out some technical jargon. The two look concerned about the fact that their ship is on a crash course with the Earth.

The next 30 minutes consists of various hikers walking around what looks to be a southern California community park. They do so for interminably long amounts of time and eventually being slaughtered by unseen killers. It is clear that not a. Minute of footage filmed for Space Sharks was wasted in an effort to pad out the run time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryjzFspmJPk

The Sharks Finally Show Up…

Be warned, you will not see CGI sharks for 40 minutes, however you will get some walking CGI plant monsters, lots of “Predator Vision” scenes and exploitation movie actor, Mel Novak saying the Lord’s Prayer in his living room. That’s not to say the low-budget silliness of the film doesn’t have its charms.

Sprinkled throughout the film are scenes of a bald conspiracy theorist getting taunting phone calls from a mysterious female voice. He wanders desert highways, angrily yelling at the being on the other end of the line. His hilarious overacting is taken to the next level when he meets up with a fellow believer in an abandoned parking structure, trading obviously improvised dialogue about famous conspiracies from history and trying to turn it into a cohesive thought. It’s honestly the highlight of the film and had me laughing out loud.

So what about the titular Space Sharks when they finally reveal themselves? They honestly look better than would be expected from this lackluster of a production.  However, they’re definitely not in the running to be sinister cinema villains of note. In fact the real villain of the film is boredom. As mentioned before, the choice to let the camera roll for every second of a person walking into the distance or waking up in the morning to get some coffee is inexcusable. It almost becomes funny how much time is wasted on screen…almost.

Highlights and Lowlights of Space Sharks

What truly makes this film bearable is the great synthwave score by Karl Casey. The music is not exactly consistent with the action on screen. It’s a true delight to zone out and bounce your head along to the beats and keyboard melodies dropped in during tense moments of stalking or drama. If there were a Space Sharks soundtrack album released, I would buy it.

If it seems like I was just crapping on the work of this filmmaker for 1,000 words, cut me some slack. I was promised Space Sharks and what I got was a Day of the Triffids remake where killer plants took a bite out of the screen time of the title characters. I really tried to laugh at the potential “so bad it’s good” aspect. It’s hard to chuckle when you’ve already fallen asleep. Did I expect a good movie? No. Did I expect a watchable movie? It was the bare minimum and they didn’t achieve it.

Space Sharks, The Drinking Game?

All that being said, perhaps you’ll see this as a challenge to endure Space Sharks. Be warned, if you create a drinking game to go along with your viewing related to the amount of time you see people walking towards or away from the camera, you’re going to be drinking like a fish.

Space Sharks is now available from Wild Eye Releasing on all digital streaming platforms. And yeah, I DARE YOU to watch it.

TL;DR

Space Sharks promises an outlandish mix of sharks and space, but does it deliver? We dive into this low-budget sci-fi adventure from Dustin Ferguson. While the film has its moments of campy fun and some decent synthwave beats, its slow pacing and lackluster action may leave viewers disappointed. If you’re a fan of low-budget flicks with a taste for the ridiculous, it might be worth a watch, but don’t go in expecting another Sharknado. Space Sharks is now streaming on digital platforms, so check it out if you’re feel like braving shark infested space.