Intentionally making a “so bad it’s good” movie is a lot harder than you might initially think. There’s a fine line between accurately emulating low-brow filming techniques in a sincere homage to trashy cinema and lazily shooting a cheap cash-grab with no attention to detail. After all, coming up with an absurd premise involving extraterrestrial […]
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This over-the-top conflict is brought to life through chaotic visuals incorporating stock visual effects and wonky 3D models, but Hot Spring Shark Attack also makes use of charming hand-crafted puppets and hilariously mismatched miniatures – with most scenes featuring a silly combination of both visual and practical effects. While the end result is never believable, it’s consistently entertaining. I mean, how can you dislike a movie where the evil sharks whisper “shark” to themselves like bloodthirsty Pokémon?
Some of the old-school effects harken back to Japan’s glorious history of miniature-heavy Tokusatsu and Kaiju productions, but I’d argue that there’s also a much more modern inspiration on display here. The obvious green screens and cartoony fights are surprisingly more in line with over-the-top internet humor than any previous form of low-brow cinema, with this curious distinction actually becoming one of Hot Spring Shark Attack’s biggest strengths.
It’s hard not to think about the Angry Video Game Nerd or even old Channel Awesome sketches during silly moments like Macho’s final showdown against the swarm of sharks, with the biggest difference being that Inoue is attempting to blend this style with traditional filmmaking. While I understand that some viewers might find these clashing aesthetics off-putting, I admire the willingness to try out something new within a crowded genre.
Unfortunately, the script isn’t quite as entertaining as the flick’s visual flair. Unexpected details like the abrupt change in protagonist as the typically antagonistic mayor goes through a redemption arc are appreciated (and Macho obviously steals the show whenever he’s onscreen), but the movie gives us little reason to care about these two-dimensional tropes masquerading as characters. In fact, most of their interactions are relegated to simply reacting to the sharks rather than developing meaningful relationships or personalities.
Additionally, while it might seem silly to complain about logical inconsistencies in a movie about sharks that can squeeze through indoor plumbing, I couldn’t help but get a little flustered by how the movie goes back on its setup by showing the sharks casually swimming on through asphalt like Kitty Pryde from the X-Men. This doesn’t make any less sense than having them shoot out electricity or emit explosive methane gas, but I would have appreciated it if the filmmakers had established some solid ground rules for our toothy villains.
Despite these issues, I couldn’t bring myself to stop grinning like a little kid throughout the majority of the flick’s breezy 77-minutes. Flawed as it may be, this is exactly the movie that the filmmakers set out to make, and most of its limitations come off as charming rather than grating due to the simple fact that the cast and crew were clearly having a great time.
Your overall enjoyment of Hot Spring Shark Attack will mostly depend on your tolerance for Japanese excess and visual gags that wouldn’t look out of place in a 2010 YouTube video, but if you’re anything like me and value hand-crafted laughs over traditionally competent filmmaking, I think it’s safe to say that you’ll also have a blast with Inoue’s oddball debut.
Hot Spring Shark Attack will be available in select theaters and VOD July 11.
