A group of students from Tulane University have decided to head to a swampy lake where one of their number, Sara (Sara Paxton, The Last House on the Left), lived until she went off to college. The band of fun-seekers include a pre-med student named Nick (Dustin Milligan), his roommate, the slacker, Gordon (Joel David Moore, Bones), the stereotypical pretty boy, Blake (Chris Zylka), the jock, Malik (Sinqua Walls), Malik's girlfriend Maya (Alyssa Diaz) and the party girl, Beth (Katharine McPhee). As the guys and girls make their way to the lake island, they run into a few of the locals. Among them is Sheriff Greg Sabin (Donal Logue, Grounded for Life, Max Payne), Sara's ex-boyfriend, Dennis (Chris Carmack), and his partner, Red (Joshua Leonard, The Blair Witch Project).
The first attacks happen not too long after arriving at the island, which naturally gets no cell phone signal and apparently doesn't have any kind of off-island communication, despite the obvious house-alarms placed near the doors. While the initial attack doesn't leave anyone dead, a missing arm means that Nick has to dredge up all the pre-med knowledge he has to keep the first victim stable. Mind you, he is pre-med... as in, doesn't actually have any medical training, but despite that lack of knowledge, he is able to keep the victim alive. From there though, Shark Night is nothing but shark attacks that leave the waters bloody.
Shark Night was filmed with 3D in mind, and while the version I received doesn't use 3D visuals, it is obvious throughout the film that there are plenty of gags designed to make you dodge everything from flying boat pieces to exploding shark parts, and while I can't speak for how those effects look with the glasses on, I will say for those not on the 3D bandwagon, the added effects don't do much to take away from the film itself... unlike certain Resident Evil sequels.
Shark Night doesn't really take itself seriously, well, at least not when it comes to the special features. One extra is a survival guide that takes you through the many deaths of the film and gives you factoids about sharks and why the various attempts the characters used to save themselves don't work. This is done in a semi-off-the-cuff manner and has its own cheesy parts. Another special features just shows the different deaths in the films back-to-back, while a third is all about the making of the sharks, both CG and practical. There is also a featurette on the making of the film overall and interviews with the cast and crew, but of all of the extras, the one I found the most enjoyable was the one in the film that plays after the credits roll. This is a rap music video written by Milligan and performed by the entire crew as the recap the film and talk about their characters. It's a lot of fun to watch.
All-in-all, Shark Night is a fun cheesy horror film to be watched with friends and poked fun at on more than one occasion. I will say that, as far-fetched as the initial premise might sound, it really isn't all that far from a possibility, and that does make you think. Ultimately, Shark Night is a rental at best, even for those hard-core cheesy horror fans.
