[Locke]

So since Asylum failed to satisfy my Z Grade cinema itch, I decided to take a look at what SyFy had to offer this year, and then I found it...GHOST SHARK.

The movie takes place in the fictitious Smallport, your typical small town with big secrets with a less typical history of ghosts and magic. How does our shark fit into all this? Well first we have to answer the mystery of the cave - and the possible murder of a woman within it. A cave which connects to the mysterious disappearance of the entire population of Smallport just a few hundred years ago, a cave which can give back life to those who have had theirs taken....

The plot of the movie is actually surprisingly a lot better than the title perhaps deserves, coming across as refreshingly original and very engaging. Sadly, the mystery doesn't really yield any answers...like at all and in the end almost feels unnecessarily convoluted. I guess it's nice that they allowed the Ghost Shark to exist beyond the reasons of 'because it's cool', but if you're expecting everything to fit together, or to learn what truly happened in the past to the town or why the cave has the powers it does...yeah, you're not going to get those answers.

When the shark is resurrected after being murdered by a couple of rednecks, it gains the power to no longer be bound by the oceans, and is instead able to freely move around any body of water. I know that doesn't sound that impressive on paper, but the writers have a lot of fun with a simple premise, creating natural reasons for our characters to always be near water, so we're constantly uneasy, and no one ever seems to be safe. A world where every rain drop, every toilet, every bucket, every bath, every sprinkler system, every burst pipe and all the rest is a window for you to be eaten by a killer shark. And thanks to some surprisingly decent special effects the deaths scenes really are very awesome.

What this does mean though, is in many ways the film actually becomes more generic. I mean there is nothing really generic about the death sequences, they are very imaginative indeed, but it's much less of a creature feature and more a series of gory death sequences, where the killer could be around any corner. So in many senses it plays out more like a slasher, than say...Jaws. I love sharks and slashers, so I honestly don't mind, but I could also appreciate if you perhaps wanted more from a movie with a title such as this.

Probably the only problem with this premise is of course is the human body is 50 - 60% water, so how 'staying dry' is an active way to stop the Ghost Shark is anyone's guess. But then logic really has no place in a film called Ghost Shark, does it?

It's just a shame Furst doesn't direct his action as well as his murders. Minus Lucky Johnson who is an atrocious actor, the acting here is a cut above the usual fair here, this is especially true of Richard Moll (famous for voice Two-Face in Batman The Animated Series) who puts in a fantastic performance as Finch.

Sadly here, as said, the problem is more down to Furst, as weaker members of the cast who need a director to support their performances, clearly lack that support from Furst, coming across as emotionless at points where they need the most emotion of all.

Obviously there is no uniformed reaction to death but people literally stare blankly, almost bored looking, as their loved ones/friends are torn apart by a ghost shark, and their lack of reactions take some of the punch out of the scenes. Plus, the fact that there are moments where people react naturally to what is happening, only make the lack of reactions in other moments that much more apparent.