Virus Shark

Director - Mark Polonia (Ghost of Camp Blood, Bride of the Werewolf)

Starring - Yolie Canales (Sharkenstein, Queen Crab), Steve Diasparra (Bigfoot vs. Zombies, Jurassic Prey), and Sarah Duterte (Deadly Playthings, Invasion of the Empire of the Apes)

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've seen some wild shark flicks over the years but they seem to keep getting stranger and stranger as time goes on.  Sharknado sparked the imagination of so many genre fans some years back and the creativity some of them has brought to the table is truly impressive.  Over the years we've seen Shark Exorcist, Sharkenstein, Raiders of the Lost Shark, Spirit Animal, and many more than eludes me.  I love a clever no budget horror film so when SRS Cinemas announced the release of Virus Shark I knew I would have to see it.  I reached out to MVD and they were kind enough to send a DVD of the film my way to review.  Thanks guys!

     The world as we know it as fell when a virus called SHVID-1 spreads through mankind turning them into flesh eating zombies.  SHVID-1 began from a shark bite so a team of scientist go to an underwater lab to find a cure as the world above them begins to crumble.  However, deadly sharks and weak structure forces the remaining crew to flee to the world above forcing them to face those that have been changed by the virus.

     You don't go into a movie like Virus Shark, or any of the other shark movies I mention beforehand, expecting a genre defining film that shakes up the horror community.  You go into a movie like this for a cheap laugh and watch no budget creativity.  Sadly, the film had a really interesting idea that not only combined sharksploitation with the recent pandemic but it failed to deliver anything more than a no-budget spin on a SyFy original.  I can count on one hand how many films has put me to sleep but this one almost knocked me out.  The acting in this one is very inconsistent with some people really dedicating themselves to their roles while others have some of the driest dialogue delivery I have ever seen.  Hell, one of the characters in the film acts as if she is high or drunk while giving her dialogue with a confused look on her face the entire time.  The uneven acting makes for an extremely long film while pointing out the flaws in the story.  The story for this one has so much promise.  We get a shark story mixing with the pandemic which is extremely clever.  However, it seems as if the clever writing ended there.  The movie has drawn out scenes with clunky dialogue and extremely predictable.  I found myself dozing off several times throughout this one.  It really needed more action sequences along with a bit more horror.  Finally, the film has some blood and a lot of make-up effects but the incredibly bad visual effects makes it laughable.  I really enjoyed the make-up effects and the colors that was used but the visuals and lack of fun gore made it a bit disappointing.  Overall, Virus Shark feels like one of the many movies that started out as a joke among friends that soon gained traction and became a film.  Sadly, its missing a good chunk of story with a lot of missed opportunity. SRS has so many more entertaining films to check out so skip this one.