Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark
Directed by Emile Edwin Smith
Written by Jose Prendes
Starring Christopher Judge, Elisabeth Röhm, Kate Avery, Hannah Levien, Debbie Gibson
The Asylum
Release Date: January 28, 2014

A new megalodon shark has surfaced in the ocean waters and it doesn’t take long for the massive shark to begin acting just like its predecessors as it begins a worldwide tour of aquatic terror. This time around though, the government is at the ready as they have built their own giant mechanical shark to combat the prehistoric monstrosity on its own turf.

Helmed by a married couple in the US Navy and powered by a KITT-inspired artificial intelligence system, the shark-shaped submarine battles it out against the Mega Shark leaving carnage, ship wrecks, and countless dead in their wake. As they study the patterns of the megalodon they realize it is headed on a crash course for Sydney where the ancient spawning grounds of the megalodons are and there is only one conclusion: it is expecting to find a mate there!

With shark-attack horror movies and spectacle documentaries continuing to move full steam ahead, The Asylum breaks out one of their most popular oversized beasts for its third outing with Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark and the series has never looked better. Here, the movie obviously takes the genre to its next stage in evolution with some kaiju-inspired and Pacific Rim riffing fun by adding robots to the mix.

In the hands of first time director Emile Edwin Smith the movie works very well and is really quite a bit of fun. Not in the public spectacle and ridicule sense, it actually is a solid low-budget monster movie. Smith, who has worked on digital effects for shows including Firefly and Battlestar Galactica, brings some quality special effects and action sequences to the screen. He even gets some Michael Bay styled camera work in for good measure.

Thanks to writer Jose Prendes, who I recently had the opportunity to chat with, the movie offers up a semi-coherent plot worth following and even few decent laughs which come from the dry dialogue of Nero, the mecha shark’s AI program. Additionally, Prendes brings a bit of continuity to the series and riffs on the previous Mega Shark movies as well, including a random attack by giant octopi and another attempted shark attack on an airplane. Debbie Gibson’s character even makes a return for a few minutes in order to add her name to the movie’s poster.

The highlights throughout the movie are of course the titular mega shark versus mecha shark battles, which are just great to watch. Check any knowledge of physics you have at the door and prepare to watch battleships and air craft carriers get chomped and blown to bits. The mecha shark has some surprises of its own which are revealed in some must-be-seen-to-be-believed carnage when the battle comes to Sydney. Let’s just say “shark tank” takes on a whole new meaning.

At the end of the day, Smith’s film successfully does exactly what it set out do – pit monster against metal for 85 minutes while killing everyone and blowing up everything in its wake. Grab a six-pack (maybe twelve just be sure), a friend, and bring a couple of witty comments, you’ll be glad you did.

Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 28, 2014.

Trailer