Sharktopus, released in 2010, is a movie I’ve been wanting to watch for years. I just never found the time to slot it into my viewing schedule—until now. And it delivered.

But why was I so excited about this particular B-movie? Because Sharktopus is the last great franchise from legendary producer Roger Corman.

Now, I’m not exaggerating when I say that Roger Corman is the most important producer in American film history. He’s the man who brought us Bucket of Blood, Little Shop of Horrors, Death Race, Battle Beyond the Stars, Chopping Mall, and—I kid you not—almost 500 films.

And it’s not just the films Corman made. It’s the talent he discovered. Under his tutelage, we got some of the most influential directors of all time: Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, and Peter Bogdanovich. Even into the 2010s, Roger Corman was still making movies.

Sharktopus was what we used to call a SyFy Original. These were a slate of B-movies made specifically for the SyFy Channel. And Sharktopus proved to be one of the most popular of them. As I said, this became a franchise, spawning sequels like Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf and Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda. You could even argue that this franchise helped spawn an entire genre of ridiculous, shark-related creature features, including Sharknado (another SyFy Original, though produced by The Asylum).

So, what is Sharktopus about? It’s very simple. Dead simple.

It’s a horror movie about a shark-octopus hybrid, created by the military, that goes rogue and starts attacking innocent people in Puerto Vallarta. The film follows scientists trying to bring the creature back under control. That’s it. Simple plot, but a lot of fun.

What makes Sharktopus so memorable? Well, for one, its star: Eric Roberts. He’s been in a lot of B-movies—perhaps hundreds at this point—but here, he’s in full scenery-chewing mode, and it’s glorious.

But the real star of the show is, of course, the CGI-animated Sharktopus. It’s not convincing. It’s extremely low-rent. But that just makes it even better. Even for 2010, the CGI looked bad. The producers clearly leaned into the ridiculousness, and it paid off. The best moments? When Sharktopus walks onto land using its tentacles. Absolute gold.

What’s really funny is that critics liked this film way more than audiences did. On Rotten Tomatoes, it sits at 50%, but IMDb gives it a 3.3/10, and Letterboxd a 1.9/5. The IMDb reviews are particularly hilarious because many of them seem to completely lack a sense of humor. You almost get the feeling they don’t understand what they’re watching. They just trash the movie for its low budget—without realizing that’s the point.

To me, Sharktopus is one of a kind. I recommend it. Just seeing that absurd creature in action is worth the watch.

https://youtu.be/ZihMeeB-hBU

@movies@piefed.social