Directed by: Kimble Rendall
Starring: Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Julian McMahon
Sharks in a supermarket. If you don't like the sound of that sentence then quite simply you aren't going to like BAIT 3D at all. But if this kind of high concept shark attack idea is what gets you wet between the thighs then you are probably going to have a very enjoyable time indeed.
Without going into the characters too much (the film doesn't bother so why should I?) I'll just lay out the basic plot. A freak tsunami hits a coastal Australian town without warning, and we watch as the flood waters rush into a supermarket (which incidentally was in the middle of a holdup) where unsuspecting shoppers are now trapped by the slowly rising water. But of course the robbery and the flood are nothing compared to what happens next. These shoppers realize that they are trapped inside the flooded supermarket with a 12 foot Great White Shark.
At the same time the underground car park is also flooded and has a few people trapped inside their cars. Their cars which seem to be completely water-tight for some strange reason.
BAIT 3D has compiled a mostly young cast made up of Aussies who have made the transition to Hollywood. Xavier Samuel (TWILIGHT), Sharni Vinsen (STEP UP), Julian McMahon (FANTASTIC FOUR), etc. Although this may help the movie in terms of gathering an international audience, it also hinders the film because half of the cast seem to spend their time slipping in between Australian and American accents which I found quite distracting. One thing which was a pleasant surprise however was the way that BAIT takes itself quite seriously. It may not make the situation seem any more realistic but it does add a different dynamic compared to your usual shark b-movie cheese-fest like TWO-HEADED SHARK ATTACK.
As much as I loved the concept of BAIT, the way it played out left a lot to be desired. Plenty of chances to create tension have been overlooked and I found the characters to be simply a bunch of annoying stereotypes, not caring about which ones lived and which ones were munched up by Mr. Shark.
And speaking of the shark, I have to mention the CGI which was used for some of the scenes and of course looks horrible. There are also shark scenes using practical effects and while they aren't that impressive they still beat the hell out of the digital shit.
Overall the practical effects were pretty good, but I did find it a little strange that so soon after the tsunami hit some of the dead bodies and body parts already seemed to be in an advanced state of decay.
And as you might expect the 3D seemed to be used simply to throw as much crap at the screen as possible.
At the same time the underground car park is also flooded and has a few people trapped inside their cars. Their cars which seem to be completely water-tight for some strange reason.
BAIT 3D has compiled a mostly young cast made up of Aussies who have made the transition to Hollywood. Xavier Samuel (TWILIGHT), Sharni Vinsen (STEP UP), Julian McMahon (FANTASTIC FOUR), etc. Although this may help the movie in terms of gathering an international audience, it also hinders the film because half of the cast seem to spend their time slipping in between Australian and American accents which I found quite distracting. One thing which was a pleasant surprise however was the way that BAIT takes itself quite seriously. It may not make the situation seem any more realistic but it does add a different dynamic compared to your usual shark b-movie cheese-fest like TWO-HEADED SHARK ATTACK.
As much as I loved the concept of BAIT, the way it played out left a lot to be desired. Plenty of chances to create tension have been overlooked and I found the characters to be simply a bunch of annoying stereotypes, not caring about which ones lived and which ones were munched up by Mr. Shark.
And speaking of the shark, I have to mention the CGI which was used for some of the scenes and of course looks horrible. There are also shark scenes using practical effects and while they aren't that impressive they still beat the hell out of the digital shit.
Overall the practical effects were pretty good, but I did find it a little strange that so soon after the tsunami hit some of the dead bodies and body parts already seemed to be in an advanced state of decay.
And as you might expect the 3D seemed to be used simply to throw as much crap at the screen as possible.
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