Carlos King
Enzo Castellari's colorful career has seen several famous (or infamous) re-interpretations or takes on popular American box-office hits alongside his quirky original works. L'Ultimo Squalo, may contain shades of another famous shark movie, but manages to endear (perhaps unintentionally) because of its combination of Italian strangeness and American elements.James Franciscus and Vic Morrow lead a film-depiction of a quiet American beach town populated solely by Italians. The lengths the film goes to to assure us that this is the USA only makes the dissonance more jarring. The overabundance of American (and Confederate!) flags, random country music bands, and a cowboy shark bounty hunter are all humorous interpretations of the USA.A plot? Suffice to say: a giant shark eats locals just in time for the summer windsurfing regatta, and election season! It's up to Franciscus and Morrow, old shark-hunting friends, to put a stop to the shark's rampage.Franciscus' chiseled good looks make him a natural lead, even if it is rather vague his whole connection to the plot, other than that he has a boat so he can look for the shark. Vic Morrow puts in a lovably hammy performance as the Scottish shark hunter. He really chews the scenery, but the camaraderie he shares with Franciscus at least comes off as genuine. The other standout is Joshua Sinclair as the governor candidate. In an unusual twist, he plays a fairly responsible and concerned politician, who goes to great lengths to ensure the safety of the town - at least until the script calls for him to go into a foolhardy tete a tete with the titular shark.The shark, the last shark I presume, must be mentioned as the other star. Castellari knew that audiences watching a shark movie want above all to see the shark. Enzo blends stock footage with model usage, with mixed results. Sometimes it is quite clear that the shark you are watching on camera is not the same as the one you saw a few shots earlier. This is amusing though.When you get to see the shark constructed for the movie, it is a treat. There are plenty of scenes to show it off. The underwater version of the shark comes across as a bathtub toy awkwardly jetting forward with no regard to its surroundings. The above-water head shot version looks and moves suitably fake, content to usually ram something into submission. When the shark attacks, it is usually either by awkwardly ramming a target or exploding it! These moments are very funny to watch as actors or dummies careen through the air, helpless against the shark's prowess. It is easy to laugh at the shark, but truth be told, it is far better constructed than most shark movies, and 100x better than the CGI sharks that populate today's lousy Asylum cash-ins riding off their "so bad it's good" flavor. This stubby fish has got heart.At less than 90 minutes, the movie does not waste time. Shark-on-human violence punctuates the proceedings, growing in intensity and goofiness as the movie continues. From explosions, to helicopters, to cowboys, this shark knows how to steal the show. It does not overstay its welcome, and Castellari wisely gives us what we want. Enzo's photography in general is very good, with lots of wide and varied shots, slo-mo to spice things up visually, and generally solid composition throughout. The man brings a real joy and energy to genre filmmaking that more should take note of.RETROVISION DVD: For an amateur release by a small start-up (one person), Retrovision's release earns a lot of good will. Even if it is just a DVD and a case, it feels like a legitimate product with actual effort and polish. Poster work is used for the cover, instead of the boring floating-head syndrome that plagues US DVD/Blu-ray releases. The disc has printed artwork as well, which makes the disc feel special. Compared to the bootleg copies of the movie floating around online, the visual quality is quite good (though not without flaws, grain, and spots here and there), and the audio mixing is done well. The picture quality is doubly commendable because for a long time The Last Shark had a reputation of incomprehensible underwater photography. We now see that this is the fault of VHS bootlegs, not the film itself.The special features are an admirable attempt to add content. Three trailers, two deleted scenes (which are underwhelming, unfortunately), and a short retrospective on the film by a film historian and the young founder of Retrovision itself. It's pretty cheesy but likable despite itself. A welcome feature is some clips of the alternate American soundtrack. Though not as enjoyable as the bouncy Italo-disco soundtrack, it stands as a worthwhile curiosity for the movie buff. Each menu has crisp audio-recordings of the film's catchy music. On the whole the package displays a lot of effort and makes The Last Shark stand out in a see of cheap plastic cases with blank dvds passing off as "official" releases. Why must only cult films be graced with such dedication? Retrovision's release is thus the best and perhaps definitive release of this forgotten cult-classic, and earns extra marks for attempting what most film studios neglect which is to give us meaningful content on our DVD. This is a fun time at the movies. With brisk pacing, fun character performances, and a lovably goofy shark, I easily recommend The Last Shark for people who want to gather a group together and have a good time in front of the TV. It stands as one of the most enjoyable shark action/thriller/horror movies I've seen.
oscar-35
*Spoiler/plot- 1981, Rather bad rip-off of the block buster shark film from Universal Studios. The movie is a 'spin' doctor of the exact scenes that made the other film so successful. A bad copy of it.*Special Stars- James Franciscus, Vic Morrow.*Theme- Sharks love to eat.*Based on- Universal's film, 'Jaws' *Trivia/location/goofs- Filmed in Italy to cash in on the shark craze. *Emotion- A somewhat forgettable as a carbon copy of the big budget shark film with different leads. Here is the best example of how many international films and US films are just obvious remakes of films that caught the public's attention and made millions for their producers. This one fails miserably.
Seb
Jaws was a classic movie and more importantly in the eyes of people who make movies, it made a lot of cash. This isn't the first film to try to cash in on its success but it's the most blatant and easily the worst.This isn't just a film about a great white shark, it's Jaws remade in nearly every detail, only done really badly and on the cheap. The effects are funny beyond belief. In one scene the shark emerges from the water under a small boat sending the occupant flying up in the air. I nearly choked to death laughing while eating popcorn but that has in no way lowered my score.Really there's no call for this film, I mean you have Jaws which is great or this squalid version. Then again if you appreciate really bad movies then you are sure to love it. It's funny in all the wrong places and the continuity is just awful. I also found it funny that none of the characters are introduced or explained so at one point a girl gets killed and you find out she's related to another character, but that's the first you've heard of it.It's just slapdash and talentless all the way but pretty funny too, you are sure to get a few laughs especially that guy flying out of his boat I'll never forget that gem of a scene. Worth watching just for that.
