Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Shark Encounters of the Third Kind’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One universal fact about human beings, is that we all love to indulge in guilty pleasures when it comes to popular culture. Because sometimes, stuff that doesn’t conform to the norms of the entertainment industry just brings us outright joy, and we are compelled to enjoy it often for that very reason. But what’s truly funny about this, is that we tend to partake of our guilty pleasures in private, even going so far as to only tell a handful of people about our love of them. Simply because people do tend to judge those who love offbeat stuff, and we just don’t want to deal with the snark. 

But the fact of the matter is, you love what you love, and you should celebrate it as often as possible because of the fact that it puts a smile on your face. And one particular guilty pleasure that needs to be put in the spotlight and raved over more often, is the B movie. Because these goofy little films just know how to let loose and have fun with their audience, by telling delightfully outlandish stories. The kind that major studios simply don’t think are worthwhile. But there are audiences out there that eat these tales up and it just so happens that this reviewer recently had the opportunity to enjoy a supremely off-the-wall and incredibly fun B movie entitled, Shark Encounters of the Third Kind.

Now in this particular film we are transported to a tiny coastal town in New England that is dealing with quite the set of problems. For not only are there pirates searching for treasure here, and causing trouble on the water, those very pirates are having to deal with an aggressive shark population that’s eating their scouts, and oh yeah… aliens have landed at the bottom of the ocean. Because they have important business here on Earth and they’re willing to harm anyone that gets in their way via mind control or by using the sharks of the ocean to remove them from the equation. Which means it will be up to a rag-tag group of heroes to put a stop to this nightmare before these visitors from another world can do irreparable damage and well, it doesn’t get more B movie, plot wise, than that.

But the wonder of this movie doesn’t end with an outlandish plot, because every other staple of this sub-genre is present here as well. Such as the fact that the special effects are clearly low budget in nature. Which means we are treated to aliens that are obviously fashioned out of rubber masks and hoodies, and ‘underwater’ sequences handled in front of a green screen, and those elements are juxtaposed by Claymation sharks that just so happen to growl and you know what? All of these elements are just a delight. Because it’s clear that writer John Oak Dalton and Director Mark Polonia had fun with their budgetary limitations and threw caution to the wind and the end result just puts a smile on your face.

However, what’s equally as entertaining about this movie, is that the same loose approach that the aforementioned filmmakers used for the plot and effects, is applied to the characters as well. Which allows for some chuckle-worthy moments to take place as the colorful folks that populate this small-town spit off one liners or react to some wild situations and really in the end, it’s the fun factor that makes this movie worthwhile. Because this is a motion picture that never takes itself too seriously and fully understands its standing and that allows for this story to simply entertain the viewer through and through. So, if you’re a big fan of B movies and you’re eager and proud to enjoy them on a regular basis, then this is the movie for you. Because you simply cannot go wrong with a Sci-Fi/Horror feature that offers its audience growling sharks and angry aliens.   

---