The Last Shark (1982)

Absolutely Fantastic

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

There was a point when I started watching more shark movies when I decided that I should stop trying to compare these movies to Jaws, because there's no point to it. Instead, I try to make more comparisons with the first sequel: Jaws 2. But as it turns out, movies like The Last Shark make me miss Jaws 3, which was horrible, but at least it has more production value than this cheapo. This movie feels like the filmmakers took Jaws and got rid of everything except the essential elements. Some reviewers have even pointed out similarities to Jaws 2, like a scene with a helicopter. This is really the same plot as Jaws and that makes it more tiring. Vic Morrow and James Franciscus are the stars, but they are simply there; they don't come out as great characters. They, like most of the cast, simply seem to be going through the motions; I mainly noticed this when I watched how both Franciscus and Morrow seemed pretty calm about the governor leaving the beaches open, even though they disagree. There was also a group of teens that I found super annoying, although there was a small moment when the governor smacks his son in the face for stealing his boat to try to kill the shark himself while putting his friends in danger that made me laugh. The shark looks absolutely horrible, even when compared to the sharks in Jaws 3 and Jaws: The Revenge. Sometimes, it's a stupid-looking miniature, sometimes it's a big animatronic shark, and sometimes it's stock footage of a real great white shark, which is actually where the shark looks scariest, mainly because the footage is so grainy, even though it doesn't match in quality with the rest of the footage. There is a funny subplot however where this TV reporter keeps trying to get footage of the shark even though people are getting eaten on camera. Bottom line, don't even think of watching this reeking mess even if it is because it rips off Jaws. You'd be better off with Jaws 3.

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.

A dim witted & entirely shoddy rip-off of JAWS directed by none other than Enzo G. Castellari. To say Castellari, director of many great Italian crime thrillers, is out of his depth here is an understatement. When a 35 foot shark invades the waters off of an unnamed coastal community, James Franciscus & Vic Morrow (as deep sea divers?) attempt to kill it. Franciscus is bland while Morrow is absolutely dreadful...at times brandishing an Italian accent, at other times sounding Irish and then occasionally speaking with zero accent at all. All this and the inane dialog would be forgivable had the shark looked even remotely realistic (it doesn't).

I got a laser disc of this movie with very high quality and I instantly loved it. James Franciscus and Vic Morrow do great, and Franciscus does excellent in the end with his emotion. This movie is still a jaws rip-off but is still pretty original, and steals no footage from other movies. The only thing I didn't like about this movie were the terrible special effects. In some scenes, the shark looks horribly fake-but in others, it looks realistic. When people get eaten, some times they get pulled under the water. Although there will be occasional parts with disembodied limbs that are very, very fake looking. Other than that, the movie is great.