‘Hot Spring Shark Attack' Review – A Zany Shark Film That Spoofs And Idolizes
Set in a small hot spring town in Japan, a series of events reawakens an ancient shark that begins terrorizing the local hot spring facilities. As the threat escalates, the townspeople unite to protect their beloved town from the menacing predator, culminating in a fierce and thrilling battle.
Hot Spring Shark Attack is one extended, winding spoof of every shark movie. A scene where a body on the beach is found is right out of the opening of Jaws. Our brave leaders do battle against the beast in a submarine reminiscent of The Meg. In addition to shark flare, the movie lampoons a multitude of genre films, including superhero films. There is a he-man seen throwing a hammerhead shark from the ocean in an exchange right out of Aquaman. They say imitation is the best form of flattery, and while I would not call this Hot Spring Shark Attack flattering, it is bold in its desire to create a so-bad-it's-good movie.
The effects in the film are laughable. We're talking almost entry-level film school, or backyard movie-making that's not quite up to par, but that's the point. The ludicrous nature of both the story and its execution is intentional. If this film pretended to be a gripping drama, or even a melodrama, we'd need more than a bigger boat to bail out of this mess. However, the decision to go overboard with the blatantly crude effects and over-the-top story gives this film a flavor and credibility that few shark films achieve.
Jaws set the standard, and no film has cleared the bar set by Steven Spielberg's now fifty-year-old masterpiece. The challenge for newcomers trying to make a shark film is over-exaggeration and finding a new way to give the shark new teeth, so to speak. By comparison, even films with the best intentions find themselves barely treading the water. In other words, Jaws did it so well in 1975 that every other attempt sinks to the bottom of the sea.
Here is why films like Sharknado, which are blatantly ludicrous, have at least resonated with audiences. The art of the spoof, even when the cast is taking the material seriously, gives these films some buoyancy to stay afloat. Hot Spring Shark Attack is by no means a comparison to the other shark-lampooning movies. Still, it is clever enough to check all the boxes we associate with this particular subgenre. It still delivers a hilarious and outright bonkers story: levitating and airborne sharks, comic book-level explosions, and sharky shenanigans.
Sharks in a hot spring, why not? The hilarious locale only adds to the film's earnest cleverness. Once we buy into this ridiculous setup, the rest is easy sailing. Every actor here is aware of the film's aims and plays it to the hilt. There are no brainless character decisions or blatant archetypes. Well, there are, from a police chief to a shark expert to concerned bathers. However, herein lies the film's silly brilliance. All the characters are playing to type. They are unaware that this is a spoof, yet they give us performances and reactions worthy of a Scary Movie entry.
Hot Spring Shark Attack will overwhelm some by the sheer magnitude of its farce. Yes, the effects are subpar, but everything here is intentional. We roar with laughter as the film lampoons and lambasts the subgenre of shark films. The impact is both cringeworthy and somewhat refreshing, but overall, it's enjoyable.
Hot Spring Shark Attack is playing in select theaters and is available on VOD courtesy of Utopia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
18 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV review: a few too many barriers for a decent afterparty
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV MSRP $79.99 Score Details 'Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV keeps the party going, but puts up a few too many roadblocks.' Pros Core game is still a blast and looks and runs better Some excellent new minigames New modes add fun new twists Cons Camera minigames fall flat Bowser Live and Carnival Coaster have little replay value Recommended Videos Last year, Nintendo wrapped up its trilogy of Mario Party games with its most ambitious title yet in Super Mario Party Jamboree. With more minigames, boards, and modes than any entry before it, it was bordering on losing its focus on the core board game gameplay that makes it such a popular and approachable series. That makes it a natural choice for a proper Switch 2 Edition to bring us back for a little afterparty to show off some new tricks. Despite the seemingly obvious potential for DLC, no Mario Party game has gotten any meaningful expansion before now. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is the perfect opportunity to break that tradition by taking advantage of the new features found on the Switch 2 to add creative new games and modes. It mostly makes good on that promise, but the way they are integrated into the existing experience only exacerbates the main issues the core game had. With so much tacked on to it now, it has started to lose its appeal as a casual party game experience. Jamboree TV isn't as bloated and cumbersome as its full title, but it flies dangerously close. There are some standout new additions that take full advantage of the Switch 2 hardware, but those that miss the mark fall very flat, and there are simply too many barriers between you and the fun to make this an instant RSVP. Menu madness Jamboree TV presents itself as an entirely new menu option from the home screen, doubling down on the segmented structure of the original. The base game already felt oddly divided with its various modes locking certain games and features from the core game, and this only further complicates what should be a simple pick-up-and-play party experience rather than unifying the experience. The fact that there are now two ways to engage in the core Mario Party mode, but I can only select the new rules if I engage it from within the new Jamboree TV package, or transition over to the Rhythm Kitchen or Bowser Challenges from the original Super Mario Party menu, is needlessly convoluted. It's like hosting a party and having the drinks in the kitchen and snacks in the shed out back. swapping between the new Jamboree TV and classic modes is as much of a momentum killer as swapping between different games The original experience was already the most segmented Mario Party yet, with its various islands housing unique modes and minigames. Jamboree TV adds even more of these smaller, supplemental ways to play to complement the main game, but cordons them off in a way that kills off any desire to swap between them once I started playing. Whether it is with friends locally or online, swapping between the new Jamboree TV and classic modes is as much of a momentum killer as swapping between different games. That might not sound like a big deal, but for a game built around the idea of a group of friends picking up some controllers and having a good time, these barriers throw a major wrench in the gears. That core game is still just as solid as ever. There are no new boards here, but playing the classic Mario Party mode (so long as you select it from within Jamboree TV) does incorporate the new slate of mouse-control games to spice up the selection. Also exclusive to the Jamboree TV version is the camera integration. None of the camera-specific minigames will show up in Mario Party, but each player's face will appear beside their character moving around the board, during minigames, and in a few other cute ways. I was ready to brush this inclusion off as a gimmick, but seeing myself and my friend's reactions during play encouraged a level of silliness that felt right at home. It's all in the wrist Everything inside the regular Super Mario Party Jamboree menu of the game is just as you left it on the Switch, only with mildly improved visuals and performance. Loading up Jamboree TV sets up the new gameshow-esque framing for the new slate of options. Tag Team Rules is the standout mode I will keep coming back to Jamboree TV for Mario Party mode sees two new rules that are easily the most exciting additions. Frenzy Rules offers a quick and chaotic way to jump right to the most exciting parts of the game by starting the game in the Homestretch. With only five turns remaining, each player starts with 50 coins, a Double Dice item, and one Star, plus all the Homestretch modifiers to the board in play. While it does lose a lot of the emotional payoff you get when reaching the end of a 20 or 30 round game, it is a fun way to get a quick hit when you don't want to invest an hour or more in a full game. Tag Team Rules is the standout mode I will keep coming back to Jamboree TV for. This mode pairs players up into teams of two that essentially function as Jamboree Buddies for one another. Teams share coins, items, and Stars, but still operate independently on the board. However, the new Together Dice can be used by one team member to summon and roll with their partner to move together. Just like a Jamboree Buddy, everything is doubled while a team is moving together, from coins and items earned to the number of Stars that can be purchased. Having a dedicated partner to coordinate with and strategize with nails that balance of adding a new layer to the core game without veering into gimmick territory. This was where I spent most of my time and the mode that I see being included in my regular rotation. Tag Team is also the best way to get a taste of the new mouse control minigames since they can only be played in 2 vs. 2, 4-player, or Battle Mode configurations. That restriction makes sense for a few of these games, but I saw no benefit for the majority to not be playable in a traditional free-for-all style. Very few rely on any direct teamwork or coordination between players to justify locking them to those less-common playlists. the majority of games feel like a nice appetizer for what a Switch 2 exclusive Mario Party could look like With a few exceptions, the majority of these new mouse minigames are fun and creative hits. Some like the air hockey equivalent or letter sorting game are borderline copies of older minigames, but work so much better using a mouse that I can forgive them being recycled. Pull-Back Attack, which has teams racing in opposite directions across a bridge with pull-back cars, might be my new favorite game in the entire package. It takes only a second to learn, even if you've never played with the toy in real life, and the HD rumble from the Joy-Con felt while pulling the mouse back fully communicates how much power you are giving. Another standout revolves around dragging a Toad through a maze without touching the edges. There are a few same-y feeling games that revolve around flicking objects from one side of the screen to the other with the mouse, but the majority of games feel like a nice appetizer for what a Switch 2 exclusive Mario Party could look like. Not ready for a closeup Carnival Coaster is almost exactly on par with something like Paratroopa Flight School. That is to say, I had a good time playing through each course once, but have no reason to revisit it unless a friend wanted to give it a shot. This mode is a literal rail shooter with minigame breaks scattered throughout. While riding the coaster, players use the mouse to aim and fire at enemies along the course to extend the timer. Whenever the coaster makes a drop, you can also raise your hands up in the air to add more time, which turned out to be a slightly more interesting twist since I found myself scrambling to get my Joy-Con back down and aiming again when enemies appeared right after a drop. This mode exclusively uses mouse control minigames in a team format, playing against the clock. The faster you and your team can complete the minigame (or the higher the score you can get, depending on the game), the more bonus time you get for the next leg of the coaster. Each course lasts no more than 10 minutes, minigames included, and offers no real incentive to go back aside from setting high scores. The actual rail-shooting is functional, but the courses and enemy patterns aren't exactly thrilling or challenging. Aside from seeing yourself alongside your character in Mario Party mode or Carnival Coaster, Bowser Live is the only mode where the camera and microphone take center stage. It is also the most throwaway mode in the game. After picking between either camera or microphone games, which are mutually exclusive for some reason, two teams of two compete in three games that take all of about 3 minutes total. I say three games, but the last one is always the same, so it is effectively only two. I can see the camera games being fun for younger kids since they involve jumping, squatting, and tilting, but there are so few and they are over so fast that I can't imagine them holding anyone's attention for long. There's also a distinct lack of creativity in the camera games for how much potential there is for Nintendo to mine. They all play things very safe, perhaps due to the camera's inconsistent tracking. The microphone games had some better ideas behind them besides just being loud. Clapping to the beat or using your voice to control a Flappy Bird-like game works better than I expected, until the other people in the room realized how easily it was to sabotage the team playing. You'll have to hope your group is willing to play fair in these games. Or not. That's the Mario Party way, right? Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is a microcosm of the base game in every way. It adds some meaningful new ways to play the core board game experience that has never been better, plus some additional bonus modes that offer a nice, if shallow, distraction. Jamboree TV just makes navigating and accessing what you want even more of a chore by relegating everything behind multiple menus and loading screens. But the biggest sin is how few big swings Nintendo took here. It once again feels more like a testing ground than a full commitment. This isn't so much a bigger, better party but an invitation to a party with all the same people across town. There's fun to be had, but sitting through traffic between sure does kill the vibes. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV was tested on the Switch 2.
Forbes
19 minutes ago
- Forbes
In Dark K-Drama ‘The Defects' Throwaway Kids Must Fight To Survive
Won Jin-ah plays a returned adoptee who must hide to survive in 'The Defects.' Tae-sik, a thug in the k-drama The Defects, is tasked with disposing of the contents of a suitcase. Tae-sik, played by Choi Young-joon (Gyeongsong Creature, Bloodhounds, Blood Free),says he doesn't care what's in the suitcase. He'll throw it in a vat and fill the vat with concrete. He's not as coldhearted as he seems. When the contents of the suitcase begin to move and the child inside says she doesn't want to die, he can't kill her. Murdering children is a step too far. That child, A-hyun, along with a few more children he spares, wind up living in an abandoned bathhouse and he teaches them the skills they need to survive. The children were part of a horrifying scheme in which a hospital director arranges expensive adoptions and then offers parents a refund if all does not go well. The hospital and charity foundation director Kim Se-hee, played by Yum Jung-ah (Snowdrop, Life Is Beautiful, Sky Castle) , may seem saintly, but she's vicious. Rather than return the children to the orphanage or find them another home, she pays to get rid of them and uses thugs to do her dirty work. Choi Young-joon plays a warmhearted thug who can't bear to kill a child. The horrible adoptive parents just have to report their children missing. Although adoptions do occasionally get nullified in real life, the adoptions in this drama have a nasty eugenics feel to them. The children in The Defects are considered defects. They get returned because they are not good enough. They're considered damaged goods because they are not religious enough, not compliant enough, even not studious enough. They don't deserve to live. Won Jin-ah (Hellbound, She Would Never Know and Melting Me Softly), plays A-hyun, the leader of the abandoned children. She's the Wendy of their Peter Pan gang, which also consists of three other survivors who have little trust in the outside world. It's a very violent world and it will be a lot harder to survive if they suddenly lose their benefactor or hiding place. The other teens that A-hyun must protect are Seok-su, played by Oh Seung-jun, Joo An played by Ahn Ji-ho (All of Us Are Dead, Gyeongseong Creature), and So-mi, played by Lee Na-eun (Extraordinary You). This drama deals with some tough subjects and includes some terrible parents. Their lack of empathy for their adopted children is genuinely dystopian. The drama is not an easy watch but the teen survivors are young warriors, trained to exist in a cruel world, and, whatever ordeals they face, they'll not only survive but ultimately change the cruel world they live in. The k-drama is based on webcomic "Ayishopping' written by Eom Se-yoon and illustrated by Ryu Ga-myeong, which ran from Dec. 6, 2016 to Jan.30, 2018 on Kakao. The Defects airs on
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mahrez unveils Al-Ahli's new kit (Photos)
Al-Ahli reveals its 2025-2026 kit with Mahrez as the star attraction Al-Ahli / @ Saudi club Al-Ahli has unveiled its new kit for the 2025-2026 season, sharing a photo album on its official account on the (X) platform. Mahrez unveils Al-Ahli's new kit for the 2025-2026 season Algerian international Riyad Mahrez was one of the main club figures featured in this presentation. The kit has sparked major excitement among "Al Raki" fans, as the club gears up to compete in the Saudi Super Cup, stepping in for Al-Hilal, who withdrew to protect the fitness of their players. A key figure for Al-Ahli, Mahrez played 45 matches across all competitions last season, netting 17 goals and providing 21 assists. Meanwhile, the team is currently holding a training camp in Italy in preparation for the Como Cup, a friendly tournament bringing together several renowned European clubs, including Ajax Amsterdam, Celtic Glasgow, and Italian side Como.
