Sharksploitation (2023)

In the 2023 documentary, Sharksploitation, writer/director Stephen Scarlata tracks the evolution of shark films. From those that existed before 1975’s seminal Jaws to those that were inspired by 2013’s over-the-top Sharknado and (almost) everything in between, Scarlata attempts to categorize the various eras in the “sharksploitation” genre. He does this through interviews with not only those involved with the creation of said films, but also gets input from a variety of marine biologists and academics to put everything into perspective.

The film defines “sharksploitation” as a genre of movies that take advantage of humans’ unique fear of sharks. As actor Matthew Mercer (Dam Sharks) explains in an interview, that would be people’s fear of “being eaten by something they can’t see.” After discussing how the concept of thalassophobia, a fear of deep bodies of water, is also exploited, the movie chronicles how the depictions of sharks have transformed in cultures over time. Long before films, sharks were not viewed as inherently evil. In some cultures, they were seen as good luck or even as gods. Through news media and sensationalism, that view was altered.  Sharksploitation shows how the sharks in early films were usually shown as obstacles keeping people away from treasure or some other underwater-based goal. They were never considered monsters. Over time, as movies evolved, sharks were portrayed as increasingly more villainous. This transition influenced how people perceived them in real life.

Peter Benchley’s Jaws, of course, was the catalyst for sharks becoming full-fledged nightmare fuel. After its release as a novel and then as a blockbuster 1975 movie, sharks dominated pop culture. And, soon, came an avalanche of Jaws-inspired rip offs. Sharksploitation highlights clips of these films, including Mako: The Jaws of Death, Grizzly, and Piranha. The documentary then gives the Jaws sequels some screen-time, including the aborted National Lampoon spoof, Jaws 3, People 0.

Perhaps the most entertaining section of the movie deals with the low budget films created by The Asylum and Roger Corman for the Syfy network. Absurd movies like Sharktopus, Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, and Ghost Shark were conceived as titles first and scripts second. And, of course, the film would be remiss if it didn’t cover the Sharknado franchise.

I was glad to see that the film also made an effort to address the very real concerns about the survival of sharks and the need for them in the wild.

For hardcore fans of shark films, Sharksploitation doesn’t break much new ground. It definitely provides a solid overview of the genre but it is geared towards more casual fans. That said, there are a few films mentioned within that I’ll be adding to my watchlist.