Horror Movie Review: Alien Shark (2022)

Nobody in their right mind is watching a movie called Alien Shark and expecting anything but B-movie trash. So, it should come as no surprise to find that writer Aaron Jackson and director Paul Tomborello’s Alien Shark is trash. However, it does have some entertainment value because it is so bad and because it is so stupid.

Aleesha (Brittany Altenbach) is breaking down barriers in the military and is about to embark on a major glass-ceiling shattering bit of training. Before she heads off for that though, she is going to spend the weekend with her girlfriends, who bring along some boys. Fun and relaxation are on the cards, but unknown to the group, there’s an extraterrestrial threat out there.

The actual threat comes from the spaceship orbiting Earth, which is controlling a big shark, but can also control people too. This could be related to a meteor that lands at the start of the movie. If you think this all sounds like nonsense and seems unnecessarily confused, you would be correct. For reasons that will escape most, Alien Shark really over complicates its story.

What it doesn’t over complicate is its characters. In fact, they’re about as complex as basic mathematics like 1+1 equaling 2. The only character that has any depth is the lead Aleesha and even that boils down to military stuff and her desire to hook up with her friend’s ex. Yes, this is actually a subplot, and it doesn’t paint her in the best light.

The thing is, Brittany Altenbach is good, and does her best to try and take things seriously. Especially as that is what the writing is going for. However, her constant military speak is annoying. A good example comes at the start when she meets her friends in uniform and they ask if she has a change of clothes. What does she reply with? Oh, you mean civvies. It’s a genuine surprise that her friends don’t close the door in her face right there.

Not only that but so much focus is put on this ground-breaking training she is going on, only for the film to reveal that it’s training that many women have done before and will do again in the future. It starts to make her character seem really arrogant. It’s a problem, but it’s not the biggest one.

Why the bloody hell is a film called Alien Shark taking itself so seriously? In fact, the shark really doesn’t appear enough, although once you see it, you might think that is a good thing.

Of course, the CGI is bad, but many may still be surprised by how bad it looks.

All of this might make Alien Shark sound like it’s one to avoid, and it is, for the most part. However, its dedication to being so stupid and so terrible is notable and it starts to become fun. You’ll end up watching on just to see what new depths can it possibly plumb. It’s not a ‘so bad it’s good movie’, but it’s the next best thing.