Is 2021 going to be the year the giant shark movie experiences a full-blown renaissance? From the looks of things, it appears to be a yes in terms of quantity and nothing else, but we’re not so sure about the quality.
This year has already seen the release of Sharks of the Corn, which did indeed try to position itself as a cross between Jaws and Children of the Corn, so take that information as you will. Shark Island is on its way to VOD at some point over the next couple of months, too, and another self-explanatory entry in the subgenre is China’s Huge Shark, summing up the premise of the film rather neatly.
Tommy Wiseau is even joining the resurgence, with Big Shark set to mark the cult hero’s first directorial effort since The Room, and there’s also Sylvester Stallone voicing King Shark in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad to look forward to. If that still wasn’t enough, Australian thriller Great White is expected to release this summer and has already been confirmed for a 2022 Shudder debut, while it’s got a new full-length trailer for good measure as well.
The plot follows a pair of seaplane operators and their passengers making their way to a remote island, but after experiencing some technical difficulties, they end up trapped with a bunch of hungry aquatic carnivores looking to add them to the menu. It might be a low budget effort, but the ‘inspired by true events’ tag gives it a hook, and there’s certainly plenty of atmosphere to be found in the footage that makes Great White look as though it could be the year’s shark attack movie to beat.
