When a Category 5 hurricane decimates a coastal town, the storm surge brings devastation, chaos and something far more frightening: hungry sharks.
Chuck says:
The very definition of a “guilty pleasure,” Tommy Wirkola’s “Thrash” revels in its ever-increasing ridiculousness. Laden with incident, one outlandish moment trips on the heels of the next, this dense 86 minutes featuring a hurricane, killer sharks, a very pregnant woman and a character struggling with agoraphobia. Oh, and I would be remiss if I did not mention that one of the sharks is pregnant. Yep, it’s a perfect B-movie storm that you’d be foolish to scoff at. It’s better enjoyed with a couple of beers and your buds on hand, yelling at the characters and their boneheaded decisions.
To Wirkola’s credit, he takes the time to mention climate change and its effects on the increased severity of hurricanes. The director quickly dispenses with this mandatory PSA so the fun can begin.
Annieville, South Carolina is the locale of these shenanigans. It’s about to be wiped off the map by Hurricane Henry, a storm one meteorologist says is the reason they should create a Category 6 classification. He’s not kidding, as it tears through the town’s levee like it was made of tissue paper. Seems global warming has not only contributed to the strength of hurricanes, but it’s also increased the temperature of the ocean, meaning killer sharks have now moved to waters further north. Needless to say, the hurry through the breach, eager to get in line for the Annieville Smorgasbord.
Those on the menu include Dakota (Whitney Peak), a woman struggling with the loss of her parents, having sequestered herself in their home; Dee, Ron and Will Olsen (Alya Browne, Stacy Clausen and Dante Ubaldi), three siblings in foster care who’ve witnessed their guardians munched up by the invading alpha predators; Lisa (Phoebe Dynevor), a woman on the verge of giving birth; and Dale (Djimon Hounsou), Dakota’s uncle, who happens to be a marine biologist, on hand to dispense handy shark information when needed.
The film’s strong suit is its portrayal of the killer storm. Seamlessly blending footage of real hurricanes with the best water-laden nightmares CGI can provide, Wirkola keeps his camera at water-level, putting the viewer in the path of the disaster. This creates some genuinely unnerving moments, these sequences are so well-done, they deserve to be seen on the big screen.
These realistic scenes are undercut by the ludicrous nature of the story. When Lisa’s mother asks if she’s given any thought to having a water birth like her sister, well, you know what’s in her immediate future. Adding insult to injury, the house she’s sought shelter in collapses around her when she’s in labor. As for the Olsens, you have to give these kids props – they are tenacious. Skipping from one kitchen counter to the next in the flooded house they’re trapped in, they come up with an ingenious solution to the marauding sharks involving dynamite and pork chops.
The climax, which involves three sharks on the hunt, Lisa and her newborn floundering in a flooded street and Dakota paddling desperately to save them has to be seen to be believed. While it does not reach “Sharknado” levels of absurdity, it’s such a ludicrous conclusion you can’t help but appreciate it.
And that’s the way “Thrash” should be watched. This is a check-your-brain-at-the-door piece of entertainment, one best enjoyed with friends and libations, watched at the end of a hard day/week. Hardly art, this sort of movie serves a purpose as well. No awards are coming its way, but in providing a silly respite from the work-a-day world, it serves a purpose.
2 1/2 Stars
