What happens when a bunch of friends get drunk on spring break and steal a couple of jet skis for a joy ride? If you said inevitable shark attack, you clearly read the title of this article! Vertical Entertainment has released a new Shark Bait trailer, and while it probably won’t be nominated for any Academy Awards next year, it sure as hell looks like a fun summer catch.
As previously mentioned, Shark Bait begins with a group of friends tearing it up on the beaches of Mexico. As the sun rises, they look for a way to keep the party going, stealing a couple of jet skis and racing out into the middle of the gulf. With no land in sight, an accident marred by bad decision-making leaves a member of the group hurt and the others stranded, and the true terror begins as they realize a killer shark is hunting them. With no escape, the group must figure out how to navigate these infested waters and survive until help arrives.
I’m a massive fan of sharksploitation films, and seeing this trailer got me super excited for summer. For me, that means unfurling the outdoor projector and watching movies in the backyard. This is just the right amount of seasonal chaos and bloody carnage to wish I was already lounging with a couple of ice-cold beverages in tow, perhaps pairing it as a double feature with the immutable summer staple, Jaws.
James Nunn will likely fill his thriller with plenty of shark-citement. The director is known for his work on B-movie actioners like One Shot, as well as the fifth and sixth installments in WWE’s The Marine franchise. This will be Nunn’s first-time taking to the open seas for a CGI-based shark film which, judging from the Shark Bait trailer, are better than your average effects. Honestly, the shark looks excellent, especially for a B-movie title. There are a lot of shark hunting horror movies to choose from. Within the last year alone, sharksploitation fans got The Requin and Great White, not to mention a host of even more sea creature movies. Still, I expect with Nunn’s transition from military-based action flicks to a beast-based bottle-neck thriller, he’ll be able to bring thick tension to being trapped in a vast landscape with nowhere to go while having to confront a bloodthirsty creature.
Featuring a hip young cast that includes Humans‘ Holly Earl, Bridgerton‘s Thomas Flynn, Malachi Pullar-Latchman, and Jack Trueman, Shark Bait has the potential to kick off the summer months with a new enjoyable Open Water style film.
The movie releases on May 13th in select theaters and VOD.