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Movie Review
Shark Tale
By Lee Tistaert Published October 5, 2004
US Release: October 1, 2004
Directed by: Bibo Bergeron Vicky Jenson
Starring: Will Smith , Robert De Niro , Renée Zellweger , Jack Black
PG
Running Time: 90 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $161,412,000
Directed by: Bibo Bergeron Vicky Jenson
Starring: Will Smith , Robert De Niro , Renée Zellweger , Jack Black
PG
Running Time: 90 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $161,412,000
C
67 of 120
Unfortunately, you know you are in the presence of big names while watching Shark Tale, but that?s about all it ever comes down to in 85 minutes.
Ever since Disney started the trend with Aladdin, there has been a need amongst studios to serve kids as well as adults within the same running time in animated releases. Aladdin hit the jackpot for many moviegoers because Robin Williams was ideal as the genie, supplying appropriate silliness for kids at the same time as providing solid adult humor. The first Shrek is one of the only films since then that has managed to live up to such a vigorous attitude in its entertainment value, and is the film (besides Nemo) that Shark Tale is dying to be and doesn?t know how.
When I first saw the trailer for Shark Tale, it was hard to ignore the impressive voice talent behind the animated characters. With stars like Will Smith, Renee Zellweger, Robert DeNiro, Jack Black, and even more unusual, Martin Scorcese, such a recipe could lead to a real fun time. Though it wasn?t Disney, DreamWorks had struck gold twice with the ingenuity of the Shrek?s, and it was possible (even as a long shot) that they were going to achieve it again.
Unfortunately, you know you are in the presence of big names while watching Shark Tale, but that?s about all it ever comes down to in 85 minutes. This movie is a star-filled vehicle lacking a pulse and laughs for those other than kids. Shark Tale is overly silly, offers some but not many chuckles, and treads along on a thin plot with a lot of dead weight in its path.
The story revolves around the killing of a shark boss?s son. Don Lino, voiced by Robert DeNiro, is the shark boss, whose son is anchored into the sea as bait in the opening scene. Oscar (voiced by Will Smith), a high-spirited fish, is found at the scene of the crime and makes it look like he in fact killed the mobster who is responsible. As a result, Oscar takes on the nickname Sharkslayer, which brings him more attention than he asked for, as the underwater mafia is now after him.
At the same time, another fish, Angie (voiced by Renee Zellweger), who works at the whale wash, gets a crush on Oscar, and he is instead falling for the seductive fish, Lola, voiced by Angelina Jolie (in yet another five minute role). Where are Jack Black and Scorcese?s characters in the mix? They are merely goofball figures thrown in for the hell of it.
Shark Tale tries to have fun by playing off The Godfather and Goodfellas, and my criticism isn?t that kids may not understand the jokes (because quite frankly I could care less), but that the jokes aren?t that amusing to begin with. The jokes are mostly one-note moments and don?t have much of a layer beyond a simple gesture. Some of the characters talk in a sneaky mafia tone (and use some of the traditional genre lines), and that?s about as close in parodying as the script gets. There is never any attempt to rise above the obvious and do more than scratch the surface of broad ideas we?re familiar with.
This movie doesn?t play without its chuckles, as I did give in five times, but five chuckles usually doesn?t cut it. And considering its 85-minute running time and the amount of dead space in its duration, those moments were separated by islands in the end. It should be said that I didn?t find either of the Shrek?s hilarious, but mostly entertaining, and I felt the same way about Finding Nemo. However, this time I didn?t seem to be alone with my reaction, as the audience at this screening was not laughing that much ? the kids were some of the only ones giggling along.
The other problem with the movie is that the story doesn?t offer any components for the viewer to really connect with. Shrek was about being different in society and the need to be accepted, and Finding Nemo followed a father and son who were separated and both put everything on the line to reach one another. Both movies? themes are universal, which struck a chord with moviegoers. Shark Tale is about a character who wants to get famous and learns that all he ever wanted was right in front of him. While a decent theme, this idea is only lightly touched upon in the script, and the subplots involving Oscar?s attempted romance with Lola and Angie?s crush on him come off pointless.
The movie moves along at a snail?s pace, and even with DeNiro, Black, and Scorcese?s attempts to liven things up with their energetic devotion (Black is almost unrecognizable), there just isn?t enough substance on the page. Smith, who should lead the way with a killer performance, comes off as more annoying than delightful; perhaps the role doesn't suit him, but regardless, his supporting players outshine him (which is usually a really bad thing).
Without its marquee names, Shark Tale would be a rather average-looking animated release, and that is probably why the studio booked all these names. I wouldn?t be surprised if the producers and/or studio read the script and figured it wasn?t that funny, but using their marketing genius, called up people who could sell the idea for at least opening weekend?s sake.
I?m sure the talents involved had fun making it, including DeNiro and Scorcese poking fun at their legendary genres, and this is clear with the behind the scenes footage I?ve seen. I bet it is fun because voicing characters is a different, experimental art form; but for a regular paying customer it can be just another movie, which is the hurdle that most animated flicks have to leap over.
The main thing that is keeping me from giving Shark Tale a very average C grade is that I didn?t even crack a smile during Laws of Attraction (C). This movie at least got me to chuckle, even though it still annoyed me immensely, which is sometimes enough to make a difference on my scale. Sky Captain (C+) was more diverting than this flick despite its lack of adrenaline, but it also bordered the line of being a passable diversion; and Shark Tale borders the line between being painfully average and just downright mediocre.
Kids are bound to enjoy Shark Tale more than adults because of its silliness factor, but it?ll probably require the adults to make this one a surefire box office hit like Shrek. That film had a gem of a sense of humor and also had a really good pace. It would?ve been interesting to see Shark Tale compete with that flick's biting attitude, as this story had the appropriate ingredients to be a lot of fun if only the punch lines had been given more thought. An animated movie (with this cast) centered around The Godfather and Goodfellas could be hilarious if done right; and it?s comments like that that you leave the theater pondering, disappointed that nothing in that regard was accomplished.
When I first saw the trailer for Shark Tale, it was hard to ignore the impressive voice talent behind the animated characters. With stars like Will Smith, Renee Zellweger, Robert DeNiro, Jack Black, and even more unusual, Martin Scorcese, such a recipe could lead to a real fun time. Though it wasn?t Disney, DreamWorks had struck gold twice with the ingenuity of the Shrek?s, and it was possible (even as a long shot) that they were going to achieve it again.
Unfortunately, you know you are in the presence of big names while watching Shark Tale, but that?s about all it ever comes down to in 85 minutes. This movie is a star-filled vehicle lacking a pulse and laughs for those other than kids. Shark Tale is overly silly, offers some but not many chuckles, and treads along on a thin plot with a lot of dead weight in its path.
The story revolves around the killing of a shark boss?s son. Don Lino, voiced by Robert DeNiro, is the shark boss, whose son is anchored into the sea as bait in the opening scene. Oscar (voiced by Will Smith), a high-spirited fish, is found at the scene of the crime and makes it look like he in fact killed the mobster who is responsible. As a result, Oscar takes on the nickname Sharkslayer, which brings him more attention than he asked for, as the underwater mafia is now after him.
At the same time, another fish, Angie (voiced by Renee Zellweger), who works at the whale wash, gets a crush on Oscar, and he is instead falling for the seductive fish, Lola, voiced by Angelina Jolie (in yet another five minute role). Where are Jack Black and Scorcese?s characters in the mix? They are merely goofball figures thrown in for the hell of it.
Shark Tale tries to have fun by playing off The Godfather and Goodfellas, and my criticism isn?t that kids may not understand the jokes (because quite frankly I could care less), but that the jokes aren?t that amusing to begin with. The jokes are mostly one-note moments and don?t have much of a layer beyond a simple gesture. Some of the characters talk in a sneaky mafia tone (and use some of the traditional genre lines), and that?s about as close in parodying as the script gets. There is never any attempt to rise above the obvious and do more than scratch the surface of broad ideas we?re familiar with.
This movie doesn?t play without its chuckles, as I did give in five times, but five chuckles usually doesn?t cut it. And considering its 85-minute running time and the amount of dead space in its duration, those moments were separated by islands in the end. It should be said that I didn?t find either of the Shrek?s hilarious, but mostly entertaining, and I felt the same way about Finding Nemo. However, this time I didn?t seem to be alone with my reaction, as the audience at this screening was not laughing that much ? the kids were some of the only ones giggling along.
The other problem with the movie is that the story doesn?t offer any components for the viewer to really connect with. Shrek was about being different in society and the need to be accepted, and Finding Nemo followed a father and son who were separated and both put everything on the line to reach one another. Both movies? themes are universal, which struck a chord with moviegoers. Shark Tale is about a character who wants to get famous and learns that all he ever wanted was right in front of him. While a decent theme, this idea is only lightly touched upon in the script, and the subplots involving Oscar?s attempted romance with Lola and Angie?s crush on him come off pointless.
The movie moves along at a snail?s pace, and even with DeNiro, Black, and Scorcese?s attempts to liven things up with their energetic devotion (Black is almost unrecognizable), there just isn?t enough substance on the page. Smith, who should lead the way with a killer performance, comes off as more annoying than delightful; perhaps the role doesn't suit him, but regardless, his supporting players outshine him (which is usually a really bad thing).
Without its marquee names, Shark Tale would be a rather average-looking animated release, and that is probably why the studio booked all these names. I wouldn?t be surprised if the producers and/or studio read the script and figured it wasn?t that funny, but using their marketing genius, called up people who could sell the idea for at least opening weekend?s sake.
I?m sure the talents involved had fun making it, including DeNiro and Scorcese poking fun at their legendary genres, and this is clear with the behind the scenes footage I?ve seen. I bet it is fun because voicing characters is a different, experimental art form; but for a regular paying customer it can be just another movie, which is the hurdle that most animated flicks have to leap over.
The main thing that is keeping me from giving Shark Tale a very average C grade is that I didn?t even crack a smile during Laws of Attraction (C). This movie at least got me to chuckle, even though it still annoyed me immensely, which is sometimes enough to make a difference on my scale. Sky Captain (C+) was more diverting than this flick despite its lack of adrenaline, but it also bordered the line of being a passable diversion; and Shark Tale borders the line between being painfully average and just downright mediocre.
Kids are bound to enjoy Shark Tale more than adults because of its silliness factor, but it?ll probably require the adults to make this one a surefire box office hit like Shrek. That film had a gem of a sense of humor and also had a really good pace. It would?ve been interesting to see Shark Tale compete with that flick's biting attitude, as this story had the appropriate ingredients to be a lot of fun if only the punch lines had been given more thought. An animated movie (with this cast) centered around The Godfather and Goodfellas could be hilarious if done right; and it?s comments like that that you leave the theater pondering, disappointed that nothing in that regard was accomplished.
Lee's Grade: C
Ranked #67 of 120 between Club Dread (#66) and Meet the Fockers (#68) for 2004 movies.
Ranked #67 of 120 between Club Dread (#66) and Meet the Fockers (#68) for 2004 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
'Shark Tale' Articles
- Friday Box Office Analysis (10/1)
October 2, 2004 Shark Tale opened right alongside the first Shrek and Cat in the Hat on Friday. -- Lee Tistaert - Crowd Report: "Shark Tale"
October 1, 2004 As for an opening day box office gross, my main estimate is $13.0 million (thanks to its 4,016 theaters), but I could see $11.5 at the lowest. -- Lee Tistaert
