I love my shark movies, and I love some bad movies. One of my favorites is Sharknado.

The Black Demon is no Sharknado. It didn’t have enough shark or a high enough body count. On the plus side, it was a really, really huge shark. Actually, it was a megalodon. There have been three movies in recent times featuring this giant shark, and they have all failed to truly take advantage of the size of the shark. If you’re going to have a giant shark as a monster, well, have it do things only a giant shark can do. Otherwise, why bother having a giant shark?

The premise of the movie is interesting. Environmental changes in the area brought on by the oil rig just off the coast, cause the ancient gods to awaken and the giant shark. The acting wasn’t great – the emotional reactions were way over the top, there were shifts in the logic of the story that didn’t make sense, and there were scenes just stuck in there for the sake of a message. Honestly, I don’t mind those things because they were funny, and a decent bad movie should make you laugh. There was a speech that reminded me of Jurassic Park and another that reminded me of Armageddon. Both excellent disaster/monster movies, by the way. I give the moviemakers bonus points for invoking thoughts of better movies.

I knew from the narrated explanation at the beginning of the movie (like they did in many old sci-fi movies) that this fell into the B movie category. Only B movies do that sort of thing, so I had hopes for this one falling into the bad but fun category.

However, there is no saving the fact that the shark has hardly any screen time and not very many people get eaten. The body parts in the water suggest there was a feast at some point, but we don’t get to see it. There is a fair amount of tension and drama. But because we don’t get to see the shark very often, I have to give this a 2.5 beer rating. I would go lower, but the movie is watchable for the most part and kind of fun if you don’t expect too much. The lack of shark is just disappointing.

It’s currently streaming on Amazon.

Here’s the trailer:

I found this gem on Hulu. How did I not know of Rampage before it was streaming? It has giant creatures. I love giant creature movies.

Rampage, starring the charismatic Dwayne Johnson, is a thrilling creature feature that delivers exactly what fans of giant monster movies crave. Packed with jaw-dropping action, impressive visual effects, and a touch of humor, Rampage embarks on a high-stakes battle between a gigantic gorilla, a gigantic wolf, and a gigantic… (I’ll leave that a surprise like the movie did) and humanity.

Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), a primatologist has a remarkable bond with a gentle albino gorilla named George. When a genetic experiment goes awry, George, along with other animals, is transformed into something enormous and highly destructive. Yay! Although, I felt a bit bad for George. Davis, teaming up with a brilliant genetic engineer named Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), races against time to save George and prevent the catastrophic consequences of these rampaging beasts.

Destruction and mayhem, and the creatures did many surprising and fun things. Yay! No singing or dancing, but there were jokes and heartfelt moments. Lots of things eaten and ruined by the beasts. Yay!

If you love this genre, treat yourself to this movie. I highly recommend it, and beer is optional to enjoy it.

Here’s the trailer: