Big Shark (2023) Poster

(2023)

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6/10
Consistent Absurdity
kluseba19 February 2024
For years, fans of Tommy Wiseau have been waiting for the release of Big Shark. A trailer was dropped, then the project seemed to be on hold, up next it appeared to be canceled, suddenly a new trailer dropped and the film was finally released last year. It was a unique experience watching this film at Ottawa's legendary Mayfair Theatre with much crowd participation and a few drinks beforehand. This is the exact attitude you need when watching Big Shark. This film is so absurd that it requests a complete suspension of disbelief to take this feature humorously. Otherwise, you will get frustrated by the movie's excessively weird characters, terrible dialogues filled with stunning grammatical mistakes and paper-thin plot that doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

To keep it short, this movie revolves around three firefighters who spend their time partying, hitting on women and drinking booze every single day. One day, one of these firefighters named Patrick claims to have spotted a thirty-five-foot shark in a muddy lake that he calls a river for unfathomable reasons. His friends don't believe him but soon a gigantic shark surfs through New Orleans on randomly appearing rivulets of water. For vague reasons, the three firefighters decide to kill the shark as the military and police don't intervene at all. They decide to catch three pigs as bait for the shark that they ultimately decide not to use. Instead, they get a dead pig at a butcher's place, fill it with blood and dynamite and launch it on a rubber dinghy to kill the shark.

For those who are not familiar with Tommy Wiseau's work yet, there are several reasons why people enjoy watching his movies. First of all, his movies are so uniquely bad that they don't compare to anyone or anything else. Even other controversial directors look like experienced geniuses next to Tommy Wiseau. Up next, these movies are so hilariously bad that they are genuinely entertaining as viewers will come back revisiting them by remembering their favourite worst scenes, plot twists and awkward dialogues. The characters in his movies stand out because they act entirely irrationally and sometimes change their attitudes, behaviours and mindsets from one minute to the other. The technical aspects of the movies also leave a lot to be desired as the shifts in the sound department are excessive, lighting work at times blinds the audience and the settings offer numerous awkward choices.

You might now wonder why people watch a movie like Big Shark that sounds bad on paper and is actually even worse than you expect it to be. This movie offers unparalleled escapism and invites for a light-hearted fun ride that is best enjoyed with a few drinks and friends. I have watched The Room time and again and would watch it again in a heartbeat. Big Shark is even more consistent in its absurdity and thus appeals even more to me. I'm prepared to return to the cinema to watch this film again, I would purchase it physically to enjoy it at home and I have written this review to promote this weird masterpiece to the entire world.

For those who are already familiar with the works of Tommy Wiseau, this movie is everything you expect it to be and might even exceed your expectations as you will be crying tears of joy while watching this unbelievable cinematic accident.

As for Tommy Wiseau himself, I have nothing but genuine respect for him as I sincerely admire his resilience at creating movies despite innumerable obstacles. This man deserves recognition because he is living his dream and has offered hours of comedic entertainment to fans from all around the world. I would like to encourage him to continue doing his work as long as he wants to as I'm willing to give all of his releases a shot.

On a closing note, I would rather watch a ridiculous but entertaining, funny and sympathetic movie such as Big Shark than an intellectual but depressing, overlong and pretentious feature such as the heavily overrated Anatomy of a Fall.
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3/10
Big Shark is a Big Bite to chew
soboyle-4191025 June 2023
The first star is for the appreciation and love shown to New Orleans. The second star is for the majority of the shot composition and lighting, that crew did a very great job and the style came through and worked. The third star is for character Tim and the actor's energy and commitment, he brought his A game to a sloppy and incoherent script and never wavered, bravo.

I love The Room and the Wiseau personality because they are entertaining, and that film was a genuine effort to make a good film that failed in many ways but succeeded in unexpected ways.

Big Shark feels like a film meant to be bad and succeeding as just that. Scenes are drawn out to the point of insanity, with pointless ad-libbed improv of certain phrases, possibly several takes worth of the same dialogue and plot beats. In fact, the film consistently retreads itself, the characters setting about a rarely discussed "The Plan" only to find them drinking or playing pool or having a stroll or a drive.

It almost comes across as allegory for the aimlessness and arrested development of modern men, bold attitudes and bravado as a facade for underlying insecurity and inaction, always proclaiming goals they never quite reach, with the big shark representing the chaos of the world and its perception as impending doom in broadcast reaction but its treatment as an inconvenient interruption in actual action.

I have heard the film is unfinished, and the lack of polish, fx, credits, or coherent editing reinforces that. Fixing the audio, more cuts, added missing fx, and some editing fixes would go a long way to making it less a slog than it needs to be. It is entertaining with an audience because Tommy Wiseau draws and interesting and eclectic crowd, but unlike The Room, this film is a hard watch and even the typical complementing Wiseau crowd was getting worn out of these sections.

I did enjoy it for what it was, but Best F(r)iends and The Room are better films in my opinion. Big Shark makes it seem like Tommy hasn't learned much as a filmmaker over his 20 year career. I am sure there are talented people willing to work with him, obviously there are, and his production side wasn't given the care the other aspects of the film deserved. I am not dismissive of TW's talent to entertain, but this film left me disappointed even for the skewed expectations I have as a fan of the man.
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9/10
Fans of Tommy's previous work will appreciate the unique energy of his new horror monster film.
thebritons-705-7852054 April 2023
Tommy Wiseau's latest horror monster film is an enjoyable ride that's true to his signature style, with nods to his cult classic 'The Room.' The film's imperfections add to its charm, and it's clear that Tommy put a lot of heart into it. The story and characters are well-crafted and entertaining, making up for any limitations in the movie's budget. Best watched with friends, you'll laugh, sing along, and maybe even shout at the screen. If you're a fan of Tommy's previous work or simply looking for something different in the horror genre, this film is worth checking out. But be warned, seeing this movie in theaters may turn into a midnight rocky horror style experience that you won't forget anytime soon.
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4/10
Big Shark
CinemaSerf22 November 2023
In order to fully appreciate this film you need two things. Lots of drink before it starts and a decent amount of audience participation. That's because it's terrible. Now I know that the creator of "The Room" (2003) was unlikely to deliver us an award-winning epic, but I think even I was disappointed by just how poor this is. When New Orleans is threatened not only by rising flood waters, but by a menacing shark it falls to three highly decorated fire-fighters to find away to save their city. The acting and dialogue are like a very bad rehearsal for a "Bill & Ted" film, the visual effects stop being entertaining fairly quickly and that just leaves us with a mess of a movie that all-too-often just made me cringe. Tommy Wiseau is clearly a shrewd man, but this attempt to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is just risible on about every level and even with ensemble guffaws of embarrassment from the other suitably lubricated folks in the cinema it becomes pretty much unwatchable. A parody of many other films, it may be trying to be - but for me, well it's just not funny!
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10/10
Interesting film
sarmstrong-046302 April 2023
Very very enjoyable with a big audience. Everyone was cheering and laughing. Tommy was in the crowd and loving it. Please watch this with friends or a giant crowd. The movie itself was unfinished, but that made it even better for the audience. The cgi for the shark was so funny, and at times wasn't even finished. Like one shot would have the big shark, and the next it wasn't there. Was definitely an interesting movie. Tommy really outdid himself with it, and I loved every second. 10/10 perfect movie watch with friends and get drunk. Tommy is also an awesome man who is so very strange but wonderful. I love him.
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2/10
Coming right up at you... Fun & silly....
joebloggscity18 February 2024
Just watched this back to back with The Room, and the only question that needs answered is whether this is as much fun as The Room. My answer is No, but it's still a lot of ridiculous fun in the cinema.

The Room is a one-off, loved & admired by film aficiancdos as much as b-movie lovers for its unintentional ridiculous direction & writing, and when you watch it in the cinema the effect is multiplied. It's so much fun to watch in a fun-loving crowd.

Big Shark makes it way up along to The Room, and Tommy Wiseau is still Tommy Wiseau. This is really just a Sci-Fi channel movie with the expected nonsense. It's daft, it's corny and funny.

It isn't anywhere near as much fun as The Room, but don't fret, as in the cinema with a jolly crowd, you'll have a fun time.

Enjoy!
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10/10
Delusional Mind or Not, This Movie is Cinematic Gold
shendrian18 June 2023
"SOPHIA SOPHIA I LOVE YOU SOPHIA!" Damn, Tommy has done it again, crafting another masterpiece of mediocre acting and even more mediocre writing that somehow still has so many unforgettable lines. Not only is this a thriller, it's also a fricking MUSICAL with spontaneous bursts of a cappella singing that will make Vincente Minnelli rise from his grave and clap with approval. "COWBOYS DON'T CRY/HEROES DON'T DIE/THEY JUST SPARKLE IN THE SKY/SO I WON'T CRY." I can't get it out of my head! Seriously, go see this movie the first chance you get. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe, you'll wonder what the hell is going on; to quote another iconic musical, "Who could ask for anything more?"
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10/10
Oh, hai, Shark!
virgiliupop27 August 2023
A masterpiece from the best director of all times. I've been expecting this sequel to The Room (in spirit!) for two decades. The shark is beautifully rendered, and reminds me of Chris-R. The athleticism of the actors is matched only by the tuxedo-clad football players. Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" comes second to "Big Shark" in the genre. The blood on his jaws reminds me of Lisa's red dress. The world would be a better place if more people saw "Big Shark". I won't spoil the movie - the details are confidential - apart from this one: Big Shark is literally tearing us apart. Well done, Tommy! And for those who have bad reviews - leave your stupid comments in your pocket!
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10/10
If you don't like this movie you have delusional brain
cakelovr226 May 2023
I had a delusional brain before watching this film because I doubted the power and creativity of the brilliant brilliant Tommy Wiseau. This film has an excellent cast of characters and remains entertaining throughout the entire film. Every moment created a wonderful audience atmosphere and you really felt immersed in the film regardless of the visual effects or the editing. This is a wonderful comedy and a beautiful story, there was rarely a dull moment and each character felt fleshed out and beautiful in their own way. The story has some inspiration from the room but. The songwriting is brilliant and very catchy. Great film.
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10/10
Jaws ... Part 2?!?!
gianni-2340224 August 2023
Since man was first able to swim over 350 years ago, a fascination with the mysterious shark was born. The mewling growl of the shark calls to our primordial instinct.

Tommy Wiseau has managed to finally unlock the secrets of the shark whilst telling a heartwarming story of heroism and teamwork. The only movie in recent years that is similar in its scope and grandeur is the indomitable Minions: Rise of Gru.

As to the cinematography and CGI, I can only describe it as groundbreaking. This is what it must have felt like to have lived through other world-changing inventions like the smallpox vaccine. I walked down the street and looked upon the strangers walking past me who were completely ignorant that life will never be the same.

My wife may have divorced me for missing the birth of my first child for the premiere (I didn't want any spoilers) but I can say, hand on heart, that this masterpiece was worth the sacrifice. Thank you Tommy.
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10/10
This movie is the 35 foot shark in the room
katechis11 August 2023
Wow. How can a person with only one other film to their name produce something that is so uniquely them? The answer is that they can't; unless of course you're Tommy Wiseau.

For any other movie on the planet, the things that I'm about to say would be a reason not to see it, but for fans of Wiseau, this is exactly what you want: a completely unhinged plot that makes no sense (and not just because it's a shark attacking people on land), audio that is rivaled only by the board room scene from "Birdemic", characters that show up in the movie for literally no reason, and a classic sports scene that has no connection to reality whatsoever. TEAMWORK!

I loved this movie. It's a must see for any fan of The Room. The only part that made me a bit upset was a scene with some adorable pigs that felt like they forgot to include any animal safety inspectors.

11/10.
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8/10
The Best Audience Participation Movie Since Rocky Horror
skinnerramone7 January 2024
"Big Shark" splashes into the shark movie genre with a unique twist that's as unpredictable as its enigmatic creator, Tommy Wiseau. I had the privilege of catching its Canadian premiere amidst a sea of enthusiastic "The Room" aficionados, with Greg Sestero himself gracing the event. The energy in the theater was electric, resembling a blend of chaos and jubilation.

What sets "Big Shark" apart is its embrace of audience participation. While cult classics like "Rocky Horror" and "The Room" boast established interactive rituals, this film dared fans to improvise, test waters, and discover what tickled their funny bones. The result? A cacophony of laughter, occasional dialogue drowning in the uproar, and surprisingly, impromptu musical renditions echoing throughout the theater. Yes, singing took center stage alongside the film's antics.

Unlike its predecessor, "The Room," "Big Shark" feels purposefully engineered for audience engagement. Tommy Wiseau, the mastermind behind this madness, seemingly orchestrated this pandemonium intentionally (or did he?). His deliberate or perhaps serendipitous inclusion of participatory elements pays off handsomely, elevating the viewing experience to an interactive extravaganza.

For fans of "The Room" or anyone reveling in the delight of interactive cinema, "Big Shark" is a must-watch. Wiseau's creation, arguably the apex predator of shark movies in 2023, swims circles around the disappointing "Meg 2." I left the theater eagerly anticipating a second viewing, a sentiment echoed by the audience around me.

"Big Shark" isn't just a movie; it's an event. Dive into this cinematic whirlpool if it graces your city-you're guaranteed a rollercoaster of hilarity and, dare I say, a newfound appreciation for shark-themed mayhem.
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10/10
This movie won't stop occupying my brain!
preskfc6 May 2023
Heroes. Teamwork. Big Shark. These are just a few words.

If you love The Room, then run, don't walk and definitely don't swim to the nearest theater showcasing this new masterpiece, this new gospel from the Book of Tommy Wiseau.

Could one possibly make another instant classic after the accidental success of The Room?

Yes. And I wish to apologize to Tommy for ever doubting his vision and talent.

The magnitude of the friendships in this tale may only be matched by the power of the original songs. The emotions stirred up may leave you wanting to cry. But don't. After all, cowboys don't.

See it with a crowd.

Long live TW.
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10/10
Lightning can strike twice!
Caitlin101529 January 2024
I stand corrected...lightning can strike twice! Auteur Tommy Wiseau has once again delivered a cinematic masterpiece. This film can best be described as a fever dream, but a good one that won't stop occupying my brain. There is never a dull moment in this movie, leaving the audience constantly guessing what will happen next, while breaking every standard convention of filmmaking. One does not need passable CGI, decent sound editing, or even story continuity to appreciate the strong themes of friendship, TEAMWORK, and heroism that are the lifeblood of this film. Wiseau lives in his own reality and we as viewers are lucky to get a mere glimpse into his world through his art.

If you are new to the Tommy Wiseau universe, watch "The Room" first followed by "The Disaster Artist" (pairing these two in one evening makes for a great double feature) and then find a theater where you can experience "Big Shark" with a crowd. If you lean into the audience participation elements (clapping and singing along) that Wiseau has woven into the film and don't take anything too seriously then you will be guaranteed an evening filled with fun and laughter!
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10/10
A new masterpiece from the Visionary
wolmusha12 August 2023
Wow! This movie blew my mind and took the definition of a horror drama to the next level. The shark was reaaly realy big and beautiful and had a wonderful sliding abilities. Main characters are soo hot and brave and just real heroes all around. The movie has it all: drama, romance, courage, little mystery and lots of suspense.

This movie is so incredibly quotable its an instant classic!

New Orleans will be saved!! Heroes dont die!! They have A PLAN!! What an emotional roller coaster to watch!

Bravo, Tommy! Bravo, Master!! SOFIAAAAAAAA!!!!

A must to see adventure for the whole family!

10/10.
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10/10
This might be the best film of 2023
richardnewmann13 January 2024
First when i looked at the movie i thought it would be garbage considering it has been two decades since Wiseau made a masterpiece. But when i saw it i was thrilled. There were very low numbers of boring scenes or dialogue and lots of exciting scenes. Tommys acting in this was also brilliant i thought he wouldnt act well but he somehow did. I really liked the cgi in this movie too the water was a bit weird but the shark was a masterpiece also i mean when the people walked in the water then it looked weird but when it just showed water it looked great. So yeah i would give this movie a rating of 10/10.
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10/10
Tommy Wiseau does it again.
Lomax34319 September 2023
There are some people who are so incredibly bad at something that, to borrow a phrase, they back unwitting into genius. Florence Foster Jenkins, William McGonagall, Eddie the Eagle Edwards ... and Tommy Wiseau. I have no idea if he realises how dreadful a film-maker he is, but it doesn't matter. Twenty-odd years ago he brought us The Room. Now he surpasses himself with a film that is simultaneously ten times worse and a hundred times better. The packed audience I was with was in hysterics from first to last.

The title (which scores both nought out of ten and ten out of ten for creativity) gives you the plot in a nutshell - but the twist is that this is a shark that eats people on dry (well, slightly damp) land.

The special effects are the most astonishing I've ever seen. The acting is indescribable (where does Tommy find these people?). The plot piles lunacy on lunacy - just one example: the heroes need to find a way to put a tracking device on a shark that is quite literally following them down the road. Oh, and in a race against time to save a city, there's always time for a game of pool or another beer.

This is a film that defies ratings. Giving it one star or ten stars are both reasonable options (although anything between the two probably isn't). Because of the truly wonderful time I had laughing at this pile of birdsong, I choose to give it a ten.
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