(Movie Review) “Water Park Shark” is JAWS meets the Scooby Gang

“Water Park Shark” is from the producer and director of Sharknado

Anthony C. Ferrante blessed us with the infamous Sharknado films (as writer and director), and he’s at it again with this shark filled water ride. Per the IMDB page: “When Great White Sharks storm a Cape Cod water park, a washed-up football star-turned-lifeguard and his ex-girlfriend police chief must uncover the shocking secret drawing in the ocean’s biggest predators before it’s too late.” 

This movie is a shark thriller that somehow manages to ignore and follow all the tropes. It kicks off with a Jaws feel, and then quickly drops you into the chaos that any shark thriller fan would expect. Sharks are slowly leaking into the water park, and no one is sure why. An autopsy of one shows these aren’t normal sharks. Something else is going on here. As the team of water park employees and local police play Scooby gang and begin their investigation, the true villain is revealed. It’s a villain for the times, and it left me laughing as everything wrapped up.

Sharknado fans will love this movie

While this movie is exactly what I would expect from someone involved in the Sharknado movies, it also had its own feel. There were layers to the story, but it still seemed self aware as to what story was being told. It wasn’t just a “kill sharks” type of movie. Which I absolutely loved. It also left the door open for more story to be told.

Unfortunately, while “JAWS” is truly amazing and redefined horror, it didn’t turn out great for sharks at the time. Many people reacted with fear, and the shark populations decreased as a result. However, statistically, sharks are much less dangerous than cows and many other animals. This movie did a fantastic job of making the deaths more comical, while still being suspenseful, and not villainizing the sharks in a way we’ve come to expect.

“Water Park Shark” was filmed at an active Water Park

For those looking to visit where the movie was filmed, you can head to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Wicked Waves Cape Cod is where a majority of the movie was filmed, and from the website alone you can spot many locations where shark attacks occurred. The swim-up bar, and the water slides weren’t even safe (in the movie).

This is not the first shark movie to take place in a theme park

The franchise that sparked a love of Shark thrillers filmed the 3rd JAWS movie, “JAWS 3D” at SeaWorld Orlando. While they made it look as if the theme park was next to the ocean (it is about 60 miles away from the nearest beach), they still filmed a decent chunk in the park. This movie came out in 1983, making it a fun time capsule for any current SeaWorld Orlando fans. 

Decades later, another Orlando theme park was the setting for a shark thriller in 2015: “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” Never would I have thought that a shark attack was a risk you were taking when you rode the ‘Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit’ roller coaster at Universal Orlando. This ride has recently been decommissioned and removed to make way for ‘Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift ‘; however, fans can always revisit it with this movie.