[5.00/10] Bait (2012)

Bait (2012)

Brief review: Back in 2010, Aussie director Andrew Traucki blew us out of the water with his magnificently-crafted and realistically terrifying film "The Reef" - arguably the best shark flick since "Jaws". In 2012 another Aussie director bring us another film involving sharks, but he ultimately fails to leave the impression Traucki did. Even though his "Bait" sounds pretty intriguing on paper, it's the sub-par execution and undeveloped script that let it down. After an unimpressive and rather cliched opening sequence featuring, of course, a bloody shark attack, "Bait" changes its direction and suddenly becomes a heist movie, than quickly turns into a disaster film, and then gets back to its 'shark flick' roots. No, it doesn't suffer from an identity crisis - it's all intentional, and it's all for a reason. However, despite its clever first 15 minutes, the movie never manages to live up to its potential, and gets trapped just like its dull, underwritten characters, sub-parly played by a cast of known and unknown Australian actors. In terms of scariness, "Bait" barely 'bites'. The gore is there, but the suspense is nonexistent, the shocks are very few and far between, and though there are a couple of well-executed, nasty shark attacks, the rest of them are just plain lame. While the practical effects are spot-on, the CGI effects are beyond cheesy, but the director compensates with an atmospheric setting, that is wet, claustrophobic, and isolated.

Overall summary: Some super-lame CGI work aside, Rendall's "Bait" is a reasonably watchable, yet not necessarily thrilling shark flick with loads of cool gore, but lacking in fearful intensity, likable characters or any sort of outstanding originality, in spite of its imaginative premise.

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