“Watch. Her entire body is going to get zombiefied . . . including her anus.” A weird sentence to come out of the mouth of my wife as she sits next to me watching Sky Sharks, a German produced but English-friendly splatter and trashfest with tons of gratuitous nudity, but there it was, a nude Eva Habermann on the screen, bent over in the shower, suddenly becoming a zombie . . . and, yes, that includes - as the camera gets VERY friendly - her upturned butt.
CHOMP! CHOMP!
This is the territory of Sky Sharks, a wild tale of nazis, zombies, flying sharks, and the super spy team of tech-industrialist Klaus Richter (Thomas Morris, Schindler's List) and his daughters Angelique (Barbara Nedeljakova, Hostel II) and Diabla (Habermann) who must stop them all from taking over the world. Surprise, surprise!!! Sky Sharks might be as trashy as B-grade flicks come, but it actually works in delivering CGI mayhem from the skies above to the seas deep down below with a ridiculous bombasticness which doesn’t go unnoticed.
Taking its visual cue from Kung Fury, Sky Sharks is a full-throttled CGI romp through the skies as we board airplanes and drive crazily through crystalized cities, discovering that the Third Reich, 75 years after World War II, still is in possession of a weapon like no other: Sky Sharks! These massive beasts are able to breathe thanks to their artillery-equipped gear - which looks all sorts of steam punk-like - and the jet propelled system which makes them aeronautical is manned by undead nazi soldiers.
It’s a double threat when these mighty meat-munchers take to the skies and start attacking passenger planes, ripping them solidly out of the sky. The sharks go after the wings and their riders leap off their backs and attack the passengers - which is how we open this movie. It is one of the best sequences in the movie and, yes, is as entertaining as the aforementioned Kung Fury, as a cast of crazy characters are introduced and then ridiculously killed by nazi soldiers, all while images of topless women fill the screens of their onboard entertainment.
Yes, this is how director Marc Fehse opens his film. It is a genius sequence that is full of blood, female nudity, ridiculousness, and, of course, flying sharks with undead nazi soldiers steering them in fierce formations.
Believe it or not, the film only gets better. Sky Sharks and its tech filter know EXACTLY what it is trying to do: entertain on a very low budget. And it succeeds in a number of ways.
Sharks inhabit a very important sub-genre in B-grade pictures. And, sometimes, these films absolutely deliver with cool kills, crazy situations, and atmosphere galore. Most of the time, though, they don’t. Sky Sharks, thanks to a mix of practical and CGI effects and a tone which doesn’t hide from itself, shows how it is done when it comes to mixing sharks, zombies, and nazis. The film knows it is ridiculous and does everything right in bringing audiences one hell of a fun time and we have a bumbling team of geologists in the Arctic to thank for their discovery of jet-propelled SHARKS and the army of undead elite soldiers who fly them!
With cameos from Robert LaSardo (The Human Centipede 3) and Lynn Lowery (I Drink Your Blood) opening scenes, as well as brief appearances from Mick Garris (director of Sleepwalkers), Amanda Bearse (Fright Night), Sky Sharks is now on blu-ray thanks to Capelight Pictures and MPI Media Group.
Forget all the talk of a boat! For this flick, we’re going to need a bigger . . . plane!
Home Video Distributor: MPI Media Group
Available on Blu-ray - February 2, 2021
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: None
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
75 years after World War II, an arctic research team discovers the Himmelsfaust, a colossal Nazi Warship thought to be long lost. Within they find Third Reich’s base for a weapon like no other: Sky Sharks. Jet-propelled, artillery-equipped, aeronautical and manned by an army of undead elite Nazi soldiers, these flying beasts were created to prevent the downfall of the Third Reich. But now they seek revenge and to claim their final victory – taking down the whole world with them in process, if they can . . .
Video:
While the super tech filter might turn off some viewers, Sky Sharks’ 1080p transfer is a solid one, showcasing strong details and grisly effects throughout. Black levels are consistent and colors, while not of the popping quality (due to the filter), are strong and rich. Textures are good and neons absolutely light up the night sky. Gore is plenty and the nubile flesh on display looks supple. Overall, a good release.
Audio:
Sky Sharks is loaded with a bombastic English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround track that absolutely comes to life with thunderous results! Crank it up!
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
Nothing much to report here. Trailers for other titles can be found here.
- Trailers
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Overall Blu-ray Experience
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MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 110 mins
Director: Marc Fehse
Writer: Carsten Fehse; Marc Fehse
Cast: Tony Todd, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Naomi Grossman
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Tagline: The sea is not enough.
Memorable Movie Quote: "sky sharks are much more than just genetically-manipulated animals"
Distributor: MPI Media Group
Official Site:
Release Date: August 29, 2020
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 2, 2021.
Synopsis: Deep in the ice of the antarctic, a team of geologists uncover an old Nazi laboratory still intact where dark experiments had occurred. In order to conquer the world, the Nazis created modified sharks who were able to fly and whose riders are genetically mutated, undead super-humans. A military task force called "Dead Flesh Four" - reanimated US soldiers who fell in Vietnam - is put together to prevent world downfall.
