Sharktopus vs Pteracuda - Blu-ray

Content: After the ravenous actually is killed in a particularly explosive way, marine biologist Lorena (Katie Savoy) finds an egg capsule from which a mini-Sharktopus hatches. This one is being raised at her uncle's amusement park. It's lucky this sharktopus exists. Because the shady scientist Dr. Symes (Robert Carradine) has crossed a Pterodactylus flying dinosaur with a Barracuda on behalf of the military. The result - the Pteracuda - is extremely deadly, fast and virtually indestructible. When the critter is about to be stolen by a terrorist organization, the flying bioweapon manages to escape. And now the Pteracuda wants to feed hunger on ordinary people - and only the Sharktopus can stop it.

Sharktopus vs Pteracuda is the next entry in the trashy animal combinations that are unleashed on lovers of B-movie monsters with nice regularity. In this B-movie king Roger Corman-produced battle between the already familiar Sharktopus and the newly bred Pteracuda, things really get down to business. Even if the effects are for the most part underground and the acting even worse, the makers at least offer the viewer exactly what the title promises: plenty of duels between the two mutations.

Naturally, this does not make Sharktopus vs Pteracuda a good movie by any means. However, such productions don't have this claim at all. They want to offer their audience trashy fun. No time is wasted on sophisticated dialogues or first class effects. This becomes especially clear in this film with the amusing guest appearance of US-Late Night Talker Conan O`Brien. It may be revealed here that he doesn`t think twice and literally loses his head during the encounter with the Sharktopus - who, however, doesn`t even bear a resemblance to Conan O`Brien. They didn`t even bother to cover the fact that they obviously used the head of a random mannequin. But this is exactly the kind of thing that makes the movie flirt with its trash factor - and that makes it kind of amusing.

Whoever can be amused by Sharknados, Sandsharks, Mega Piranhas, Dinocrocs and other creatures will have a lot of fun with Sharktopus vs Pteracuda. If you thought Anaconda was too trashy, you'll be tearing your hair out after a few seconds. Therefore: Only for fans worth seeing1

Picture + Sound: The film is included on the Blu-ray in 3D and 2D. Only the 2D version was tested. The fact that this was produced quite inexpensively for television is also noticeable in the audiovisual realization, which is overall perfectly fine, but especially in the detail sharpness could have been much better. The audio presents itself in a fairly powerful DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, but it just can't keep up with bigger cinema productions when it comes to surround effects. All in all, okay, but not a revelation. Good!

Extras: Here we have only the trailer and other program tips from the provider.

Conclusion: By now, even the last person should have noticed that movies about mutated sea creatures, giant snakes or other fantasy creatures are primarily trash. Sharktopus vs Pteracuda is no exception. If you take movies like this seriously, expect polished dialogue or top-notch effects, you have only yourself to blame. But if you're just looking for mindless fun and generally have a soft spot for Sharktopuses, Sandsharks, Mega Piranhas or Sharknados, this delightfully trashy duel will also be a great treat. The Blu-ray presents the film in decent picture and sound quality, but viewers have to do without notable bonus material. Only for fans - but for them definitely: Recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp