Plot: What’s it about?
Ah, the shark movie. Will it ever go out of style? Somehow I doubt it. I’m not sure if we should thank Director Steven Spielberg for what he did with Jaws or condone him because its spawned an entire genre of “wannabe” movies just like it. Now that’s not to say that there’s an element of truth in all of these films. Evidently there are so many sharks in the water that anyone in their right mind should stay out. Then again, the number of actual shark attacks is minuscule at best. But as much as I sit here and try to think of what to say about this movie, I did watch it. I suppose these movies (and we’ll go ahead and put Piranha in there as well) do have a following much in the same way that any horror movie does. Yes, it’s highly unbelievable but yet it’s somewhat entertaining. Well, let’s dive right in and see what this shark movie is all about.
We meet Josh (Xavier Samuel) who’s engaged to be married to Tina (Sharni Vinson) who also happens to be the sister of Josh’s friend, Rory (Richard Brancatisano). Josh and Tina want to leave the small, Australian surfing town and head to Singapore, where a better life presumably awaits. This changes, however, when Rory is killed by a shark. Time passes, we see that Josh and Tina have gone their separate ways and Josh now works at a grocery store. We meet an assortment of characters, notably Doyle (Julian McMahon of TV’s Nip/Tuck) who is attempting to rob the place. All of this takes a backseat, though, when a freak Tsunami wipes out the town and strands the cast of characters inside. And, as fate would have it, there’s also a 12 foot Great White Shark that’s roaming around and, presumably, very hungry.
Bait won’t win any Academy Awards, though it was selected to be shown at the Venice Film Festival, which I found a bit odd. After seeing it, and as I’ve said above, it’s certainly not a bad movie and I feel somewhat ashamed for judging a movie by its cover (in this case, the Blu-ray). Yes, it’s a bit formulaic and predictable and I suppose if you could intertwine The Poseidon Adventure and Jaws, this would be your movie. I was a bit surprised to see such a mainstream actor like Julian McMahon in this cast and after doing a tad bit of research, he is indeed from Australia (though his accent would suggest otherwise). In essence, everything you think that will happen in this movie will, except we don’t have the blatant nudity that seems to dominate the films here. If Jaws is too serious for you and Piranha a bit too unrealistic, it might be a good compromise to give Bait a try.
Video: How does it look?
I’ll be honest, I’ve got a 3D TV but sometimes I just don’t have it in me to break out the glasses and set the whole thing up. So while I did watch this movie, I watched the Blu-ray version only and left the 3D version I the box. I do make something of a game, however, to see which spots are made for 3D (in this case, it’s usually blood and body parts floating in the water). Having said that, the picture actually looked pretty decent. A majority of the film takes place inside the grocery store, surrounded by water. Colors are rich and bold, though a bit over-saturated at times. The 1.78:1 AVC HD image has a sharpness that I found pleasing and though some of the CGI was a bit on the fake side, I let it slide. Bait looked pretty good from what I could tell and I doubt viewers will have a problem with the way it looks, 3D or not.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack also had a few choice moments. When the Tsunami hit, I was pleased at the rumble my speakers made. Dialogue sounds very clear and crisp, though I’m still trying to figure out why half the cast didn’t have a true Australian accent. I suppose it’s not that big of a deal. The front stage takes the burden of the soundtrack and with great effect. It’s nice to see that there are still some Dolby TrueHD soundtracks out there, with DTS becoming more and more the norm. All in all, a fairly decent soundtrack.
Supplements: What are the extras?
True fans of the movie won’t be too happy here as the only supplement included are some production storyboards. Well, you do get a Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD of the film for one price tag, too.
