Onsen shâku

This was a film that I got the chance to see via screener thanks to Justin Cook. Now when I saw the title, it made me chuckle. I'm not necessarily the target audience when it comes to these absurd shark attack films, I figured I'd give it a chance. Outside of the title, I did come into this blind.

Synopsis: there have been cases of mysterious disappearances of onsen visitors in Atsumi city in S prefecture. The victims were eventually found dead with signs of severe injuries to their bodies resembling a vicious shark attack.

We start by learning that this city of Atsumi is being developed as the Monaco of the East. Kanichi Mangan (Takuya Fujimura) is the mayor. He's putting in this luxury hotel that is utilizing the local hot springs. What he's doing does seem to be disrupting something deep in the ocean.

Where we start though is with a couple. The male pushes his girlfriend into the water. He reveals that he's engaged to marry the daughter of a customer to his father's business. That's when a shark comes into the picture. It is coming for her and he goes below to report that she has fallen overboard to the coast guard. There is something odd that happens here. She survived. The shark is then tossed onto the boat, done so by this odd guy of Tetsuzaemon Mangan (Shôichirô Akaboshi).

It is then from here that there are strange attacks happening. Bodies are being found by the water. Denbei Tsuka (Kiyobumi Kaneko) is the chief of police who is close to returning. His son is on the force, Kohei Hanako (Masaki Naito), will be taking over. They look into these odd deaths and can't make sense of it. The reason is that they look like shark attacks. The waters in the bay have buoys that emit electricity to help keep sharks out. There are also nets.

Staying in the resort is a member of a college from the marine biology department. We see him attack while bathing in a hot spring. Denbei was there when it happened. He heard something odd before the attack, but can't quite explain it. With the biologist being killed, this brings his colleague Mayumi Kose (Yuu Nakanishi). She has an explanation. There was an ancient shark that is now being called an Onsen. This means a Hot Spring Shark. It has soft bones that allow it to move along pipes and the ground water below. No one is safe as they're able to appear all over the town, targeting tourists and citizens. Mayumi teams up with Kanichi to stop them before it is too late. They're also aided by Mangan, who strangely seems to be a local guardian.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start then would be that this film is wild. It falls into the vein of Sharknado, Two-Headed Shark Attack or like Sand Sharks. You can take your pick of any of the parody ideas of places where you shouldn't find sharks and having them attack people. Obviously, this film is paying homage to Jaws. What I like here is that the mayor, in this case Kanichi, is to blame. He's the one building this resort and he needs it to succeed or he'll go broke. He turns into one of our heroes trying to defeat these dangerous creatures.

Let's then discuss what I like here. I love the idea of sharks attacking these hot springs. It isn't logical, but playing on that childhood fear of the water. Even if it is something like a pond, swimming pool or even a bathtub. I do like the explanations they give. These are freshwater or at least can survive in both types. I love the idea of using the ground water to get around. That is terrifying. What goes farfetched is when they're just appearing anywhere in the city because they're able to have water appear. Or the fact that they're going through tiny pipes to get into places. This is where I think that it goes too far into comedy and it loses me. I'm not the biggest fan of comedy horror. This did make me chuckle with how wild it gets so I will say that.

Where I'll then go would be talking about our trio who are the heroes. I appreciate the social commentary on tourism and capitalism. Kanichi, initially a potential villain, spearheads the shark eradication project for financial reasons, creating a redemption arc. Mayumi, a smart but overwhelmed marine biologist, struggles to find a solution. Mangan, an odd guardian, provides comic relief, even bringing sub sandwiches aboard their ship. He's a borderline beast fighting sharks. A bit more backstory would be beneficial for that character. Denbei and Kohei serve as secondary heroes, each getting their moments.

Next should be the acting performances. With this being a comedy, they are over the top. It is fitting for a movie like this though. Akaboshi's body is perfect for his role. He is stoic, but that leads to comedy from him. He plays this well. I like Fujimura as this potential villain who sees the error of his ways. Kaneko and Naito are good in their roles. Nakanishi is cute and I like how that plays into her character. She feels being in over her head. How young she looks adds to it. Other than that, the rest of the cast were fine for what was needed.

All that is left then is filmmaking. This is where it is hit or miss. I do think that for the most part the cinematography is fine. The framing would be as well. Now over to the effects. There are puppets used for the sharks at times. I appreciated this. What is funny is that they're like Pokémon where they say 'shark'. That made me laugh. There is CGI here. It doesn't look great. I understand that doing a movie like this isn't possible without it. When they go under the water, it is a green screen. This reminded me of something like Lake Eerie Monster or Hundreds of Beavers. It's fine. By that time in the movie, I was mostly checked out unfortunately. The soundtrack and design were fine for what was needed as well.

In conclusion, this is a wild ride that delivers on its absurd premise, though it leans heavily into comedy horror, which may not appeal to all. While I can't recommend it universally, fans of over-the-top creature features and comedic animal attacks will likely find enjoyment in its ridiculousness. Its commitment to its premise, despite some technical shortcomings, makes it a unique entry in the genre.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 10.