Bait (2012)

• Year: 2012
• Released: 20 Sep 2012
• Country: Australia, Singapore, China
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1438173/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bait
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bait
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror
• Runtime: 93 min
• Writer: Russell Mulcahy, John Kim, Duncan Kennedy
• Director: Kimble Rendall
• Cast: Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Adrian Pang
• Keywords: gore, australia, shark, shark attack, drowning,

5.2/10

Bait Storyline

One painful year after a bloody encounter with a killer shark, the former lifeguard, Josh, is now working in a supermarket. Then–as if having to deal with his ex-girlfriend; her new boyfriend; a young shoplifter, and a dangerous hostage situation during an armed robbery wasn’t enough–a towering tsunami hits the store, flooding the entire place. More and more, the local grocery store turns into an inescapable death trap, as the handful of survivors come to realise that something terrifying is swimming between the aisles: a massive, twelve-foot long great white shark. Is there an escape from the razor-sharp teeth of the ultimate apex predator?

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Bait Movie Reviews

Shopping with sharks

Going to a supermarket is never a particularly thrilling experience. There are the screaming kids begging their parents for sweets, the queues, the trolleys with the wonky wheels and of course those awful self-service checkouts that never really work. However, the one thing I’ve never experienced at Tesco’s, is a shark swimming down the aisle, chomping at my heels.

In ‘Bait’ we see just what happens if you let Great White sharks into your local hypermarket. It doesn’t end well for anyone concerned. Great White sharks are less inclined to use clubcards and queue nicely at Customer Services departments while trying to exchange a faulty toaster; instead they tend to eat anyone who gets in their path.

Bait follows a long line of so-so B-movies, all with sharks as the main threat. However, whereas most of them are pretty forgettable, this one is actually pretty watchable. You’ll notice I said ‘watchable’ not good. Sadly, the special effects are pretty awful (CGI sharks just don’t cut it) and even some of the acting is pretty wooden.

However, that said, it’s a fun – if incredibly silly – ride. If you think ‘sharks in a supermarket’ sounds like a good film, then you’re probably the sort of person who can appreciate a daft little B-movie like this. But if you think it sounds totally ludicrous, then you’re probably best bending a selection of wire shopping baskets all around your body in an attempt to put as much distance between you and the film as possible (seriously, that’s what someone tries in Bait).

Personally, I loved Bait. It was silly, cheesy, fun and totally stupid. A bit like me (I like to think, anyway). I can’t wait for the sequel (yes, there’s one on its way, if you believe the online rumour mill). I’m hoping this time we’ll have either ‘sharks in school’ or ‘sharks in an old people’s home.’ Classic. I should write those ideas down and copyright them before they’re stolen!

Beats expectations

First off, I watched this in 2D on TV, so any of the 3D effects stuff was lost on me. Secondly, I love shark films as a rule, but I expected the worst after BAIT’s opening sequence: it’s the kind of cheesy drama you expect from a PIRANHA 3D rip-off, complete with monstrously bad CGI.

I’m glad I stuck with it though as BAIT soon turns out to be a great little thriller with a unique storyline: victims of a tsunami are trapped inside a flooded supermarket with only a great white or two for company. What follows is a tight, action-packed movie, filled with the brim with suspense and perilous sequences; it’s great fun, and another winning Aussie B-movie.

The cast is as engaging as the storyline and I particularly liked the diverse characters caught up in the chaos: there’s Hollywood actor Julian McMahon as a bank robber, while Xavier Samuel (THE LOVED ONES) and Sharni Vinson (YOU’RE NEXT) play a young couple. Dan Wyllie’s redneck is hilarious, and the rest of the characters also stand out: the cop, his shoplifting daughter, the manager, the security guard, the cashier, etc.

The story is told via action for the most part, and the special effects turn out to be very good – it looks as though they used a real shark for the majority of the scenes. It’s just the opening scene and the closing CGI cityscape which are really bad. There’s plenty of violent death here, a true unpredictability as to who’s going to make it (if any of them) and above all a play-it-straight vibe that makes BAIT stand head and shoulders above many a rival B-movie.

Bait a minute

As another reviewer clearly states: One could expect the worst from a movie like this. Actually quite a few people won’t even watch the movie in our video store because they added the tag title “Sharks in the supermarket”. Of course they are missing out on a better film than they’d expect! All because of a silly title.

Don’t me wrong though, this is not the best film I’ve seen this year, or this month or even week. It is by normal standards mediocre, but the effects are decent, the acting is what you should expect from a movie like this and the plot has everything that should be in here. That is concerning relationships and other stuff. You will be able to see where this heading (or swimming), but that shouldn’t take too much out of the fun you can have