Hammerhead
by Michael Oblowitz
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Arthur Roberts (II), Elise Muller, Hunter Tylo, Jeffrey Combs, William ForsytheDirector: Michael Oblowitz
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-10-11
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: First Look Pictures
Movie Reviews of Hammerhead
Movie Review: Chum
Summary: 2 Stars
I apologize to Michael Oblowitz. I once wrote a review for the Steven Seagal flick "The Foreigner" in which I blasted this director. If I remember correctly, I think I called him a hack who would never work in Hollywood again. Obviously, I was wrong. Not only did Oblowitz lens another Seagal film, "Out for a Kill," he moved on to make this movie, the jaw droppingly horrific, 2005 made for television clunker "Hammerhead". I didn't know my man Oblowitz directed this sucker when I initially stumbled over the premise on the Internet a ways back. All I saw was a description that said a half man, half shark creation made by an evil scientist wreaks havoc on a bunch of hapless fools. Moreover, "Hammerhead" got the green light from the friendly folks over at the Sci Fi Channel. I knew I was shark bait after reading that description. A human/shark hybrid? The Sci Fi Channel? I'm there with bells on! Sure enough, I found myself out hunting for a copy shortly thereafter. My elation grew as I looked at the cast list. The presence of the venerable William Forsythe and the even more venerable Jeffrey Combs heightened my excitement. Here's a cheese classic for the ages, I thought.
I was wrong. Oh, it's cheesy all right, but "Hammerhead" will hardly stand the test of time that every classic must go through. Read on to find out why. The mad scientist Dr. Preston King (Combs) invites a bunch of corporate types to his research facility on an uncharted island. The members of this group include Amelia Lockhart (Hunter Tylo), her beau Tom Reed (Forsythe), Whitney Feder (Arthur Roberts), and a bunch of other folks I refer to as walking chum. Anyway, they go to the island in order to discover what King has been spending all the company's money on for the last few years. The answer becomes readily apparent as the completely insane Preston introduces us to his newest creation. Enter Hammerhead man, a human/shark hybrid that King hopes to make the dominant species on earth. Uh huh. In the meantime, he announces that his visiting dignitaries must now die at the hands of his creation. Maybe he's trying to get rid of witnesses or something. Of course, most of our heroes escape the assassination attempt. Now they must run around the island trying to avoid shark boy and King's mercenary army (!). Lots of bloody carnage ensues, along with a fair amount of unintentional hilarity.
As the story progresses, we learn the movie has a few nasty little secrets. One, shark boy is actually King's terminally ill son. The good doctor saved his child from the ravages of cancer only to turn him into this monstrosity. Two, Amelia Lockhart once had a relationship with Preston's son. Three, and most importantly, King hopes that his ugly little monster will breed with a human woman so that the subsequent offspring will go forth and conquer the world. Don't look at me; I didn't write the script. Anyway, after endless running around and a few deaths (along with a few cheesy encounters with Mr. Hammerhead man, revealed in confusing, quick cut editing fashion in order to hide the zipper) the movie grinds into its inevitable final part. Oddly, the picture turns from a fairly mundane and ridiculous beastie flick into a kill 'em all actioner as the surviving characters open up a can of whupass on King's mercenary force. It's nice to know corporate executives know how to use assault weapons. They must have sandwiched in that training between operating a copier and forwarding e-mail using Outlook Express. Do I really need to go on? Not really, but I will anyway.
"Hammerhead" would have tanked at the box office had the film actually received a theatrical run. It's likely it would have tanked on DVD if idiots like myself hadn't run right out to rent a copy. How could it have succeeded? Nearly every element of the film misfires in horrific ways. Especially egregious are the lame special effects used to realize Hammerhead Man. I've seen more believable effects in a grade school play than I did in this movie. The beastie looks terribly unconvincing, and even more so when the quick cut editing techniques come into play. In an effort to hide the creature's glaring flaws, the camera tricks actually draw the viewer's attention to just how ridiculous this thing looks. Sigh. Another problem involved the direction. Take a close look at the Rambo style action scenes at the end of the flick. Was it just me or did the choreography look really bad? It's hard to follow what's happening. Oh well. The movie isn't without a few positives, mainly Jeffrey Combs on autocamp as the lunatic Dr. King and William Forsythe as a keister-kicking executive. Hunter Tylo's bod adds much needed eye candy to the proceedings. These positives are NOT enough to overcome the film's inherent flaws, however.
It is my sad duty to report to you that the DVD version of "Hammerhead" comes with zero in the way of extras. Yes sir, we're dealing with a barebones disc here. I'm actually not surprised that we don't get a commentary track, cast and crew interviews, or behind the scenes footage. Why would anyone working on or starring in this movie want to promote his or her efforts? It's not like they'll win an award for a movie named "Hammerhead". Moreover, it helps to keep a low profile when making a picture like this one if an actor or actress wishes to work in Hollywood again. On a final note: when did Hunter Tylo start looking like a clone of Janine Turner? I'd throttle back on the plastic surgery if I were you, lady. I like your body, but you're a few botox injections away from being cast in the sequel as the beastie!
Summary of Hammerhead
When a brilliant but misguided scientist is banished to a remote island his stem cell research and DNA manipulation give birth to horrifying results. By combining the most vicious killer of the oceans with the intelligence of man, he hopes to create a super killer whose domain is land and sea. Now only a small group of scientists can stop his evil plans as one of his Hammerhead/Man creations hunts them down one by one with seemingly no place to hide.Horror DVD Video
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