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Shark Tale on DVD (2004)

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Average rating: 64%
1216520101427
3.0
from 5,399 members
 
Starring: Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese
Director: Eric 'Bibo' Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, Rob Letter
Studio: DREAMWORKS HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time: 90 mins
Certificate: U
User collections: The legend that is Jack Black, Overhyped, Overdone, Under-achieving, My DVD Collection, TERRIBLE TERRIBLE MOVIES! do not watch these!
Genres: Animated, Children, Family
Languages: English
Hearing-impaired: English
Released: 11/02/2005

Brief synopsis of Shark Tale

Will Smith brings hip-hop zest to the voice of Oscar, a fast-talking everyfish who rejects his life at the whale wash and longs for fortune and fame in this animated film from Dreamworks. A combination of FINDING NEMO and GOODFELLAS set in New York, here sharks are old-school gangsters who prey on the local citizenry and hang out in the wreck of the Titanic. Martin Scorsese does the voice of Mr. Sykes, Oscar's blowfish boss, who owes head Shark Don Lino (Robert De Niro) a lot of clams. Don Lino wants to turn over his reign to his two sons, but youngest Lenny (Jack Black) is a closet vegetarian. The plot thickens when Oscar takes credit for the accidental death of Lenny's brother, and suddenly finds the fame and fortune he's been seeking, only it's based on the lie that he's 'the shark slayer'. It's tough not to like this spunky fish story, especially with Scorsese and De Niro verbally one-upping each other in some hilarious bits. Also noteworthy: a pair of hilariously mellow Rastafarian jellyfish (Ziggy Marley and Doug E. Doug) and Peter Falk as an old Tiger Shark who hangs around the Titanic crooning My Heart Will Go On. Renee Zellweger and Angelina Jolie are the females--one pure of heart, one a 'fish fatale' - battling over Oscar's affection. In addition to all that, there should be enough goofy humour, action, and goofing to keep the kids riveted.

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Critics Reviews

Rating of 3 stars out of 5 Radio Times

Thanks to the enormous success of Pixar movies such as Toy Story and Monsters Inc), a computer-animated feature needs to be extra special to really make a mark. It's not good enough to be merely average, which is why this family comedy from DreamWorks — the company behind the Shrek phenomenon — disappoints a little. A thinly disguised morality lesson, it tells the tale of a celebrity-obsessed fish (voiced by Will Smith) who masquerades as a shark-killing hero with the aid of a vegetarian great white (Jack Black). Overall, the film's entirely serviceable, kept buoyant by irreverent humour and some adult-friendly movie skits. However, unlike its closest companion, Finding Nemo, it gives the underwater world a humanised slant, ignoring its natural magic. Instead, the sea life looks rather charmless, but there is a certain “wow” factor in the cleverness of the “car wash” scenes. Luckily, the voice casting shows more imagination, with Robert De Niro's Mafioso shark and Martin Scorsese's crooked puffer fish both delightfully memorable.

Rating of 1 stars out of 4 Halliwell's Film Guide

Brash animated film that stays in the shallows with its dull parody of Mafia movies and its belief that references to other movies (including, inevitably Jaws) are automatically hilarious.

Heat

The most fun you've had since Shrek 2. It's a lot of fun.

See all 4 Critics Reviews »

Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 5 starssuperb.........

williamsgwynfa [Highly rated reviewer] , 10/04/2007

this film is superb. Shark Tale has an all star cast which includes Angelina Jolie, Will Smith, Renee Zellweger, Martin Scorsese and Jack Black.

the film follows a lowly fish called Oscar who is played by will smith, with aspirations of being rich and famous. Oscar has a lousy job, which is cleaning the back of a Whale's tongue, deep down in the Sea at the Whale Wash.

On the other side of the reef, is the Great White shark family, headed by Robert De Niro's character, with Lenny played by Jack Black, who is his wayward son, who is trying to escape, from his family life.

Oscar desperately wants to be known by everyone, and his chance comes when he is left to be eaten by Sharks, after not paying up to the head of them called Don Lino (Robert DeNiro). Oscar is mistaken for slaying a Shark, who came to gobble him up, after Don Lino's odd vegetarian brother Lenny (Jack Black) fails to eat him.

When Oscar and Lenny's worlds intertwine, they find both a friendship and a way to solve their problems.

Oscar is showered with fame and fortune as the 'Shark Slayer,' but after a while his story starts to sound a bit fishy, now he must get out of hot water to stay at the top.

Renee Zellweger is the voice of the lonely friend of Oscar, who secretly holds a crush on him.

Martin Scorsese is the voice of Sykes, Don Lino's pet boy.

And Oscar's manager is voiced by Angelina Jolie, as Lola the cute at first girl, but mean inside fish.

Ziggy Marley (Bob Marley's son) voices Ernie and Bernie.

On the DVD bonus features, the 'Club Oscar' section features fish, sharks and hilarious little shrimp, dancing and raving.

well worth renting out.

  63 out of 69 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsDidn't Like It

therostrons from Cumbria , 17/02/2005

Sorry guys - but it just didn't wash with me. I loved Shrek and was greatly looking forward to this. It just couldn't decide whether to appeal to adults, or children. Animation great, music great, some fun Godfather gags ('sleeps with the fishes') but plot shaky at best.

It's got good reviews and I know the kids will love it. Besides, the characters looked too much like their Hollywood voices and I'd rather try and guess who did the voices rather than have it made plain for me.

  37 out of 60 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsAverage

cretan from London , 18/04/2005

Lazy, plotless animation piggybacking on the success of the infinitely better Finding Nemo.

Will Smith's character is annoying and charmless much like the actor.

  30 out of 52 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsHum Ho

Lola4 from West Yorkshire , 17/03/2005

I was disappointed. Too much plot, not enough character. A lot of convoluted build up which led to not much. The bad sharks ended up not being bad really. The end. That's where the film falls down. Kid's (and adults) deserve better than this.

Next! (appologies but I have become quite seduced by Alan Sugar's forthright approach to life.)

  38 out of 71 people found this review helpful
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Most Recent Reviews

Rated - 2 starsOK but not a perch on Finding Nemo

A customer from Carpdiff...I mean Cardiff . , 20/03/2005

reasonably enjoyable cgi animated romp. Little in it to really keep the grown-ups entertained, has some of the most blatant product placement I've ever seen in a movie, and once you've heard one Jessica Shrimpson style 'gag' you've heard them all!! Disappointingly not too much in it for the kids either. Trys too hard to be hip and happening but my kids were a little bit alienated by it and not engrossed or engaged at all. One fell asleep. one wanted to go to bed and the other didn't asked for it to be paused whaen he had to go to the toilet!! 'Nuff said! Perhaps as an adult I have been a little spoilt recently with films like the Shreks and Nemo that you can genuinely enjoy if you're age is in late double digits. But there are some classic Disneys which I've never minded watching because you see them through your childs' eyes and their wonder and enjoyment is what moves you. Unfortunately this film failed on both counts. I wonder if CGI is to movie-making what Reality TV seems to be to our programme makers? Terribly fashionable but churned out and ultimately unrewarding. Wish Hollywood would go back and make a truly great animated film like 'The Iron Giant'.

  10 out of 12 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsRubbish

A customer from Portsmouth , 06/04/2005

Utter Rubbish, This movie is no where near as good as Finding Nemo. Stick to the Disney classics.

  4 out of 5 people found this review helpful
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