In 1975 Steven Spielberg unleashed Jaws into the world and in doing so invented the shark movie genre. Since then, shark films have gone on quite the journey with them now being synonymous with the wild and wacky. Thanks to Sharknado almost every film that has followed has had some over-the-top element to it. Luckily there are still filmmakers out there willing to follow the approach of Spielberg with Jaws, with The Black Demon director, Adrian Grunberg, being one of them.
The Black Demon stars Josh Lucas as Paul, the head of a family who find themselves in peril on a rundown oil rig. Not only do they have a rickety rig to contend with, but the waters around them are stalked by a mythic megalodon. The premise might sound high-concept cheese, but in reality The Black Demon is a more subdued thriller that takes aim at corporate America and its potency for destruction. In fact, the shark component takes a backseat for much of the first two-thirds of The Black Demon’s narrative.
The Black Demon may open with the sudden deaths of two workmen at sea, but the focus soon shifts to Paul and his family. Grunberg follows the Spielberg formula that was finessed in Jurassic Park and spends time with the foursome ensuring that the audience are fully invested in them. The family unit is as wholesome as one would find in any Amblin film, but Paul isn’t a straight-forward hero. Sent by the company he works for to decommission the oil rig, it is made clear that Paul has been complicit in its downfall and, by proxy, the decline of the once thriving town on land. His family are victims of the townsfolk’s hostility; one scene in the local bar is aggressively threatening, and is far more blood-curdling than the massive monster swimming in the depths. Paul’s inaction to his employer’s scheme hits home and watching him wrestle with his guilt makes him a far more complex, and exciting, prospect.
Grunberg takes an expert swipe at corporate America and those that are leeching off of poorer communities and countries. The inclusion of such a serious subject matter dulls the campness of the megalodon, making The Black Demon more cerebral than the typical shark movie, but Grunberg isn’t afraid to get mean when the moment calls for it. Sequences featuring the megalodon are suitably fraught and intense. The warring elements don’t fully unite however, with perhaps a slight overfocus on the corporate drama when the audience’s appetite is for giant sharks. Overall, The Black Demon makes for an entertaining evening’s viewing, with new directions that inject a much needed freshness to murky chum infested waters.
Signature Entertainment presents The Black Demon on Digital Platforms 19th June and Blu-ray & DVD 17th July.
The Black Demon
Summary
A shark movie with a difference, The Black Demon adds new depths to a classic tale.
