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Shark Night

Play trailer Poster for Shark Night PG-13 Released Sep 2, 2011 1h 31m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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19% Tomatometer 74 Reviews 22% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Newly arrived at her family's lake-island cabin, college student Sara (Sara Paxton) and her friends prepare for a weekend of fun in the sun. But soon after they dive into the lake, football player Malik (Sinqua Walls) stumbles out of the water with a grievous wound. Thinking Malik is the victim of a freak accident, the friends pile into a tiny speedboat and head for the hospital. To their horror, they discover that they are surrounded by hundreds of massive, hungry sharks.
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Shark Night

Shark Night

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Critics Consensus

A joyless excursion into the water that doesn't even produce good gore or nudity thanks to the neutered PG-13 rating.

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Critics Reviews

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Kimberley Jones Austin Chronicle Not content to restrict itself to an exercise in "When Nature Attacks," the filmmakers take a hard, ugly turn into torture-porn territory. Rated: 0.5/5 Sep 9, 2011 Full Review Nick Pinkerton Village Voice Shark Night, handled with impersonality by Snakes on a Plane pilot David R. Ellis, aspires to nothing more or less than carrying along an audience through a string of unremarkable kills, often involving high-jumping fish. Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Wesley Morris Boston Globe A second round is out of the question. Unless, of course, they called it "Gladys Knight 3D.'' Then all is forgiven. Rated: 1/4 Sep 5, 2011 Full Review Grant Watson Fiction Machine This is the sort of lazy commercial filmmaking that should not be rewarded. Rated: 2/10 Feb 28, 2024 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Even with a slightly different plot from its peers, it's still a completely dull and uninspired experience. Rated: 1/5 Sep 24, 2023 Full Review Iván Kazi EscribiendoCine A movie that lacks rhythm and balance. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/10 Sep 20, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 31 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Language, Disturbing Images, Violence and Terror, Partial Nudity, Sexual References and Thematic Material!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $18,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/27/25 Full Review Michael B As Told by the Lake Look, I didn’t ask for any of this. I’m just a lake. Serene. Still. Occasionally shimmering in the golden dusk light. I’ve spent centuries hosting innocent cannonballs, lazy paddleboat rides, and the occasional midnight skinny-dip. But in Shark Night, Hollywood decided to turn me into a horror show—and frankly, I’m offended. First of all, sharks? Really? In me? I'm freshwater. Not exactly prime real estate for bull sharks or great whites. Yet the film stuffs me full of toothy monsters like I’m some aquatic buffet line at SeaWorld. The only thing I usually host is bass and the odd snapping turtle. But no—let’s throw in a marine biology-defying twist and act like that’s totally normal. Science, apparently, took a vacation. And then there are the humans. A group of college students arrives, and I think, “Great, more sunscreen in my water.” But no, these ones bring with them terrible decisions, questionable acting, and GoPro-level filming techniques. They think I’m just another backdrop for their summer getaway—until the sharks show up. Suddenly, I'm a blood-slicked nightmare spa. But let’s be honest: the real predators weren’t the sharks. It was the plot holes. Somehow, I’m wired up with underwater cameras and a feeding system like it’s a reality show hosted by Jaws. Apparently, some local yokels decided to monetize fear by dropping apex predators into my depths and filming the carnage. Did anyone stop to ask me? No. No permits. No environmental consultation. Just pure exploitation. Despite all this, I have to admit I did enjoy a few things: the cinematography tried its best to make me look menacing, which was flattering. And every time someone screamed, the ripples across my surface looked pretty dramatic. That was nice. But ultimately, Shark Night is less of a thriller and more of a B-movie buffet of bad decisions served with a side of CGI overkill. If you’re expecting logic, suspense, or scientific accuracy—stay on the shore. But if you want an absurd, campy ride through watery nonsense, dive in. Just don’t blame me when you realize this whole thing should’ve been called Plot Hole Pond. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/25 Full Review Rosana B Eu simplesmente amo tubarões, sou fã de carteirinha de Sharknado, então seria chover no molhado dizer que quanto mais B, mais trash, mais eu me derreto com os tubarõezinhos, e aqui eles são bem bonitinho, de variedades infinitas, a história é bem boba, super absurda, roteiro ínfimo e recheado de furos, e daí? Amamos assim mesmo, porque tubarões são uns queridos famintos… Poderia ter mais dilacerações, decepamentos e sangue, mas foi divertido… Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/25 Full Review Yuliet O Some Inappropriate scenes and blood for PG-13?! for me it is a good movie, good acting and the Shark Scenes are really cool I have to say I will rate this movie a 8/10 for best Shark Scenes Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/08/24 Full Review Anna S a terrible movie with a terrible script, totally confusing and unconnected, unbearable and stupid characters who only know how to talk about sex and a terrible CGI Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/08/24 Full Review Courtney K i accidentally watched this twice & both times i can safely say i wasn't impressed. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Shark Night

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Movie Info

Synopsis Newly arrived at her family's lake-island cabin, college student Sara (Sara Paxton) and her friends prepare for a weekend of fun in the sun. But soon after they dive into the lake, football player Malik (Sinqua Walls) stumbles out of the water with a grievous wound. Thinking Malik is the victim of a freak accident, the friends pile into a tiny speedboat and head for the hospital. To their horror, they discover that they are surrounded by hundreds of massive, hungry sharks.
Director
David R. Ellis
Producer
Mike Fleiss, Lynette Howell Taylor, Chris Briggs
Screenwriter
Will Hayes, Jesse Studenberg
Distributor
Relativity Media
Production Co
Sierra / Affinity, Silverwood Films, Incentive Filmed Entertainment, Next Films
Rating
PG-13 (Language|Disturbing Images|Violence and Terror|Partial Nudity|Sexual References|Thematic Material)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 2, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 2, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$18.9M
Runtime
1h 31m
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