It’s a big ocean out there, and obviously Dreamworks felt there was room for two big fishes in a sea of riches when they decided to do a Finding Nemo of their own. Oscar (Will Smith) is a small and unimportant fish in a big ocean, until he inadvertently crosses paths with Don Lino (Robert DeNiro), Godfather of the Shark mob. Lino is looking for revenge when his favorite son is killed, and Oscar, seeing an opportunity to get out of the slums, takes credit for the kill and becomes a public hero. After getting tied up with Lino’s self-conflicted son named Lenny (Jack Black), Oscar finds that fame isn’t all that its cracked up to be. Oh, and that importance can’t be judged and weighed with the almighty dollar sign.
Of course, this premise is incredibly ironic, considering all of the product placements we endure throughout this movie. Where Finding Nemo featured subtle parodies within its underwater society, Dreamworks fashions Shark Tale by giving celebrities gills, and the marketing people creative control. One has to wonder whether Dreamworks pitched a film like Finding Nemo to big corporations, asking for money and then sold ad space by the dollar. There’s a subtle art to placing products in a film, and while it can sometimes be a minor nuisance in some films, Shark Tale shoots a barrage of these products in our faces which doesn’t sit well.
This makes difficult to swallow the moral that money and status do not solve all problems. The film pays due to all who invested heavily in this project, plastering ads for Coke to Krispy Kreme Donuts. Certainly the deterring factor between good film and great film is the abundance of corporate influence on the film. This is no Finding Nemo, as it needs to be asked where we draw the line between satire and brainwashing. Considering that Shark Tale is meant for kids, what the hell is the message here? Drink Coke and listen to shitty Christina Aguilera remakes of classic funk tunes? Absolutely not.
The film isn’t a complete piece of shit as some good things are thrown into the mix. Dreamworks definitely reaffirms its own sense of style of computer generated affairs in this visually stunning film. Even with all the characters featuring famous face, everything from character design to the underwater world is done with detailed precision. And there are some really good jokes when the film isn’t busy “parodying” a product we should buy.
The kids will eat this film up. At a packed preview screening, many youngsters filled the cinema with cries of laughter and awe. It’s certainly nice to see Dreamworks Animation doing something that is a lot of fun. But Isn’t it odd how times have changed? Since the days of the exceptionally clever film Antz, Dreamworks has become a marketing powerhouse. Bring your kids for a delicious spoonful of advertisement heroin.
Regardless, many people will get a kick out of seeing the likes of Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Jack Black, Will Smith, Renee Zellweger and Angelina Jolie personified as sea creatures, and Shark Tale will certinly do what it set out to do in the first place_bank some serious coin.