User reviews

Aw, come on. It's not that bad! It's just a poor cousin of one of the "Meg" movies, only with Josh Lucas trying to save the day rather than Jason Statham. He finds himself and his family trapped on a dilapidated oil rig off Baja, where they discover that a creature with a fin the size of a tennis court is marauding and it's peckish. Once safely ensconced on the installation, "Paul" discovers that most of the crew have skedaddled and those left are petrified of our huge great sea beastie. Worse still, they believe it has been sent by their gods as retribution for their plundering of the natural resources - and that they are all going to be tomorrow's ambergris. Now, to be fair to this CGI-fest, the ending is not quite as you might expect but the fact that the great fish seems huge enough to eat a bus at one stage then scared off by being kicked by a small child doesn't do too much for the credibility of this really, really quite sad indictment of where this once A-list actor has toppled to over the last decade. It hasn't really an original bone in any of it's bodies and it really is forgettable stuff that almost made me wish that I was the guy in the poster...

Pay no attention to the negative reviews because this was solid popcorn. I stopped going by negative reviews on here a long time ago because they are notorious for saying horrible films are terrific and a decent ones bad. And I found that highly suspicious and that is why I stopped giving credence to negative reviews until I download and watch a film to determine to concur or disagree with them myself. Black Demon is a decent enough surviving a killer shark film to watch all the way through without a lot of wtf nonsensical moments. And everyone saying that the acting is bad must have some real personal animous towards the actors because the cast did their job. I've seen bad and even horrible acting and believe me when I say that there wasn't any in this film. And quite frankly for a killer shark movie, the story made sense. So disregard all the negatives reviews and judge for yourself. As an avid film watcher of all genres, this was a solid one time popcorn watch.

Right, well of course I opted to sit down and watch the 2023 movie "The Black Demon", as I had the opportunity to do so. After all, I am a sucker for shark movies, despite the vast majority of shark movies being utter garbage. But I opted to give writers Carlos Cisco and Boise Esquerra's 2023 movie the benefit of the doubt.

And I mean, a shark movie with a megalodon, that has to be cool, right? Well, some movies with megalodons are, but just not this particular 2023 movie. Sure, I managed to sit through the entire movie, but I was not particularly entertained by the script and storyline that writers Carlos Cisco and Boise Esquerra had put together. It was just, hands down, a bit too silly and preachy.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, aside from Josh Lucas, Jorge A. Jimenez, Héctor Jiménez and Julio Cesar Cedillo. The acting performances in the movie were actually fair enough, despite the fact that the actors and actresses had very little of anything proper to work with.

Visually then "The Black Demon" was adequate. The megalodon was nicely enough rendered by CGI, though it wasn't really as much on the screen as I would have liked it to be, much less actually expected it to be with "The Black Demon" being a shark movie.

There are far better shark movies out there, and "The Black Demon" came and went without leaving as much as a ripple on the waters in which it swam and ultimately sank. This is not a movie that I will recommend you to rush out and get to watch. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.

My rating of director Adrian Grunberg's 2023 movie "The Black Demon" lands on three out of ten stars.

Just got back from watching this movie in the theater and I am still mad about wasting my money on this trash of a movie. The only scenes with the creature are short and happen to quick. Other than that the rest of the movie is nothing but arguing, family drama, preaching about humans destroying the planet, etc. Not to mention there is no character development. First shark movie I have seen where I actually wouldn't have minded if the whole cast didn't make it. If you are wanting to watch a shark film then I wouldn't recommend this one. This movie actually makes The Meg seem like an Oscar worthy film.

Never judge a book by its cover. The poster makes you think you're going to see a creature feature with a cool monster shark eating people. But nope. It's just a 1 location C movie with a family on an oil rig.

The characters are entirely unlikeable, the acting is bad, there's constant preaching about how humans are destroying the planet, with about the same subtlety of some idiot gluing themselves to the street to save the weather.

The actual shark is in it for about... 20 seconds of screentime. If at all.

Worst of all, the film takes itself entirely seriously. If you don't have the budget (or talent) to make a serious drama, at least make it fun.

No fun to be had here. It's just bad.

I had expectations that it will be at least a honest horror movie with tension moments, jump scares and things like that. But I was very very disappointed.

The movie has no sense at all the action is very illogical, the actors do not know how to act it seems like a movie made by high school students with a script written in the break time.

The idea of the movie is good on paper and a very interesting take on the subject but the acting, pacing and overall atmosphere of the story has no connection to reality.

This movie is a big waste of time and money I do not recommend it at all, I have seen the actors in other movies I do not understand why the acting is so bad in this one.

This is definitely a movie of all time. It was so good that I had to write this review as I'm watching the movie. I'm literally sitting at the theater right now. My favorite moment was when the antagonist said "it's sharkin' time", an iconic line that nods to the classic Swedish film the seventh seal. Seeing the movie made me wish that I was in the movie, so I could be eaten alive instead of sitting through this amazing movie. I came because the guardians of the galaxy screening was cancelled, but I stayed because my wallet guilt tripped me into sitting through this godly creation. I especially loved how this movie made everyone look stupid, Americans, Mexicans, and even shark, this movie made me hate ethnic groups from every end of the spectrum.

Why watch the movie and ruin the trailer? The half Spanish crap without translations and the flicking of information without the time to actually see what it is they are looking at was so distracting. What was the deal with the little men in the boat??? ...I don't know because it wasn't explained. What a cheap piece of crap this movie is. I really felt like I was watching either a movie that wasn't quite finished, or I was wasting my money on a story that would have been a poor choice on Tubi. Too much droning on and on about legends and not enough action from the shark ...this was supposed to be a movie about a shark, a demon shark, or a megalodon so where is the action from the shark? This was one of the worst examples of storytelling I have EVER seen! Save your money on this one, because it is bound to show up in the bargain bin at Walmart very soon. I drove home after seeing this movie and even though nothing happened on the way, it was a better story than this trash told. The Black Demon didn't live up to expectations by even the smallest margin. Did someone forget to finish writing the script? I kept waiting for it to get better but it just kept sinking deeper into the hole. Maybe having a story focusing on a megalodon, an oil rig, a family, a Mexican legend, and something about little men in a boat was a bit too much to deal with in the time it took for this movie to sink lower than Sharknado, but Sharknado didn't come out as a serious movie. Not a lot of shark and too much back-and-forth banter in Spanish and English set the tone for people to get tired of reading the dialogue and missing the action. To be honest there wasn't a great deal of action anyway... I am so sick of crappy shark movies, and The Black Demon was right up there on the crappiest shark movie I have seen since The Two-Headed-Shark Attack. I bought my young son a plastic bat at a flea market while carrying him in a backpack carrier. He spent the entire time there hitting me in the head with it. That bat was a better purchase than buying a ticket for this crappy movie.

Currently watching the movie in a theater and this is my first time writing a review but god i had to do it , this movie is absolutely awful and boring and time wasting. Nothing in this movie is natural not the acting not the scenes not the music not the tone , something is out of order, even the camera work is so funny like not even a one good shot everthing seems like it was filmed in a nokia phone and the actors acting is a bit too much like it's funny how they think they're good at it. Overall i came to have a nice family time late at night thinking that a horror movie at this time will give us a good time. Boy was i wrong.

Paul Sturges returns to a small town to check on an offshore oil rig while incorporating a family vacation. However, the areas economics have taken a turn and their tranquil retreat is hijacked by a colossal megalodon shark.

Beyond directors Adrian Grünberg captivating visuals, Boise Esquerra's screenplay delves into meaningful ecological and spiritual legends themes, making it more than just a creature feature. Although a little talkie and preachy it highlights the importance of preserving our environment and respecting the sacredness of nature. It's weaves these themes into its storyline, along with the importance of family.

It's a little too human-focused, but includes periodic scary vision interludes, along with the few and far between shark setups. Leonardo Heiblum and Jacobo Lieberman's score adds impact to the proceedings, the effects are good considering the budget, especially the rig itself.

Josh Lucas delivers a great performance, along with notable Fernanda Urrejola and Julio Cesar Cedillo. It's a pity that the film is unapologetically downbeat in its resolution. While the somber tone serves the narrative well, it might leave some viewers hoping for a more optimistic outcome.

Overall, Black Demon combines some interesting underwater visuals, and an eerie cautionary tale of manmade ecological disasters, reminding us of the importance of the ocean's preservation.

In short.. give it a chance!

As with many low budget shark movies the cgi is weak and unconvincing. This movie takes more of a Hitchcock approach to the shark, where you seldom see it.

As the Hitchcock approach is applied to the shark, the director Adrian Grunberg, begins to apply the approach throughout the film.

The film starts off with a family going outside of their own domestic element and into the land of their roots, Mexico.

As they enter a town they are encountered by progressively strange vibes, from supernatural to eerie, to sexually aggressive behaviour.

The score perfectly compliments the film, and carries the suspense throughout it, and only increases in quality and in eventfulness as it goes on.

I strongly recommend you spend the £1.99 this week on the rental when available.

AL.

Unlike what I expected from the trailer, this movie gives a different vibe from the 'Meg' series. Although you can tell that the animation quality doesn't quite match up to 'Meg,' I really like how this film combines the darkness and introspection of corrupt oil companies and well-paid officials. It shows that maintaining a facade of a glamorous life can turn people into environmental destroyers without a care, and they only realize their mistakes when they themselves are affected. This isn't just another commercial film focused solely on delivering thrills, like 'Meg.' There's a line in the movie that I strongly resonate with: even though we know our job duties may lead to wrongdoing, when the boss says, 'If you don't do it, someone else will,' many people, I believe, would end up like the male protagonist, sinking deeper into it.

This movie was so boring and average that even the shark did not wanted to appear for more than 1-2 minutes or so in the entire movie. He preffered to do more valuable things than wasting his time in to this movie.

The cast was not bad and the acting was ok but the plot was ridiculus and they beeped our balls all the time by preaching how we destroy the environment all the times like we don't know that already.

Anyhow if u are a shark film lover then u could check this out once in a theater but i would not suggest to buy the dvd when becomes available.

This is not worth your $$$.

There are a lot better shark films out there.

Here are a few recommendations of so bad it's good b movie shark films which are way better than this.

The meg // deep blue sea trilogy // ice sharks // sand sharks // mega shark vs giant octopus // two headed shark // three headed shark // five headed shark // the shallows // open water.

Some of you acting as if the Director kidnapped you, rinsed your savings account as a ticket fee, and Strapped you Clockwork Orange style to watch this 33,000 times on loop.

Ok list style, here we go.

1. The Kills: Pretty original, some offscreen. I mean how much excitement do you really expect from a 70 foot shark eating a person? Is it a Spielberg level event when you eat a single mini m&m? Grade B 2. The plot: It was alright. A small twist in it. I could see this having a different ending a few ways. Grade B 3. Acting: It was hit and miss. Possibly due to the writing. Don't even try to sell me that 50 shades would have been a better movie with Sir Anthony Hopkins in his Prime with Helen Mirin go cast. Actors can only do so much with the role. Grade C+ The wife, and Son are probably the most believable acting in this.

4. CGI SFX: B It was better than anything The Asylum ever did, but yes it's not the MEG and it's not Jaws and it doesn't have to be.

Over all grade with no Zach Galifianakis-Alan mathematical questions in a casino is a B + cause I like shake movies. To score an A though it's tough to come close to Jaws. Even Bruce the shark for all the issues looks like something you'd NEVER want to see in the open ocean.

You can tell the target market of this film are the people who enjoy watching films like Birdemic.

Because the plot is so idiotic.

And the execution is so bad.

It's almost humourous.

But only mildly so.

Because, not only is it, yet another, awful film about a giant CGI-rendered shark.

They've made the damn thing psychic, as well.

Having given it the ability to manipulate your mind into seeing things that aren't actually there.

You've got to be kidding me.

That aside, it features some of the worst writing I've ever seen.

And a plot that relies on some of the most stupid decisions, in the history of horror, to drive it forward.

The whole thing is patently ridiculous.

And the shark isn't even that cool.

So it doesn't even foray into so-bad-it's-good territory.

Really, it's just bad.

Though, bad enough to get a few chuckles out of you.

Just don't expect anything more than that.

Here's hoping Tlaloc curses those responsible for making this film...and associating his name with it.

2 out of 10.

I recommend no one to watch it unless you are 10 years old or younger. First of all the actors do not know how to act, second all events were easily predictable like nothing unexpected happened. I regret wasting the precious time of my weekend watching this low quality movie i was more on my phone than watching this. If you are thinking about watching it DON'T trust me.

The poster is good but never judge a book by its cover, I thought it would be something like Deep Blue See movie but NO i want my money back as well as the wasted time.

The actors had no idea how to act but to be fare the little boy is the only one who knew how to act.

This movie is really as bad as all reviews say it is. It starts already with the opening scene under water : it is absolute garbage, the director and cinematographer have no idea how to shoot underwater scenes, you can't tell what's going on and this happens each time they go under water. Somehow the protagonists end up on a abandoned oil rig surrounded by a ghostly superstition Mexican Megalodon of some sort, brought upon by the white man and the oil rig. I wasn't really paying attention when this part was explained because it took the pace out of the movie and was clearly "we are destroying the environment, global warming etc" nonsense, anyway the main cast make the most idiotic decisions and there is no plan, there is no goal, things just happen and then suddenly the movie is over (thank God !). The director has no idea how to keep tension; there is constant noise on the platform, presumably from the Megalodon doing ... something, we never get to see what it's doing because you only see flashes of this monster, where did it come from and what does it want ? We will never know. You don't feel any sympathy for the main characters, Josh Lucas is and always will be a B-actor and I was constantly wondering what this man was doing in a 100% Mexican produced movie, he is literally the only American in this flick.

Anyway he plays an oil company inspector of oil rigs and arrives at this oil platform, completely unaware of where everyone is but then halfway the movie there is a plot twist that makes you go "huh ? Then why did he act like that in the beginning ?". As another reviewer already pointed out : the script was probably written by AI. Avoid at all cost.

I was so excited to watch this movie, thinking it was going to be a great, campy shark movie. I was wrong. The shark is in the movie for MAYBE 2 minutes. In those two minutes, you can barely see it. The rest is just horrible acting and unnecessary exposition. And not even fun horrible acting. Just awkward and boring. The amount of dialogue it takes to set up a storyline about a shark seeking revenge on polluters without actually seeing the "villlain" of the story is insulting to the audience. Josh Lukas can and has done better. I was physically angry after watching this film. Do not recommend.

No pun intended - can an animal be a demon? The characters and the movie wants to make you believe that - at least to a degree. And it is being built in a way and depicted that it makes the viewer feel there is much more there than there might be. Having someone like Josh Lucas starring in the movie, gives it some extra credibility for sure though ... as crazy as it may sound (and is).

That all being said, the movie has some nice effects and does ride the wave (sorry), that you would expect it to do. Or what it says on the box - you could say, that the movie is a nice b-movie in the horror department ... know what to expect, do not be too disappointed I reckon ...