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Devil Fish (1984) - Blu-ray Review

2 BEERS

Everybody out of the water!  The coast guard has just pulled another limbless (and lifeless) corpse out of the ocean.  What the hell is happening to all these fishermen with expensive ass boats?

There is a living fossil wreaking all sorts of havoc in the high seas.  It’s 40 feet long.  Its jaws can open to 6 feet wide and, travelling at more than 30 knots, it is a one of a kind undersea creature.  And Dr Stella Dickens (Valentine Monnier), Professor West (William Berger), and technician (or repairman) Peter (Michael Sopkiw) want a piece of its discovery.

Some think it is a shark.  Some believe it to be an octopus.  It is, in fact, both.  A shark with tentacles?!  Yes, and in 1984, not even Italian director Lamberto Bava (DemonsDemons 2) could make this goofy monster movie work, adding to it a sort of murder mystery element as one corporation has an agent on the ground willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of their sea killer project.  What? 

 

"Devilfish is the Italian answer to Jaws"


 

The monster shark attacks, with actors getting slapped by spongy limbs from under boats, are hilarious.  The growls and grunts from the creature are completely wrongheaded and, with only a severed limb to go on, this group of scientists are in a wacky race against time, a corporation that kills, and an inept police force to get to it first.{googleads}

The accidental hilarity continues as Peter, who is not very smart, continues to get hit on by every single woman in this mutant shrimp flick. He has eyes for them all. The women, maybe turned on by the underwater shark monster that can reproduce itself, flirt with him, call him a genius, and get the chance to be his one night snuggle buddy. One such bedding occurs on a beach as our mysterious monster is devouring everybody else. 

As most of the cast is simply waiting around to get strangled and gobbled up by this freak of nature, it is rather unfortunate that this film takes itself entirely too seriously.  The monster, using recycled underwater footage of it slowly swimming toward the camera, gets reduced and sidelined all too often while the conspiracy of a company investing in the future through monster creation gets prime time.  Ugh.  A bit of a disappointment considering it was co-written by Luigi Cozzi (Star Crash) and Sergio Martino (Hands of Steel). What it needs is more guerilla-styled gonzo!

Devil Fish (1984) - Blu-ray Review

Killing this fishy creature won’t be easy. There is only one plan that everyone can agree on.  It involves fire; lots and lots of fire.   But, as this is a sea creature, burning it to death might be a bit problematic.  Doesn’t matter, these “scientific” dunderheads are all about frying this fish.  And with 10 whole minutes remaining in this mindless B-movie, we get our best/worst looks at this oversized flounder.  Hilarious.  Turns out flamethrowers are no match for this floppy-toothed ocean-bound Muppet. 

Designed to attack boats and hunt down women, Devilfish (aka Monster Shark) is now on blu-ray thanks to Code Red’s brand-new HD transfer.  With extensive color corrections, this is a bit of a dull catch (even by my degenerative standards) and leaves far too much to be desired from a creature feature.  But, hey, synthwave fans will totally dig the 8-bit sound of the film’s score.   

Devilfish is the Italian answer to Jaws but, busy relying on a computer to deliver plot points and never giving us a decent look at the monster shark below the surface, this is one fishing expedition that loses its bait.

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Devil Fish (1984) - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
90 mins
Director
: Lamberto Bava
Writer:
Lamberto Bava
Cast:
Michael Sopkiw, Valentine Monnier, Gianni Garko
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
Sink your teeth into pure terror.
Memorable Movie Quote: "He'd sit on his mother's head if he had something to gain by it."
Theatrical Distributor:
Cinema Shares International Distribution
Official Site:
Release Date:
November 14, 1986
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
July 3, 2018
Synopsis: The ocean depths unleash a bloodthirsty monstrosity in this cult classic monster favorite from Italy! A marine biologist (Michael Sopkiw, Blastfighter), a dolphin trainer (Valentine Monnier, After The Fall Of New York), a research scientist, and a local sheriff (John Garko, The Psychic) try to hunt down a large sea monster, a shark/octopus hybrid, that’s devouring swimmers and fishermen off a south Florida coast.

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Devil Fish (1984) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Code Red DVD
Available on Blu-ray
- July 3, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English
Language:
English
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Code Red presents Devilfish on blu-ray with a NEW transfer complete with color corrections and release the film the best it has ever looked. There’s a good grain level throughout and the new transfer, presented with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, looks impeccable. Colors are solid and black levels, with clean edges, are all solid throughout. We never get a good look at the monster, though. But what I can see is that there are little details in its design. The sound is presented in a crisp 1.0 mono track.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Michael Sopkiw sticks around for an entertaining audio commentary.

     

Special Features:

Michael Sopkiw and Banana Man provide the film with an introduction.  It plays automatically and is quite entertaining.  A collection of Code Red trailers is also attached.

  • Trailers

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Devil Fish (1984) - Blu-ray Review

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