Starring Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Alex Russell, Julian McMahon

Directed by Kimble Rendall

Distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment

Shark movies. Around these parts we love them, and lately they’re have been a ton of ‘em. It’s hard to believe one of the best of the year has been The Asylum’s Two-Headed Shark Attack, but such is the state of the industry. Sadly enough, most of the recent killer shark flicks have had no bite. Shark Night 3D should have been a no-brainer of a blast, but its PG-13 rating was far more aggressive than any of the finned menaces which populated its tepid waters. Since it proved to be little more than plankton, we’ve been waiting for something to do right by the subgenre. Bait 3D is that movie.

The storyline is just looney enough to be workable. After a deadly tsunami hits shore, a group of survivors end up finding themselves huddled together in a submerged supermarket. Swimming is the only way out, but there’s just one problem… with the deluge of water has come all manner of sea life, including a few very hungry great white sharks. Of course there are your standard twists and turns to the main plot, but in a nutshell that’s really it. And you know what? That’s all it needs to be.

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YOU only need to know one thing about Bait 3D. A tsunami washes a shark into a supermarket. Down the aisle between the tinned tomatoes and baking needs comes the dreaded dorsal fin. The survivors of the wave huddle on an upturned shelving unit. Then the jaws with the rows of jagged teeth rise from the water, right in front of us. It’s 3D, remember! And CHOMP!

Bait 3D, an Australia-Singapore co-production starring a gaggle of Australian television actors including Julian McMahon (Nip Tuck), Xavier Samuel (Twilight: The Eclipse) and three Home & Away stars - Sharni Vinson, Phoebe Tonkin and Lincoln Lewis - had its world premiere in the midnight slot on Saturday night at the Venice Film Festival.

It seemed an unlikely festival selection, but the audience went crazy with joy as fake blood clouded the waters; even when the projection broke down and about 15 minutes of the film was repeated, everyone seemed happy to see it again. A tsunami of cheers swept towards director Kimble Rendall as the curtains closed.

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