Shark Night 3D: All Bombast, No Bite

Editor's Note: Burnsville Patch is beginning a weekend movie review, published each Saturday morning. Check back next week for the latest movie review.

Shark Night 3D follows in the line of shark films, dating back to the original Jaws in 1975. The movie, which opened Friday without a screening for critics (never a good sign), steals several scenes from the Steven Spielberg original, including the opening footage.

The film takes seven Tulane University students to a remote Louisiana lake for fun-filled weekend. Unfortunately, the saltwater lake is inhabited by several varieties of sharks and after football star Maliki (Sinqua Walls) loses his right arm, the gang needs to get across the lake for medical help. A high body count follows.

The film features some bigger names than you might expect. Sara (Sara Paxton from "Last House on the Left") is the movie's heroine. Local sheriff (Donal Logue, who was terrific on FX’s "Terriers" last year) and Ameircan Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee round out the cast.

The movie features animatronic sharks, which are chillingly realistic for the most part. Some of the 3D effects are cool. Sometimes it seems like the carnivorous fish are swimming behind you. However, the 3D elements also seem like a money-making gimmick: One ticket to Shark Night 3D is $9.25 for a 10:45 a.m. showing, $2.50 more than the average ticket price.

Shark Night is just one example of 3D overkill this summer, which has caused many fans to question why the high number of these films keep coming with less than stellar results. There have been 18 3D movies this summer, compared with seven in 2010 and 2009, two in 2008 and none in 2007.

Going out on a limb here, I think the film could have benefited from more gore, blood and nudity (in the style of "Jaws"). The addition of these elements could have made this campy film stronger. As is, the end product is bland. Sure, some film goers will jump out of their chairs a few times, but the lack of blood and horrific kills might disappoint some of the more hard-core gore fans.

GRADE: C. Shark Night is a somewhat entertaining summer film that gets a later-than-expected Labor Day opening.

Also opening this weekend is "The Debt" (an espionage thriller set in the 1990s) and "Apollo 18" (a horror movie about a classified space mission gone awry). For today's movie times click .

"Contagion," "Warrior" (which has gotten good early reviews), and "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star" open next week.