美国梦工厂制片公司10月份又推出动画片《鲨鱼故事》，再掀票房旋风。《鲨鱼故事》虽然是一部动画片，却带有强烈的黑色喜剧味道。海底生物之间的弱肉强食完全是人类现实社会的翻版，影片中的音乐对话也是当代美国流行文化的缩影。该片不仅故事情节类似《教父》等黑帮影片，城市造型也模仿纽约。
Some mob movies are intentionally funny. Others carry all the blunt force of a baseball bat. "Shark Tale," a computer-animated mob spoof ---- not incidentally featuring the voices of two men previously involved in a mob movie co-starring a baseball bat ---- goes for funny.
The end result of a film made by some of the same people who brought us "Shrek" is a visually creative underwater escapade, often charming and amusing, but not supremely clever or all that heart-tugging. "Shark Tale" swims as a technically impressive entertainment, hip and supercool, but not totally engaging.
The story is of Oscar, voiced by Will Smith, who is at the bottom of the food chain, working at the local whale wash. Oscar talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk, seeking fame and glamour but never choosing wisely in his attempts to find those things. If it wasn't for the well-meaning advice of co-worker Angie (Renee Zellweger), an angelfish who harbors a secret affection for Oscar, he would be even deeper into his go-nowhere approach.
Things change thanks to happenstance. The mob-boss shark, Don Lino (Robert De Niro), runs things but has trouble getting his vegetarian son, Lenny (Jack Black), to display the toughness necessary to become a boss himself. When Oscar quite accidentally slays Don Lino's other son, Frankie, then takes undeserving credit for the kill, he becomes a hero and cultural superstar, acquiring the wealth and fame he always desired.
Trouble comes when Oscar must then repeatedly prove he's the shark-slayer he claims. Along with the way, and with the help or interference of several other comical characters ---- voiced by Martin Scorsese, Angelina Jolie, Peter Falk, Katie Couric and other talents, Oscar learns the true meaning of self-respect.
"Shark Tale" is loaded with amiable gags and likable characters, and some juicy touches that end up very funny, such as when a squirming, [color="#000000"]squealing[/color] shrimp is pleading for his life to great comical effect. It also has a primary lesson of accepting yourself and who you are as its main teaching, along with sidebar issues about respect and playing fair.
It all adds up to a reasonably amusing but not oh-wow experience, lacking the same look-at-that ingenuity as "Shrek," even if some of the small touches are very clever.
The movie gives us a chance to hear old pals De Niro and Scorsese trading funny lines ---- many of them improvised ---- taking us back to their many collaborations, including "GoodFellas," referenced above.
Smith is ready-made for the role, and other supporting voices fit just fine. Ultimately, "Shark Tale" is just that ---- fine ---- though nowhere close to a genre breakthrough. Instead, it's a mildly entertaining underwater escapade, a little too aware of itself and its hip intentions, but sometimes dazzling to observe.