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JAWS Gets Real: Mako: Jaws of Death (1976)

How many killer shark flicks are there? More than you can shake your fins at! It’s time to look at one that’s a little different, a film that actually doesn’t have one fake shark in it. Today on Craptacular Shark Week we look at Mako, no not the little dude from Conan the Barbarian, Mako: The Jaws of Death! Mako came out one year after Jaws and strangely, maybe because of that, the film is a cut above the rest.

 
 Mako is about a man named Sonny Stein, a Vietnam Vet who is a tad closed off from society. While out one day he comes across an Island inhabited by a mythical old man (aren’t they all?) Sensing something in him, the old man hands Sonny a medallion, giving him powers and abilities far beyond those of other mortal men. That’s right, he can now talk to the sharks like Aquaman, sans the Orange shirt, green pants and the crazy bling bling belt buckle!
Now Sonny has the power to control sharks and since he is a war veteran, he understands killing. Hmmm, what’s he going to do? Sonny’s paying gig is that he rents out his pets to the local aquariums, but after finding out that they are mistreating the animals, Sonny unleashes the full fury of his Mako army upon them. Of course one thing leads to another and soon Sonny’s army of sharks are attacking hunters everywhere! Good stuff!
Mako is a different kind of film than I expected. I remember being disappointed when I was a kid because I wanted Jaws all over again and this film even had Jaws in the title. That said, having watched it again when I was older, I really enjoyed it. Sure, its B-movie fun and certainly silly, but its heart’s in the right place. 
The film is filled with assorted scumbag types that you want to see eaten. You even get James Bond favorite Harold 'Oddjob' Sakata, he’s even called that in the credits. Awesome! Well this one is watchable on Netflix so you may want to check it out. It’s a pretty decent killer shark flick, just keep in mind that there are no fantastic elements to this film (other than Aquaman anyway). Enjoy.
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