Jaws 5: Cruel Jaws (1995)

Sheriff: "What do we know about sharks?"
Billy: "Well, they're sort-of a locomotive with a mouthful of butcher knives."

aka: Cruel Jaws
A killer shark terrorizes a beach community.
Starring: Gregg Hood, Richard Dew, David Luther, Scott Silveria

Link to IMDB

You know what doesn't get enough love around here? Sharks!
This is not an official Jaws sequel, but when you're a renegade filmmaker you can name your movie whatever the heck you want!

Billy is a young marine biologist taking a vacation to a Florida town, where he plans on visiting some old friends and "discoing until dawn" with his girlfriend. His buddy is Dag, who owns the local marine park and lives with his young wheelchair-bound daughter whose only reason to live is throwing fish at dolphins. Times are tough for Dag because the mayor has given him a 30 day eviction notice for not being able to pay his rent. There are other problems brewing too, when a body is found on the beach and Billy identifies it as a victim of a shark attack! Billy and the Sheriff want to close the beach, but the mayor demands it be left open for the tourists to enjoy.
There are sub-plots about the mayor's son having a rivalry with Billy which creates some beach fights, and the mayor is scheming to shut-down Dag's marine, but the shark story is the main focus and since it's basically a re-telling of the original Jaws it's decently compelling and slowly builds tension... That's not to say this is a well made movie, because it's a fabulous disaster!

The shark strikes again and we get to see it gnaw on the legs of some swimmers, but the mayor still refuses to heed the advice of Billy, and instead plans a big beach party to show everyone how safe the town is. Of course the shark crashes the party! Now that the threat is fully realized, the mayor offers a reward to anyone that can kill the beast. Billy and Dag go out in their boat, while the mayor's son also gets involved in the hunt. Things get bloody and explosive as the psychotic shark seems to be unstoppable!

"We're going to need a bigger helicopter." - Pilot

Beach goons

Dag

Sure, it's basically just a low-budget remake of the original Jaws (and they even steal some footage from those movies,)  but despite the wonky dialog, amateur acting and underwater confusion, the story really pulls you in. The bad acting is impossible to ignore and becomes hypnotically surreal. I love it! Every aspect is earnestly trying to be legit and serious, but holy hell it is hilarious.
Anyone can make a Jaws rip-off, but it takes some type of demented genius to make one so oddly fascinating. It's quite fun watching sloppy filmmakers recreate a Hollywood classic and throw in some of their own random ideas to spice things up. There are some dry parts with the soap-opera sub-plot, but once the shark revs up the excitement you'll be cheering at the stupidity of it all.


Be sure not to miss:
- Dag looks exactly like Hulk Hogan!
- The little girl is paralyzed from the waist down, except her legs work just fine when she's in the water!
- She also falls asleep faster than anyone else in the world.
- Some of the music might be stolen from Star Wars.

Internet review:
"It's trash movie magic. Stupid magic, but magic nonetheless." - Dave

Should I watch it?
Yes, this is one of the best rip-offs I've ever seen.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Cruel Jaws gets...