Note: I watched "Mega Shark vs Mecha Shark" from Amazon Prime streaming to a Roku 3 device in the United States.
Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark is the third entry in what became a series of films released by The Asylum. In this entry the Mega Shark returns somehow and the United States builds a robot shark or Mecha Shark to fight against it. No reason is given for why Mecha Shark is especially effective or why it has to have jaws. The film drops you into the dialog, yes dialog, and not action immediately.
Those expecting a big monster fight are going to be frustrated. There is one genuinely good clash between the two near the beginning in homage to a famous scene from the earlier films. Aside from the big moment, we only see the sharks bounce off each other a few times.
The director, Emile Smith, wisely understands the limitations of the budget and scope available. The CGI is passable for late 90s standards and therefore jarringly bad for today. Thus, there aren't many instances where Mecha Shark fights Mega Shark. Both look too fake for us to care for long. The film suffers from instances where there is a jump in time in a scene. It's like watching an edited version of film during an old horror double bill. For instance, a fat man is shown running from the terrestrial Mecha Shark. The camera focuses on him exclusively for a shot. In the next instant his upper body is seen and he spurts blood. Presumably he is crushed or he just laid down and died, I guess?
Most of what appears on-screen is dialog in the same computer control room many of these films feature. It tends to get boring after several minutes of contacting the army or explaining scientific hullabaloo. At least the main actors, a husband and wife duo, have enough chemistry to keep us interested. The wife is obsessed over saving lives at all costs while the husband is more calculated and thoughtful. It's a welcome contrast to the gendered stereotypes we would expect to see in a film like this. The two complement each other's personalities and we get the feeling they have love for each other beyond the mere words. Also noteworthy is the digital assistant, Nero, who serves as operating system of Mecha Shark. Nero has an erudite, British manner of speaking and interacting with the main characters.
In the era of Sharknado, it may be surprising to see that the film mostly plays itself straight. The script and acting are competent enough to mitigate any bad movie night potential here. The film is watchable and that's good enough for its scant runtime.
