Shark TaleShark Tale
By: Ambika Prem Kumar
 The story starts off with Oscar (Will Smith); a working class fish with fame and fortune is against his boss, Sykes (Martin Scorsese), a puffer fish with the largest eyebrows known to aquaria. Terribly in debt, Sykes' Jamaican jellyfish goons (a hilarious Ziggy Marley & Doug E. Doug) take Oscar out to the meadows. The mafia shark family consists of Don Lino (voice of Robert De Niro) and his sons, Frankie (Michael Imperioli) and Lenny (Jack Black). Frankie has inherited his father's love of violence, but Lenny is a sweetheart - and a vegetarian to boot. One thing leads to another, and suddenly it appears as if Oscar has slain Frankie.
Suddenly it appears that Oscar has achieved all his fame and fortune that he has desired. But he attains all this at the cost of his friendship with Angie (Renee Zellweger), a fish who wants to be more than just friends. Also complicating matters is fish fatale Lola (Angelina Jolie), who's drawn to Oscar's ill-gotten prestige. When Lenny comes looking for a place to hide from his father, Oscar is compelled to help him out, leading to an unlikely friendship that drives the rest of the movie.
Shark Tale is on a completely different nail with its underwater universe. The fishes in the film live in apartments. The film also includes a flashback of Oscar's afro-domed father and a sushi bar with no customers. The film contains an adequate amount of humour and there is a lot of pun intended. Although some of the humor is just plain outdated, as if the fish universe is ten years behind this one. And as funny as it may have seemed at the time, Martin Scorsese should never, ever try to talk hip-hop. Ever.
The performances are all about as effective as they need to be. While most of the fish look and sound like the actors who portray them, Jack Black stands out because he's so unrecognizable. He really seems to create a character unlike his screen persona, a vast departure from the other casting choices here. Unfortunately, the character he creates is never really allowed to develop into what he seems to be trying to become.
Don Lino and Sykes were both amazing. Had Lenny been elevated to the main character with Oscar playing the wisecracking sidekick, things might have been more relaxed. (Even though Jack Black is known for being manic, Lenny is surprisingly mellow, despite his neuroses.)
A film targeting the mature audience could not have a trivial issue like the conflict between Lenny and his father, where the father cannot get over the fact that his son is a vegetarian. The film gives repeated hints that Lenny is a gay shark. The film instead of concentrating on the mafia would have been much better since it has a more satire thus allowing for much darker humor. As this may not have been the filmmakers' intention, the point may be arguable. This film raises a question as to why was the story concentrating on the mob environment as it giving the portrayal of a friendly family film.
When it comes to the new genre of digitally animated films, Shark Tale falls around the middle (still an enviable place to be, considering the high quality of most of the entrees). It's not as good as Shrek, The Toy Story, or Finding Nemo, but it's better than Ice Age and Shrek 2 . The key thing to note is that Shark Tale represents solid family entertainment, and will find a special place in the hearts of those who adore the Godfather movies.
Shark Tale has virtually assured itself a successful box office run.
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