It’s July, which means it’s the best time of the year — Shark Week time! This year is also extra special thanks to the 50th anniversary of JAWS, a monolith of summer blockbuster animal horror that also just so happens to have been so equal parts rife with personnel and hands-on mechanical issues that its very creation was a sink or swim force of will.
Perhaps, then, it is best paid homage to through acts of nonsensical creative force. Enter Japan’s HOT SPRING SHARK ATTACK, aka ONSEN SHARK, a front-to-back riot of insanity so clearly having a good time with itself it catapults its way up the ranks from shark-spoof cash-grab to true labor of comedic love deserving of annual watch treatment — and for my money, the best comedic effort of Chattanooga Film Festival’s whole 2025 lineup.
It is the tale of a town with a 3D-printed hot spring bath resort plagued by graphic, impossible shark attacks and the research team/diver combo that sets out to save Japan. If he wants to save his city, the clearly-out-of-his-depth police chief Denbei (Kiyobumi Kaneko) must team up with the mayor Kanichi (Fujimura Takuya) — obsessed with launching his new 3D-printed hot spring resort for visitors — and passionate marine biologist Mayumi (Nakanishi Yuu). And how could we forget the scene-stealing Macho (Sumiya Shiina), presumable guardian of the sea and expert in hand-to-hand shark-based combat?
Now more than ever the world needs more art made for the sake of fun whose seams you can see, and on that front this debut from filmmaker Morihito Inoue delivers in spades. His love for shark cinema — and JAWS in particular — is obvious in every second of this roller coaster ride, as well as his love for the dance between horror and comedy. Not for a second does HOT SPRING SHARK ATTACK take itself too seriously, but it’s clear that its creation is a very serious labor of love. There are threads in this story about the importance of preservation of shark species as intricately woven into it as the threat they’re presenting to human life. But also, they eventually speak Pokémon-style as they swim around the warmer waters in search of their prey. Everyone involved is having the time of their lives, and it always keeps its heart front and center.
HOT SPRING SHARK ATTACK is tailor-made for seeing with a crowd or group of friends looking to wile away a night with snacks, drinks, and plenty of shark jokes. One day, should the glory of Mystery Science Theater 3000 return to us, HOT SPRING SHARK ATTACK will be waiting. ‘Til then, fear not. You can meet Macho, Denbei, Mayumi, and the sharks they’re up against when HOT SPRING SHARK ATTACK comes to theaters and VOD on July 11, 2025.
Tags: Chattanooga Film Festival, Chattanooga Film Festival 2025, Film Festivals, Fujimura Takuya, Hot Spring Shark Attack, Jaws, Katelyn Nelson, Kiyobumi Kaneko, Morihito Inoue, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Nakanishi Yuu, Onsen Shark, Shark Week, Sharks, Sumiya Shiina
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