Shark attack!

Reel Reflections

The makers of "Shrek" have done it again. OK, well maybe not quite, but they were awfully close. "Shark Tale" came out in theaters this week with an all-star cast and a humorous plot line, even for adults.

The cast includes the voices of Will Smith ("I, Robot"), Renee Zellweger ("Chicago"), Angelina Jolie ("Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), Robert De Niro ("Godsend"), Martin Scorsese ("Gangs of New York") and Jack Black ("House of Rock").

The story centers on the plights of two characters. The first is a vegetarian shark named Lenny (Black) and the second is a fish named Oscar (Smith) who wants to make it to the top of the reef to become famous and popular.

Lenny is a shark from a "mob" family who controls the reef, but does not like to kill, even for his dinner. While his brother takes him out to teach him to be a shark and eat fish, they come upon. Oscar, who has debts to pay off, can’t seem to save money and has spent all his "clams" at the sea horse racetrack.

When Lenny pretends to eat Oscar, his brother gets hit with an anchor and dies. Oscar takes credit for being a shark killer and becomes famous.

While the story does have a "be yourself" moral, it also includes some adult humor, the same humor "Shrek" became popular for. It utilizes small quips and background details that pass over young children’s heads but that adults catch.

The movie also includes a cameo voice appearance by Katie Couric, who plays Katie Current, a fish news reporter.

Overall the movie is a feel good film with a little bit of everything, including romance, action and a moral.

The movie also has the amazing computer animation of "Shrek" and other movies, like "Toy Story," with creativity in creating fish and an underwater Times Square. The fish are not as lifelike as the "Finding Nemo" characters, but as the movie progresses, the animations seem to take on the look of the actors who portray them.

It may not be a movie you will want to see in the theater, since theater prices seem to be going up every day, but it is worth renting.