--- title: "Shark Tale: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/shark-tale/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/shark-tale" critics_score: 40 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Shark Tale (2004): what the critics said Critics' score 40 from 11 reviews: 1 positive, 3 mixed, 7 negative. Most critics find Shark Tale disappointing, with praise concentrated on the comic voice performances rather than the story or characters. Even some unfavourable reviews enjoy the gangland exchanges and Martin Scorsese’s puffer-fish performance. The colourful undersea city and occasional peripheral jokes also earn approval, while the more receptive critics find enough irreverent humour and film references to make it serviceable family entertainment. The main complaints concern recycled jokes, thin characterisation and a story that struggles to sustain its promising premise. Critics differ over the adult-oriented references: some find them amusing, while others see stale Mafia comedy and intrusive commercial gags. The spread is wide despite the predominantly negative response: RogerEbert.com finds the film entertaining and praises its energy and voices, albeit with reservations about how it compares with earlier animation. Slant Magazine’s objections go further than weak storytelling, singling out racial and ethnic stereotypes and consumerist messaging. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 30 September 2004. Ebert finds the film entertaining but less successful than its animated predecessors. He praises its colorful energy and comic voice performances. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shark-tale-2004) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2004. The page identifies this as Screen's review of the 2004 film, but its verdict is not visible. The paywall also prevents identifying what the critic singled out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/shark-tale/4020099.article) ## Radio Times — Sloan Freer Rating 3/5. Freer finds the film entirely serviceable. Its irreverent humour and adult-friendly movie skits keep it buoyant, though its humanised sea life lacks natural magic. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-m088f5/shark-tale/) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2005. Mackie finds the film pleasant enough, though clearly inferior to Finding Nemo. He praises several voice performances and comic touches, while faulting the film’s obvious gags. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/feb/11/dvdreviews1) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Thomas finds the film serviceable family entertainment, but says it is less sharp and engaging than it thinks. He praises the voice performances and adult-oriented jokes, while criticizing the character design and product-placement gags. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shark-tale-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 October 2004. Turan finds the film stale and overly busy, with familiar Mafia comedy and canned moral lessons. He praises the visually lively undersea Manhattan and some charming peripheral ideas, including the whale wash. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-01-et-shark1-story.html) ## Time Out — LZ Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). The available excerpt suggests the critic is skeptical of the film. It singles out its heavily merchandised computer animation as a concern. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shark-tale) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 1/4. 26 September 2004. Schager strongly pans the film as grating and misguided. He especially objects to its racial and ethnic stereotypes and consumerist messaging. [Read the review](https://2022.slantmagazine.com/film/shark-tale/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2004. Tobias finds the film impersonal and feeble, despite a promising premise. He praises the lively early gangland scenes, especially the exchanges between De Niro and Scorsese. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/shark-tale-1798200070) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2004. Festival review. McCarthy pans the film as stale, crass, and built from recycled movie references. He singles out Martin Scorsese’s puffer-fish voice performance as its most amusing element. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/shark-tale-1200531140/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2004. The critic finds the film a disappointing, uninspired follow-up to Shrek. They single out its predictable humor, underdeveloped characters, and weak story as major shortcomings. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shark-tale-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/shark-tale.md