Only in Her Nightmares: Debbie Gibson vs. Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark

In the grand cinematic tradition of 1974's Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla comes Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark, an epic of cinematic fromage that's so bad it's, well, just really, really bad, though it does have its saving graces. And it's the second sequel to Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus! Are you impressed yet?

I'm pretty sure this filmed-in-L.A. production went directly to cable's SyFy channel (Gee, why do they need to spell their name that way nowadays? It's embarrassing!) in the USA and was only released theatrically in markets overseas.

None other than diva Debbie Gibson has been featured in the Mega Shark trilogy. Yes, that Debbie Gibson. Flavor of the '80s, Only in My Dreams, Shake Your Love Debbie Gibson, for God's sake! Foolish Beat? This career move certainly was. But Debbie has been in all three Mega Shark films, the first co-starring '80s heartthrob Lorenzo Lamas! Well, I guess a gal can't live on revival concerts alone.

Sharks are hot again in the world of sci-fi cinema. Jaws, of course, ushered in the first era of monster sharks in the '70s. But more recently, in the uber-Jaws revival, there arose creature features like last year's infamous Sharknado. The sharks are gonna have their way... until this trend lays its last golden egg.

When one burns out on Oscar-quality movies, as I have done at least for now, one turns toward flicks like Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark: knowingly low-budget camp on the order of an early Roger Corman film rather than, for example, the more naive awfulness of Ed Wood. I mean, any film that quotes Charles Bukowski and features a central interracial romance can't be all that bad or that dumb!

Hyperbolic acting in this hyperactive feature for Attention Deficit Disorder audiences plays up Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark's knowing camp credentials even further. The CGI effects are sub-par, yet somehow effectively so.

A trim, just-under-90-minutes feature, the editing (by Kyle Dickens Poland) enhances the fast-paced action and there are flashes of directorial brilliance by Jack Perez who also wrote and performs in MSvMS; a triple threat.

Debbie -- billed as Deborah Gibson -- looks as if she needs her beauty rest and a better acting coach, unfortunately. She looks  a bit run-down and I would not suggest Ms Gibson use her movie moments from Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark in her video performance portfolio. My advice? Debbie, stick to singing and stop swimming with the sharks.