Listen, I can’t remember the last time I submitted something to a Toike. I’m objectively not funny. Well, I’m funny in like, small groups. Groups of maybe 3-6 people. Larger than that and the social anxiety really kicks in, and I get weird and quiet. Even 1:1 is awkward, because I feel like I take a lot of getting used to. But this is an issue where I’m not even funny. I’m just mad. Also, I should probablywork on that whole groups thing…man, that’s not a pride point for me. The weed helps butit does not fix everything.
Anywho, lemme get to my main point here. I found the lack of Reggae Shark content in the ideas document for this Toike disturbing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Shark Tale this and Nemo that. I get it, that shit’s important, and those movies are damn quality content. But that does such a disservice the story of a pothead shark that brought invaluable joy to a generation of pre-stoner millennials. That turtle had bars. Like, the song legitimately still holds up. It’s great. It gets stuck in my head at least once a month.
The themes in Reggae Shark are so much more important than some lame 2000s flick with Jacob from Twilight, or an improved version of the Godfather. It’s a perfect representation of the importance of drug access to enable the masses with safe and effective consumption, the dangers of corruption caused by police overstretch in autocratic or fascist governments, and the importance of true self-acceptance as a means for positive contribution to others and internal satisfaction.
Reggae Shark also serves as a pristine example of the importance of the plot twist as a literary device to accent leitmotifs in traditional cinema scoring. There is a dramatic pause inserted right after we hear that the corrupt police posse has shot at Reggae Shark by using their likely cartel-provided rifles. This is intended to disconnect this particular moment in the plot from the remainder, which was tied to the calm and collected storytelling leitmotif of the song body thus far.
By only resuming the musical phrase after we find out that Reggae Shark’s crafting skills have allowed him to live and eat the sheriff, the watcher can make a distinct connection that they should return to the way they were emotionally connecting to the story beforehand, thus signaling the end of the film. This is a powerful example of how disruptions in the plot (ie, the plot twist) work hand-in-hand (or fin-in-fin, as the case clearly is, you dummy) with scoring to make surprise moments like this one more pronounced.
Okay lemme wrap up. Realistically, you can’t fit all of this into an article anyway. Is it a bit culturally insensitive? I mean, yeah, probably. But you can’t deny that it slaps, and it has me rivetted until the very end, wondering if that damn shark is gonna get his weed back or not, and whether or not he was gonna get the keys to Kingstontown (he does). So damn it, he should be in your Toike.
Baby Shark can go straight to hell, though. Shit’s too catchy. I love it, but shit’s too catchy. Reggae Shark. Fin. (🡨 that’s actually a good joke I’m proud of that one).
