Synyster Graves

Piranha (3D)

by on Nov.10, 2010, under Angry Rants

Piranha didn’t get very good reviews across the board, but I actually thought this was a great film. It is a tongue in cheek approach to horror films and B movies. Even the cover of the DVD is in homage to the Jaws series. The film didn’t take itself too seriously and, as you’d expect from a good B horror movie, there was a gratuitous amount of blood. Granted, half the film consists of American boobs wobbling across the camera, but that’s fine when they all get bitten off.

The premise of the film is based around Spring Break on Lake Victoria (America) where hundreds of college students go on a pilgrimage to get drunk and get laid. If you’re not American, you’ll understand what Chef talks about every time he repeats “There’s a time and place for these things children, it’s called college”. Meanwhile, while the kids are getting their rocks off, deep underground lays a dormant species of Piranha that, after a small earthquake creating a fissure that opens up their cavern to the lake itself, pour out into the fresh blue waters of Lake Victoria.

These flesh eating pre-historic fish then run amok around the whole costal community. We follow Jake Forester, the oldest child of the local Police Chief, as he flirts with a local girl and tries to join in the college celebrations. He is however banished to looking after his younger brother and sister for the whole of Spring Break while his Police Chief mum runs the town. The whole town revolves around the lake so it doesn’t take long for the whole cast to be in the same place as all the piranhas, with some gruesome and very blood red effects.

The acting was brilliant with a wide variety of well written characters whom were all portrayed on screen believably and were each totally different from every other character in the movie. Some of the main cast include Ving Rhames (always a good choice!), Elisabeth Shue (of Back to the Future fame), Jerry O’Connell (anyone remember Sliders?), and Kelly Brook of all people. Although the whole cast performed really well and let you get into the characters, leading to some excellent twists that I won’t spoil!

I haven’t had the chance to watch this in 3D yet, although I have acquired a couple of sets of 3D glasses, so I shall be watching ‘Boobs 3D’ (as I saw someone naming it) soon. For a wannabe B movie the special effects were really good and the film keeps you gripped on the edge of your seat waiting for the next person to get flung into the soup of blood, limbs, tissue and Piranha. You’re definitely not meant to take this film seriously, treat it like Dog Soldiers rather than Jaws or Hostel and I guarantee you’ll love it! A very good 7 out of 10 from me, well worth a watch!

7 Stars

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