See, this is all it takes to make me happy. Make a goofy, over the top horror movie that KNOWS it’s a goofy over the top horror movie. Even after saying that I think the Producer of Piranha 3D are too clever by half. Their tongue in cheek marketing campaign, while kind of brilliant sets the expectation that the movie is going to be campier than it actually is, while the use of 3D is a distraction from what is, surprisingly, a pretty fun B-movie.
The only element in this movie that failed to impress was its main draw – the 3D. After seeing Step Up 3D a few weeks ago, I was ready to really enjoy this experience, but then I was quickly reminded why I hate 3D. Now, in this instance I actually think it’s the theater’s fault for the horrible quality 3D because the couple of 3D trailers (Jackass 3D and Resident Evil) they showed also looked really awful. It was really dark in some spots, fuzzy in others. If the picture was sharper it could have looked pretty awesome because some of the shots really had a lot of depth of field to them.
But this movie all about boobs, booze, and beheadings, it does a great job of building tension. I mean most people will complain that the deaths don’t happen right away but the writers and director Alexandre Aja does a great job of building the tension and making us care about characters. Sure they are the standard horror movie cut outs, but I actually liked these people. I loved Jerry O’Connell‘s version of the Girl’s Gone Wild guy and when did he get so beefed up? Steven R. McQueen as the movie’s teen lead was watchable, he brings that same everyman quality to this that he does to the unwatchable Vampire Diaries and he had good chemistry with Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr and I’ve always liked Elisabeth Shue (she needs to work more). So it’s a fun cast that is clearly not taking this stuff seriously.
This bratty kid sitting behind me talking throughout the entire scene ruined the Cameo from Christopher Lloyd and the opening with Richard Dreyfuss. Why do parents insist on taking their obnoxious kids to R Rated Horror films and ruining the experience for everyone else? I wish theaters would institute a hard ban on parents bringing kids to R rated films. I’m not advocating banning kids from PG or PG 13 movies, just R rated ones. Can we adults have at least one place where we don’t have to put up with other people’s bad parenting skills? Just one place – besides staying home? How about showing some consideration for others? Movies are rated R for a reason. Just because you can take your kids to R rated movies, doesn’t mean you should. It isn’t like they can appreciate anything on the screen anyway, stay home and rent a movie, stop ruining it for everyone else!
Once the carnage finally hits, it’s 20 minutes of absolute, beautiful mayhem. Some of the CGI was cheesy, but I’m not sure the practical effects were much better because the plastic dummies were so obvious but the way it all came together was pretty awesome. The problem is after that 20 minute sequence and once they set up the idea that there were thousands of Piranhas in the water you realize there’s no way this movie can have a real proper ending – other than getting the current crop of folks out of the water. So the film not surprisingly, seems to just end.
I’m not sure if this is a movie worth paying the 3D premium to see, but if you are a fan of B Movies catch a matinee, it’s worth your $6. If you don’t like B Movies then this one isn’t going to change your mind.
Final Grade B
EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria
Originally posted 08/21/2010