Filed under: Reviews
'Piranha 3D' is your average B-movie horror: lots of blood, nudity and gore, and campy enough to satisfy those who love the genre.
If it were just a 2-D film, there wouldn't be much to say about it, other than noting that veteran actors Elisabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames are each earning a paycheck for a not-so-great movie.
Come to think of it, seeing it in 3-D doesn't make much difference either. For all its hype, it's best to save your money rather than spring the dough for special effects that aren't that spectacular -- or even eye-popping.
When an underwater quake lets loose long-forgotten prehistoric, carnivorous piranhas, all the touring folks who headed to Lake Victoria in Arizona for spring break are in for a treat when they get in the water. As Sheriff Julie Forester goes out to investigate a fisherman's death with Deputy Fallon (Rhames) and geologist Novak (Adam Scott), little does she know that her son Jake (Steven R. McQueen) left his brother and sister home alone to go yachting.
When Jake sees that his younger siblings Laura (Brooklynn Proulx) and Zane (Sage Ryan) become stranded on a nearby island, he takes the boat and puts everyone in danger as the deadly piranhas approach them for a feast.
Saving no expense for this remake of a 1978 film, director Alexandre Aja, who previously helmed the horror films 'High Tension,' the remake of 'The Hills Have Eyes' and 'Mirrors' has folks dying left and right -- with body parts flying all over the screen.
It's the ultimate gorefest. The film is also a throwback to the '70s horror genre, which becomes clear when Richard Dreyfus ('Jaws') is thrown into the mix for a cameo appearance. Even fellow horror director Eli Roth shows up as the host of a wet-T-shirt contest. They basically covered all the basic of a B movie, but what was left out was some intensity, comedy and thrills to get folks to jump out of their chairs.
Once you've gotten used to seeing a few dead bodies, and can predict the ending with your eyes closed, all you can do is wonder how long this 3-D fad is going to last.