Director: John Gulager
Starring: Danielle Panabaker, David Koechner, Katrina Bowden, David Hasselhoff, Gary Busey, Ving Rhames
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Synopsis: After the horrific events of spring break at Lake Victoria, the blood-thirsty school of prehistoric piranha set their sights upstream, on the newly-opened ‘Big Wet Water-park’. The owners, patrons and a celebrity lifeguard get more than they bargained for as the flesh-eating fish, come in search for another feeding frenzy…
When director Alexandre Aja was announced as director for the remake of Joe Dante’s exploitation horror (and let’s be honest, a JAWS rip-off), my immediate thoughts were ‘this is gonna be ferocious!’ Aja had previously caught Hollywood’s attention with his intense horror SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE (aka HAUTE TENSION). The buzz surrounding that particular shocker led to a remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 survival-horror THE HILLS HAVE EYES. Never have I seen a more ferocious and unforgiving filmmaker plying his trade in the Hollywood horror genre – his THE HILLS HAVE EYES was a tough-but-thrilling watch.
His PIRANHA 3D however, was everything and nothing like I (and a lot of people) expected, and I bloody well loved it! A deliciously, over-the-top, gore-filled spectacle, and one that had me rubbing my hands with glee, and teenage boys most probably, rubbing something else! It had a superb cast, each of whom looked to be having a ball, and a plot with its tongue firmly in cheek. A sequel was announced soon after the film’s release, that has had a rather rocky road onto the big screen, but has finally arrived! So, does this follow-up live up to Aja’s first?
Director John Gulager, who helmed another over-the-top gore-fest in FEAST, takes over for this genius titled sequel PIRANHA 3DD, assembling a fine cast of familiar faces and clever cameos. The director fares rather well on a meagre budget. It’s as fun and insane as the first, with plenty of nods and winks for the fans.
Opening with a news montage which reminds us the of previous film’s events, we are soon en-route to happenings elsewhere. Gary Busey and Gulager’s veteran actor father Clu, set-up the school of piranhas’ new whereabouts and just how they have arrived at their new destination. It’s the sequel’s version of Richard Dreyfuss’ appearance from the last film and a blood soaked hilarious opening it is.
There are enough set-pieces featuring the supporting cast to connect the dots, as the flesh-eating fish slowly make their way through a number of victims and eventually to the big bloody finale. Sequels, particularly the horror genre, are known for amping up bloodshed in an attempt to top the previous effort. Sadly, PIRANHA 3DD lacks this aspect, especially when it comes down to the anticipated bloody face-off. Perhaps the smaller budget caught-up with the director’s passionate vision. The film, as enjoyable as it is, lacks the absurdity and charm of the original remake.
Don’t let that put you off though, PIRANHA 3DD has its moments: Ving Rhames’ small cameo for instance, is laugh-out-loud hilarious. That is also not including him uttering a line from the film’s trailer, the one that’s so bad, it’s brilliant! And that’s not to forget an even more memorable cameo from BAYWATCH legend David Hasselhoff, whose interactions with a young ‘ginger moron’ is another highlight.
Overall PIRANHA 3DD is a blast – it’s a dumb, enjoyable guff and fans of the first film will lap it up. Although the disappointment of the expected bloodbath at the end, never feels as impressive or reaches the mass in ‘epic’ scale, after the great gore-filled scenes of the 2010 hit.
So go on, give it a try – the water’s lovely, don’t be shy. A great fun-filled follow on that can’t quite keep up with Aja’s first, but certainly tries very hard. Surely when any film with a sobbing stunner, gives us the line, ”He cut his penis off, after something inside me bit him”, deserves to be seen!
PIRANHA 3DD is out now in select UK cinemas.
