Released: August 2010
Director: Alexandre Aja
Rated R
Run Time: 88 Minutes
Distributor: Sony Pictures/Dimension Films
Genre: Horror
Cast:
Elisabeth Shue: Julie Forester
Ving Rhames: Deputy Fallon
Steven R. McQueen: Jake Forester
Jerry O’Connell: Derrick Jones
Adam Scott: Novak
Christopher Lloyd: Mr. Carl Goodman
Richard Dreyfuss: Matt Boyd
Earlier this week, I had reviewed a new shark movie starring Jason Statham called The Meg, which was about a 100-foot megalodon that was terrorizing the ocean. I gave the film a pretty favorable score, saying that it knew what kind of movie it was and it rolled with it. But there were some missed opportunities in the film that really shouldn’t have been missed in a movie like that. That was most likely to do with the PG-13 rating. I understand why the studio did it, to get more people and families into theaters. Great. But there were moments in the film especially towards the end of the film where an R-rating really needed to be appropriate. You have a 100-foot giant shark. With that, you have opportunities for some serious bone-crunching, flesh-ripping carnage. Alas, it was not meant to be, because the movie studio lacked a spine, so to speak. The beach sequence at the end of the film should have been a gloriously gory and visceral experience that would have been crowd-pleasing. It really would have. Honestly, had Warner Bros taken a page from Alexandre Aja’s Piranha re-make from 2010, The Meg could have been so much more. Speaking of which, I am reviewing the 2010 version of Piranha for you today.
It is Spring Break in the fictional town of Lake Victoria, Arizona. The town’s population of 5,000 people has surged to 20,000 as college students from out-of-town show up to do what they do best in a party situation: Drink beer and get nekkid while listening to awful music. Trying to contain the chaos is Sheriff Julie Forester and her team of deputies to try and keep the damage to a minimum. Little do they know is that an earthquake had cracked open a previously unknown ancient underwater lake releasing thousands of ravenous piranhas. The story is simple, straight-forward and keeps things moving at a rapid-fire pace. Piranha is a loose re-make of the 1978 film which was already a Jaws knock-off, but still ended up being a pretty decent film in its own right. This film by French film-maker Alexandre Aja is a different beast altogether. It is a wonderful throwback to the horror movies of the 80s where they used to be really fun and gory. Horror movies these days tend to be far too serious for their own good, so watching Piranha again is an absolute blast.
You can tell right when the movie starts that the movie is going to be all sorts of fun. The acting in the film is pretty good and I’ll get to the main players in a bit, but I want to mention some of the cameos first. The first one is Richard Dreyfuss. If you recall, Mr. Dreyfuss played Matt Hooper from Jaws, so seeing him here playing another Matt is pretty awesome. You’ve also got some pretty nifty cameos from folks like famed horror director Eli Roth as well as make-up effects master Greg Nicotero. The one extended cameo that was pretty cool was Christopher Lloyd as an eccentric shop-owner that has some serious knowledge of prehistoric piranha. Elisabeth Shue plays the town’s sheriff and she’s a bit of a bad-ass. Ving Rhames is her second-in-command and Ving’s always fun to watch whenever he’s on screen. Steven R. McQueen, who also happens to be the grandson of the legendary Steve McQueen, plays Jake Forester, the oldest son of the sheriff. Adam Scott is fantastic as a scientist that showed up to investigate the earthquake and has some of the best line delivery in the film. Jerry O’Connell plays the sleazy “Girls Gone Wild”-type film-maker to perfection. He’s clearly having a ball playing a character that you hope dies in a horrible fashion. Aside from a bunch of extras, you’ve also got a few porn stars that show up for some….reason or another. There’s nothing Oscar-worthy here, but some of these characters are surprisingly likable.
If you’ve come for the carnage, you’ve come to the right place. If you have a weak stomach, it’s probably best to stay away. This is one of the goriest main-stream movies that I’ve seen in years. This a film that really goes for the jugular. Literally. You have small encounters throughout the film with the fish that are pretty graphic, but the real centerpiece of the film is the beach massacre. Holy. Shit. They really went all out for the visual effects in this film. There’s definitely some CGI and obvious effects that were designed for a 3-D experience, but they actually provide a darkly humorous flair to the whole thing. The gore is second to none and we have visual effects maestros Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero to thank for that. The level of detail on the bodies and the gore is among some of the best I’ve seen from these guys. If you’re a gorehound like me, then Piranha is going to be right up your alley.
When it comes to underwater creature-features, the Piranha re-make is one of my favorites alongside films like Jaws, Leviathan, and DeepStar Six. It is a gore-filled adrenaline rush with a wicked sense of humor. I consider this film to be one of the funnest horror movies of the decade. It’s definitely a throwback, but in the best way possible. I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be a classic or anything and some of the CGI hasn’t aged well at all, but the overall tone of the film and the fact that it runs at a breakneck pace makes it an absolute winner in my book. It’s definitely a wild ride.
My Final Recommendation: Sleazy porn directors make for the best piranha bait. 9/10