The Film
There is something to be said about a film that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet manages to succeed on almost every level. While not without its flaws, Piranha 3D was a guilty pleasure for a lot of viewers in 2010. Reviewers snorted during the trailers for this film, but movie goers ate it up to the tune of $80 million in only 13 weeks. Not a bad haul for a little movie with enough blood, severed genitalia, and breasts for three teen slasher films.
Director Alexandre Aja is no stranger to scary movies; best known for his terrific and blood curdling remake of The Hills Have Eyes (2006), and he didn't do such a bad job with this tribute to Jaws. Casting Richard Dreyfuss was a nice touch and it's refreshing to see that "Matt" Hooper can laugh at himself. His cameo in the film's opening moments was an appropriate tip of that hat to one of the most revered horror/thriller films of all-time.
Aja wisely didn't attempt to replicate Jaws, because the audience has clearly changed. What scared the bejesus out of millions of people in 1975, doesn't (unfortunately) have the same shock value anymore. A twenty-five foot long great white shark doesn't jolt viewers in the era of torture films, which has been dominated by the likes of Hostel, Saw, and the aforementioned Hills Have Eyes. Piranha 3D does not shy away from violence; it embraces it with both hands. Well, perhaps only one hand because the other is busy juggling a tray of drinks. What makes the film work is that Aja pokes a great deal of fun at the whole slasher culture while taking some rather deserved shots at the Girls Gone Wild franchise. Nothing sells better than gratuitous sex and the T&A count in this film is off the chart. Throw in some prehistoric piranha with a bad case of the munchies, Elisabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, Jerry O'Connell, and some great cameos from Eli Roth (Hostel) and Christopher Lloyd, and you have a film.
Had Aja attempted to make a serious horror film with a body count that rivals Commando and The Killer (combined), he would have been laughed out of theaters. Instead, Piranha 3D actually moves along a decent clip, and has some great moments; Jerry O'Connell donating his lower half to the ravenous fish who regurgitate his diseased private parts, Ving Rhames taking down dozens of piranha with an outboard motor before bleeding out, and an underwater ballet scene with two playmates that leaves little to the imagination. The dialog isn't Shakespearean; more Tucker Max-like, but it still doesn't ruin the story. Eli Roth (who also played the "Bear" Jew in Inglourious Basterds) takes one for the genre and more than a few theater goers pumped their fists (Arsenio Hall is in the theater?) to voice their approval. We are a twisted society.
The Picture
Live action 3D films (Avatar as the rare example of the process done beautifully) have not blown away too many viewers so far, especially in comparison to some of the brilliant animated 3D films that are available, and Piranha 3D may not float your boat either from a technical perspective if you are expecting reference quality 3D. In comparison to the dreadful Clash of the Titans, Piranha 3D is a better addition to your library. Better movie. Better looking naked people.
The Sound
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is very good, but perhaps too immersive sounding in some sequences. I remember laughing too hard in the theater to really pay attention to the surround channels (feel sorry for people like me who actually sit in movie theaters and fixate on the audio), but I certainly expected to hear a lot of splashing, screaming, and bone-crunching from my rear channels. It is certainly there, but it also gets drowned out to a certain extent by all of the loud music. Solid choice of music, but in this case, less might actually have been more. The dialog is crystal clear and very punchy so nobody is going to strain trying to discern it with all of the commotion. Human suffering gets a 'A' in terms of its intelligibility. It is both disconcerting and hysterical at the same time.
The Extras
Sony packed a lot of goodies in the 2D-only version of Piranha 3D, but unfortunately not all of them made it onto the 3D version; including deleted scenes, Piranha trailer and TV spots, and the deleted storyboard sequences. So what actually made it?
The 3D version includes an audio commentary with Writer/Director/Producer Alexandre Aja, Producer Gregory Levasseur, and Producer Alix Taylor. The trio discuss everything that you might want to know about the production, cast, and filming, but it isn't the most exciting commentary in the world. The banter is fairly serious, but they do throw in some humor in spots. Ving Rhames and Jerry O'Connell would have been so much cooler.
The best part of the additional material is the two hour documentary entitled Don't Scream, Just Swim: Behind the Scenes of Piranha 3D. Not only is the documentary film longer than the feature, but it contains every last little tidbit of information about the film that you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. It was also shot in 1080p and looks phenomenal.
Final Thoughts
In a year that was rather weak, Piranha 3D actually stood out. While some might stamp the word "schlock" on the box, I would have to respectfully disagree and call this over-the-top horror film one of the guilty pleasures of 2010. Hollywood has churned out a lot of gory, sadistic, and poorly written crap over the past few years that took itself way too seriously. None of it was worth your time. This film was worth every cent. Can't wait for Piranha 3DD in 2011.
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