Wholesome Family Fun

A few months back, I started hearing news about Alexandre Aja directing a 3-D remake of "Piranha". Of course, the first thought that came into my head, as I'm sure it did yours, was "This is about the last thing anyone every wanted to see remade, in 3-D nonetheless." Then, the news settled for a while, until the trailer was released. "Fake and gay." does not even begin to sum up the comments responding to it. Apparently, absolutely no one wanted to see it, my self included, I will admit. However, a couple of days ago, I started hearing fantastic things about this film, so I was convinced it was more worthy of my time than any other film currently running at my local multiplex. I will be the first to admit, I am not a fan of most critics. They can completely over-analyze a film, therefore, in some cases, over-looking its brilliance. However, one source I do trust is my local paper's Friday Entertainment section (they seem to have their heads screwed on pretty tightly, with room for enjoying films for what they are), so when they printed a 3 1/2 star review of this movie, I needed to see it immediately.

I won't bother giving you a synopsis of this film, because well, other than this: ancient underground thingy opened= very angry, hungry piranhas+ beach town in the midst of its annual spring break celebration= mesmerizing carnage, there isn't much of one. The bulk of the enjoyment derived from the movie, beyond the seemingly endless nudity and gore, comes from the pitch-perfect performances by most of the cast. They never even seem to think of taking themselves too seriously, and that, in turn, keeps the film from descending into a completely mean-spirited tone. Beyond that, Aja seems to have done his research, because, in my eyes, the movie, while not delving into the whole fake scratch, trying-too-hard syndrome, excellently captures the spirit of B- Crearture Features. Even so, his gift for suspense is still here, and the cinematography, while a bit more bland than his other films, is till better than expected from a film of this nature.

So, as this post winds down, I will leave you with this: "Piranha 3-D" is an absolute blast from start to finish. As well, the 3-D is actually very serviceable for a "smaller" budget film like this. See it you are a fan of the films it strives to emulate, or if you just want a good time at the theatre with a couple of friends. It is very much worthy of both your time and money.

P.S. Bring the kids, they'll love it.