Review of Piranha 3D (2010) by Ian B — 20 Nov 2011

The reason Piranha 3D works better than it had any right to is because it knows exactly what it is and runs with it. It's a campy, gory, shamelessly entertaining remake of a 70's B-movie with some cool 3D effects and nothing more.

The main things that kept this from going straight to DVD were (obviously) the 3D gimmick and the fact it actually has famous people in it. Elisabeth Shue carries the film well, Jerry O'Connell gets some good laughs, and cameos from Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames just add to the fun tone of the film. Aside from a few cheap jump scares, this is definitely a film more focused on giving the audience a fun ride rather than scaring the crap outta them. A smart choice, in my opinion, as the original film wisely did the same.

I was a little skeptical of how the 3D would turn out (I'm not a fan of the gimmick) but it actually works well here. Regurgitated penises, lesbians making out underwater set to classical music, and yes, a shit-load of piranha flying at your face. Too bad all this will look like crap on DVD. Just try watching Jaws 3-D on DVD if you need further proof.

Overall I had a lot of fun with Piranha 3D. It delivers exactly what it promises...gore, boobs, and piranha. Sure it would've been nice if the film had a story (it makes Friday the 13th look like Memento), but that's just me being nit-picky. The movie is fun, ultra-gory and well worth the over-priced 3D ticket cost. Hell, Kelly Brook in 3D is worth the price of admission....everything else is just an awesome bonus.