"Piranha 3-D" Movie Review

"Piranha 3-D"

Movie Review

By Christopher Smith

Among the new films that opened in area theaters this week, only one will leave a lasting, horrifying impression--in a good way. It's "Piranha 3-D," and for fans of cult B-movies, this movie has no pre-conceived airs about what it should be other than an absurd slaughterfest that winks broadly at audiences while ripping to shreds more naked co-eds than you can count.

It’s important to underscore that this is a B-movie, with all that implies. If you’re coming to the film hoping for a horror movie that plays it straight, this isn't for you. Camp hovers all along its fringe and often, it takes center stage.

The title itself is a work of art. You've got your piranhas. You've got your 3-D. Do you even need an advertising campaign with that title? The answer is no, and the good news is that director Alexander Aja is smart enough to deliver plenty of cheap, over-the-top thrills, the lot of which occur during spring break (of course) at a lake in Arizona.

Trouble is, a little earthquake underwater has unleashed hundreds of the ravenous little monster fish, who pick off people one by one, until the film really lets go in a bloody finale that's so twisted, the way it's played here is at once gross--and kind of a riot.

Elisabeth Shue is Sheriff Julie Forester (it's nice to see the underused Shue back onscreen again, particularly playing a character nobody wants to mess with), and Ving Rhames is her hulking sidekick, Depute Fallon. Joining the mayhem are Christopher Lloyd, Eli Roth, Jerry O'Connell and even Richard Dreyfuss, who many will remember starred a little film called "Jaws." Not that this movie will let you forget it.

In fact, "Piranha 3-D" is all about jaws, it's all about giving fans a fierce blast from the past, and for the most part, it gets the job done.

Grade: B-