Sharknado Review by Bobby LePire. Edited by Courtney McAllister.

 

Let’s not beat around the bush- “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No” premieres soon, and thus, I’ll be reviewing the first one this week, the second next, and the third a day (or two) after it airs (expect a nice recap of the “Sharkando 3” party I’ll be throwing as well).

We all know the plot of the movie that helped save Syfy original films, but in case you’ve been living in a cave for the last two years-
A tornado that is full of sharks hits Los Angeles, bringing in its wake destruction the likes of which the city has not experienced. Bar owner Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering), along with best friend Baz (Jaason Simmons), waitress Nova (Cassie Scerbo), and barfly George (John Heard), make their way inland to save Fin’s wife, April (Tara Reid), and children, Claudia (Aubrey Peeples) and Matt (Chuck Hittinger).

 

Director Anthony C. Ferrante had his first Asylum movie released just a few months prior to this flick; it proved popular enough to get a sequel. “Sharknado” proved popular enough to break the internet, before that was a thing! In all seriousness though, Ferrante keeps the movie lively, with excellent pacing, engagingly, and ever increasingly, ridiculous set pieces, and hitting just the right tone (more on this in a moment). There are maybe two sequences that aren’t wholly necessary- the saving the kids on the school bus and the police chase. The first of these is very fun, and adds a bit to Fin’s heroic streak, and the second provides an action beat free from the sharks, so it comes as a nice reprieve. But aside from those eight minutes, every line, scene, and action sequence adds to the plot, characters, or utter insanity of the film.

The tone for a movie like this is perhaps the trickiest thing of all. Play it too serious, and you run the risk of sapping any joy from the movie and turning a ridiculous, and should be fun-o-rama, premise into a boring mess (ie- “Mega Shark Vs Octopus”). Play it too jokey, and you can be obnoxious and unfunny in that ‘trying too hard’ kind of way (ie- “Death Racers”; damn ICP!). Here, things are played straight enough to sell the drama (can Fin and company get to his family in time?), but it is obvious from the dialogue, the acting, and the lighthearted tone that no one took this too seriously, so fun abounds in almost every scene (an early rescue bit establishes Baz as Tasmanian, not a Brit, Kiwi, or Australian- funny stuff, especially given that a shark just ate a chunk of his leg!).

 

Helping Ferrante’s energetic directing is Thunder Levin’s gloriously fun script. I am not sure if he’s a genius, deranged, or both, mad scientist style! I really can’t think of any other screenwriter who would not only have a sharknado flood all of LA, so we get plenty of moments of sharks just swimming in the streets- but would also think that the best way to destroy such a thing would be by blowing it up… and then have the main characters get eaten, and survive! I imagine bouncing these ideas off the director, friends, etc., was a blast! Any movie that can balance-

Nova- “They took my grandfather. That’s why I really hate sharks.”

Matt- “Now I really hate sharks, too.”

 

and-

 

Claudia- “You guys are always there for Matt, but not me.”

Fin- “I came for you first. Remember that.”

 

- and make both of those moments fun/ believable, in their own ways, is clearly doing something very, very right.

 

William Boodell’s editing is taut and and provides some real tension- when the shark attacks the partially flooded house (actual house set, built in a freaking pool!) the way the movie cuts between it circling around, April and Claudia on the upper stairs, and Fin and friends on the lower stairs, creates a nice sense of dread, and once they do start fighting it off, the movie never gets too spliced up a la “Transformers”. The cinematography, by Ben Demaree, is clear and crisp, with some excellent wide shots of the city.

 

The special effects, supervised by Joseph Lawson (because who else?) are very good, with all the sharks, that we see close up, having a good amount of detail to them. There are times where they seem a bit light, but given the premise, I think that was intentional. The tornadoes themselves, and the destruction they cause, look very good. The only iffy effect would be the wave that gets Heard on the highway. It’s not bad, but the compositing over the highway looks off.

 

Ian Ziering, who was no stranger to these kinds of movies (Syfy’s “Aztec Rex” is pretty fun), makes for an excellent hero. He is quite believable, and handles the action and drama very well. He plays it straight, and just lets the craziness speak for itself. Tara Reid shares some good chemistry with him, and exudes a motherly care for the kids (just not for him). John Heard is lots of fun as the perpetually drunk George. His comedic timing is excellent and is put to good use here.

 

Cassie Scerbo is pretty awesome, especially when her character has to step up and go gung ho near the end. Jaason Simmons is enjoyable as the heavy lifting friend. Aubrey Peeples is good, and gets most of the more dramatic scenes. Chuck Hittinger is memorable in a small role; he doesn’t show up until the third act.

 

In this day and age, where trite and boring blockbusters abound (and are inexplicably loved by many), such as Gareth Edwards’ detestable “Godzilla (2014)”, it is inspiring that something as silly, fun, and a little dumb like “Sharknado” was a success. Not just a success, but an outright massive phenomenon, and with good reason; it is as enjoyably insane and goofy (in the right kind of way) as the title and everything about it suggests. If you haven’t seen it, and like b-movies, what are you waiting for?

 

 

 

For more "Sharknado" goodness, please read this fantastic pop culture essay/ review written by my friend, Keith Abt.