Australia's Best Movie Magazine

Film reviews

The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

search the site

Enter search term:

newsletter

Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter

Enter search term:

Piranha (3-D) (Film)

by Matthew Pejkovic | August 26, 2010 15:27 | Edited August 26, 2010 15:30

While the copious amounts of nudity and gore were expected, this twisted film lacks wit and sadistically revels in its victims’ bloodshed.

Much has been made of Piranha (3D). Its copious amount of nudity and violence, coupled with a tongue in cheek campaign for an Oscar nomination, has seen it become a champion for lovers of lowball genre filmmaking.     

 

Yet, unless Piranha was running for Schlock Picture of the Year, there is not much worth recommending, as it tries with all its might to reach the mantle of "it's so bad it's good" but fails.

 

Much like the ample amount of silicon breasts featured, this film may be alluring from a distance, yet up close features little substance. With Alexandre Aja (High Tension) calling the shots, you're assured of much bloodshed, but it lacks the wit so desperately needed to make this fish-of-terror story entertaining. Instead, it relies on nostalgia and cynicism, creating an unforgivably feral, nihilistic piece of exploitation.

 

The film opens with Richard Dreyfuss reprising his Matt Hopper character from Jaws, taking in a spot of fishing only to become fish food after inadvertently unleashing a deluge of prehistoric piranhas from their centuries' old confine.

 

Aja quickly turns to cheap sentiment to get his audience onside for what is a twisted and unfunny joke of a movie.

 

With Spring Break as its setting, there is plenty of flesh for the audience to gawk at and for those savage piranhas to feast on.

 

While most horror movies attempt to draw sympathy for its victims, Piranha revels in sadistic glee as thousands of teens are torn apart with unparalleled ferocity, turning crystal waters blood red for the adulation of the audience.

 

A sequel has already been green-lit, so the next time anyone complains about the decline in quality cinema, point them towards fans of this foul mess.