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How entertaining? ★★★☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆ 26 January 2013
This a movie review of PIRANHA (1978). |
“Fish genetics is a small field,” Dr Mengers
Released on Blu-ray, the 1978 cult creature feature hasn’t aged mega well, especially in light of the 2010 remake, which amplified the gore, exploitation and effects. That’s not to say it doesn’t retain enjoyment for the monster movie aficionado. Clearly made in the wake of the blockbusting JAWS (1975 – also given the Blu hi-def treatment recently). Rather than going for a huge single terror plaguing a small, relatively isolated community, the makers have gone for mini psychopathic critters: Piranha fish altered using radiation and selective breeding, as well as being trained to tackle obstacles. Smart carnivores with a voracious appetite, not something you want in the neighbourhood pool while doing lengths.
Released on Blu-ray, the 1978 cult creature feature hasn’t aged mega well, especially in light of the 2010 remake, which amplified the gore, exploitation and effects. That’s not to say it doesn’t retain enjoyment for the monster movie aficionado. Clearly made in the wake of the blockbusting JAWS (1975 – also given the Blu hi-def treatment recently). Rather than going for a huge single terror plaguing a small, relatively isolated community, the makers have gone for mini psychopathic critters: Piranha fish altered using radiation and selective breeding, as well as being trained to tackle obstacles. Smart carnivores with a voracious appetite, not something you want in the neighbourhood pool while doing lengths.
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I’m not sure if it was intentional misanthropy, but just about all the characters are made out to be pretty lacking in common sense. Actions that might have you screaming, ‘What are you doing?’ at the television, had you cared about them. A teenage couple on a camping trip come across a seemingly abandoned military test site. Yeah, that’s a place you want to break into?! Inside is a large tank containing murky water. Would you take a skinny dip? These two do, and provide a tasty snack for the inhabitants.
Maggie McKeown, a skip tracing agent, is hired to find the two missing teens. And having reached the vicinity, enlists the help of alcoholic Paul Grogan. Via questionable logic they end up draining the tank, and inadvertently release the deadly monsters into the local river. After they brained the dodgy scientist working on the project, and he comes around, they discover that the piranha project is a hush-hush military sanctioned experiment, aimed to come to fruition during the Vietnam War, now ended. McKeown and Grogan then must race down river trying to alert a summer camp for kids (one of whom is Paul’s daughter), and a new tourist water resort just opening. The fish kill everything in their path as they head for open water.
PIRANHA is superior to the recent remake in the tone of anti-establishment: The government, military, police, and amoral capitalism all take a kicking. Humankind versus nature, and scientific responsibility, are also cursorily looked at. For a B-movie, at least it tries. There is occasional female nudity that adds nothing to the plot, which in this day and age feels like inequality. But if you can get past (or like) that, there is silly fun to be had.
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