Starring: Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, John Heard
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Rated: Unrated
Studio: The Asylum
DVD Release Date: September 3, 2013
Run Time: 90 minutes
Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
I have always been a fan of B-movie films about sharks and I personally have seen them all not matter how bad. From “Swamp Shark” to “Super Shark” to the “Mega Shark” series, they are all fun films. Are they great pieces of cinema? Hell no! But still very entertaining and very fun. I think it was “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus” that really raised the bar for these films and created worldwide recognition for this genre. “Sharknado” is just such a fun title that you can’t help but say “What the *$#$” when just hearing it. The film works the exact same way, take it for what it is just plain stupid fun.
The film became a cult classic and a cultural phenomenon before it even aired on Syfy. But honestly with a title like that how could it not. It literally has become a huge hit since it has aired and developed a growing and devoted fan-base since then. No this is not the best movie ever, in fact it is quite bad but like a car accident you can’t look away. I like to describe this movie as “the best movie of the year…yet also the worst”. So if you are looking for a good time, this will definitely be the flick to watch to do so.
Official Premise: Produced by The Asylum, “Sharknado” is the story of beachside bar regulars including owner Fin (Ian Ziering, “Beverly Hills 90210″), bartender Nova (Casie Scerbo, “Make It Or Break It”) and local drunk George (John Heard, “Home Alone”) as they team up with Fin’s ex-wife April (Tara Reid, “Scrubs”) to investigate the ecological nightmare that has sharks swimming through the streets of Los Angeles and falling from the skies.
So if you read the cast below, you see pretty decent names in this cast. Ian Ziering is just so much fun in the film. He knows this film is a gag and really just has fun with its. He is also great in a recent film called “National Lampoon’s The Legend of Awesomest Maximus”. Tara Reid plays it a little too serious for me and tries to “act” too hard. John Heard aka the dad from “Home Alone” has an all too brief role but gets some good lines in. Casie Scerbo is one of the cast that I wasn’t too aware prior but she easily took away some of the best lines in the film. That is another thing, I see this film being quoted for years to come. “They took my grandfather. So I really hate sharks.” Classic!
The Blu-ray itself, I have to admit I was expecting much more. With all the hype surrounding this film, I would have hoped that The Asylum would have given this some extra love but instead it gets a typical pretty typical release. The 1080p transfer works for the most part giving the film is not perfect. The film goes from dark skies to a sunny day in one sec, so if you get get past that. The transfer works for what it is given. The audio is impressive though with its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
The special features are a decent but I would have loved to see them really capitalize on the fandom surrounding the film. There is a brief behind-the-scenes looks with “The Making of Sharknado”, as well as gag reel included. Lastly there is a cast & crew commentary track, which is fun and definitely worth the repeat viewing. If they took a little more time on this release, they could have included some of the fandom that this film has developed like artwork etc. I also think it would have been fun to attend a screening when this was shown in theaters and filmed a bit there as well with fan interviews. I would have loved to see more of that as well.
If you want more don’t worry Syfy is bringing it to you. There is already plans for a sequel called “Sharknado 2: The Next One”, which will be set in New York City and premiere on the Channel in July 2014. There is also a contest going on to be in the film and killed by a shark, so if you are in NYC and love this film that is a must to seek out. So get ready to roll those eyes as the madness continues with these very fun films.