I’m not going to lie – I was a big fan of the 2010 remake. I can fully appreciate when a horror movie realizes its comedic value. I even further appreciate when a horror movie plays on that comedic value and doesn’t try to pretend it has even a modicum of seriousness. I understand that’s not for everybody and people do exist who are forever searching out the next Citizen Kane of horror films. Piranha 3DD is not for these people. But for those who enjoy being able to laugh and groan along with their beloved gore this movie should be an instant classic.
3DD begins with the after events of the first movie. We find out that the lake that saw the final resting place of both Jerry O’Connell and Richard Dreyfuss has now been cordoned off. The surrounding community has become a desolate ghost town of sorts.
Meanwhile in a nearby town a cow has wandered into the water and died. Enter Clayton (Gary Busey) as one of two farmers who have come to retrieve her. Seasoned veterans of campy horror movies know that all of the combined elements of the previous two sentences are leading up to one of two choices: A) Absolutely nothing will happen in order to toy with the viewer such that when something DOES happen it’s even more fulfilling. Or: B) The movie has so many awesome moments that it doesn’t need to build up suspense and simply dives right in. No pun intended. SPOILER ALERT: B.
Maddy (Danielle Panabaker, whose resume boasts two other remakes, Friday the 13th and The Crazies) is returning home from school where, as luck would have it, she studies marine biology. We learn that her now deceased mother owned a water park, “Big Wet.†Maddy owns exactly 49% of the water park. The other 51% belongs to Chet, her stepfather (David Koechner – trust me, you know who he is). Chet has been working to transform the once wholesome, family-fun water park to one that is more of a haven for thrill-seeking adults. This is the point in the movie where it begins to make up for any lack (yes, lack) of gratuitous nudity contained in the 2010 remake. Don’t forget the added element of the movie being 3D. This is campy, brutal, bouncy horror at its finest.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, a series of events (blame Chet) enables the plethora of prehistoric dynamos to make a quick lunch of the scantily clad (if clad at all) guests of Big Wet. Did I mention that David Hasselhoff is in it, and that he’s as self-deprecating as he’s ever intentionally tried to be?
All-in-all I personally loved this movie. In addition to the aforementioned cast members you also have Katrina Bowden with Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames reprising their roles from the first movie, although Ving is not exactly how you remember him. There are also some amazing one-liners in this movie. I’ll let you find them for yourself. Lastly, don’t forget to watch the Bonus Features of the movie; particularly Busey’s Bloopers. The man is a genius.
