Piranha 3D

Topless girls, prehistoric fish and underwater ballet: No matter what type of nonsense you like, Piranha 3-D delivers, offering audiences gory B-movie fun.

Director Alexandre Aja, who also directed The Hills Have Eyes, presents a wilder and bloodier remake of the ’78 cult classic. The premise is simple—prehistoric piranhas invade an Arizona lake during spring break, and madness ensues. The local sheriff’s department attempts to combat the carnivorous fish, and as the movie peals on, the piranhas tear into the helpless spring break partiers with vigor.

Aja makes full use of the 3-D medium to deliver sheer dumb fun in a surprisingly coherent way. The film recognizes what its target audience wants and gives it to them without reserve—where some B-movies shy away, Piranha goes all out with liberal amounts of blood and nudity.

As with many B-movie thrillers, there are certain recognizable trappings: forced dialogue, a contrived plot and the ungodly amounts of gore. Aja supplements these essentials with mediocre stars and a brilliant supporting cast. Steven R. McQueen turns in a thoroughly unmemorable performance as the sherriff’s son, who takes Derrick Jones (Jerry O’Connell) on a fateful tour around the lake. O’Connell’s over-the-top performance as a “Girls Gone Wild”-type filmmaker, combined with an appearance by Christopher Lloyd as a local scientist, make up some of the funnier small roles; throw in cameos by porn stars Gianna Michaels and Ashlynn Brooke, and Piranha 3-D has it all.

Piranha 3-D unapologetically goes where many B-movies have gone before, but it does so with enough verve and energy to make for an enjoyable experience.