Piranha 3D (2010)

InformationGeek · August 20, 2010, 09:06:03 PM

Here it is folks. The B-Movie of the summer! Blood, gore, nudity, hammy acting, killer Piranha, and 3D all in one place! We've been (Well I've been waiting since I love killer animal and creature films to death.) waiting for this and it hits theaters tonight. I'm checking it out this weekend in 3D, so I'll be back with my thoughts on the insanity.

At Lake Victoria, an underwater earthquake has happened and opened up a giant chasm beneath the water. From this chasm, it releases thousands of prehistoric piranha to reck havoc on the area. Bad news is that this event happens at possibly the worst time, during Spring Break where their will be thousands of college kids in the area. You know that means! Piranha fodder ahoy!

Taking a look at the casting in this, it has quite a line up people I recongized! Ving Rhames, Jerry O'Connell, Christopher Llyod, and Richard Dreyfuss of all people! Checking in more of things, this film actually stars a few porno stars that are just there to be killed.

I put this topic into the Good Movies section because I've been hearing a lot of great things from the critcal response, which brightens me up a bit. I figure most critics would slam this film, but surprisingly, there is so far a majority of them who love this film a lot!

So, I'll be back later with my thoughts and I'll leave you with these two things. An audio review on the movie and footage from the actual film. Don't know how the person got it, but I bet the person recorded it when he or she was at Comic Con where they aired a bunch of footage.

You'll have to go the site for this video!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xed2p6_9-minutes-of-piranha_shortfilms

http://my.spill.com/profiles/blogs/piranha-3d-audio-review

The Burgomaster · August 21, 2010, 11:39:21 AM

I just saw this. I probably would have listed it in the "Bad Movies" forum because overall I think it's a terrible, formulaic, predicatable rehash of similar movies.

That being said, it somehow does manage to be an oddly entertaining blood and gore fest (I'm talking gallons of blood and plenty of torn flesh, ugly wounds, and severed body parts). Plus, the spring break setting means ample shots of boobs and butts in 3-D!

The 3-D effects range from bland (many scenes don't use the 3-D effects very well), to very good (especially some of the underwater scenes). The gore effects on the other hand are generally good, although some are obviously more CGI than make-up or prosthetics.

So, in a nutshell, you'll probably groan at much of the plot, acting, and dialogue, but you'll love the bloody "chew 'em up" scenes. And it was nice to see Richard Dreyfuss in a Jaws-inspired cameo.

***Added note***

It was also nice to see Eli Roth as the host of the wet t-shirt contest!

Nukie 2 · August 21, 2010, 06:28:20 PM

I'd say it was on the gross-out humor side with the gore.

zombie no.one · August 21, 2010, 08:51:38 PM

I want to see this, even tho I don't really 'get' the whole 3D thing. seems to have got good reviews across the board

what kind of 3D are we talking, is it cheap spex with blue and red lenses like My Bloody Valentine/Final Destination 3, or the sophisticated ones like Avatar that look like normal glasses?

btw surprised Kelly Brook is in this. if you don't know she's in the papers every day over here (UK) basically for doing nothing. the papers love her, but I don't really. hopefully she becomes fish food, yum.

SkullBat308 · August 21, 2010, 08:57:05 PM

Here is a CRAZY interview Ving Rhames did to promote this. Epic!!!

http://jakefogelnest.com/post/942676676

The Burgomaster · August 21, 2010, 09:37:22 PM

Quote from: DCA on August 21, 2010, 08:51:38 PM
I want to see this, even tho I don't really 'get' the whole 3D thing. seems to have got good reviews across the board

what kind of 3D are we talking, is it cheap spex with blue and red lenses like My Bloody Valentine/Final Destination 3, or the sophisticated ones like Avatar that look like normal glasses?

btw surprised Kelly Brook is in this. if you don't know she's in the papers every day over here (UK) basically for doing nothing. the papers love her, but I don't really. hopefully she becomes fish food, yum.

It's the Avatar style glasses.

Jim H · August 22, 2010, 10:41:21 PM

Quote
what kind of 3D are we talking, is it cheap spex with blue and red lenses like My Bloody Valentine/Final Destination 3, or the sophisticated ones like Avatar that look like normal glasses?

Um, where did you go that had blue and red lenses on My Bloody Valentine 3D and FD3? Theatrically both were released the same way as Avatar. If you saw them on DVD, it's because DVDs can't show movies the way current 3D films are out in theatres. So they have to convert it to the old school way with the red/blue lenses.

As far as Piranha 3D... I saw it. It was alright. Fairly entertaining at times. VERY gorey. Takes way too long to get going. Possibly has the most naked breasts in it of any film I've seen (what were there? Twenty topless women in it?). Richard Dreyfus's cameo was OK. Christopher Lloyd's was great, he's still perfect in that scientist sort of role. The action was alright. The 3D, as usual, didn't work well for me (something I've gotten into before) and gave me eyestrain and the beginning of a headache by the end. BTW, the theatres here are not showing it in 2D - AT ALL. Well, ONE theatre has it in 2D, but it's like 50 miles away.

I probably would have enjoyed it more in 2D, honestly. To briefly explain, 3D always looks like it is breaking up to me - I can see the two images as slightly separate. Not sure if my eyes work slightly differently, or one eye focuses differently, or what, but it means 3D stuff just kind of sucks. It distracted and bugged me more than anything. And cost me an extra $3.

I dunno... I think I'd probably give this one a 6/10.

Hammock Rider · August 23, 2010, 11:27:58 AM

I thought it was pretty good. I got a good vibe right from the beginning with the Richard Dreyfus cameo. It did take a while to get moving but the last 20 minutes or so were pretty thrilling and chilling. It's also the first movie I've seen that thanked the Amputee Surfer Society in the credits. That should give you an idea of how bloody this thing gets toward the end.

And let's don't forget Elizabeth Shue.

zombie no.one · August 23, 2010, 01:15:09 PM

Quote from: Jim H on August 22, 2010, 10:41:21 PM
Quote
what kind of 3D are we talking, is it cheap spex with blue and red lenses like My Bloody Valentine/Final Destination 3, or the sophisticated ones like Avatar that look like normal glasses?

Um, where did you go that had blue and red lenses on My Bloody Valentine 3D and FD3? Theatrically both were released the same way as Avatar. If you saw them on DVD, it's because DVDs can't show movies the way current 3D films are out in theatres. So they have to convert it to the old school way with the red/blue lenses.

yeah saw them both on DVD, red/blue lenses. I haven't seen Avatar but I did see the glasses it required to be used in the cinema. well thanks for clearing that up anyway I didn't realise there was a difference, thanks Burgomaster too.

The Burgomaster · August 23, 2010, 02:59:13 PM

Quote from: DCA on August 23, 2010, 01:15:09 PM
Quote from: Jim H on August 22, 2010, 10:41:21 PM
Quote
what kind of 3D are we talking, is it cheap spex with blue and red lenses like My Bloody Valentine/Final Destination 3, or the sophisticated ones like Avatar that look like normal glasses?

Um, where did you go that had blue and red lenses on My Bloody Valentine 3D and FD3? Theatrically both were released the same way as Avatar. If you saw them on DVD, it's because DVDs can't show movies the way current 3D films are out in theatres. So they have to convert it to the old school way with the red/blue lenses.
yeah saw them both on DVD, red/blue lenses. I haven't seen Avatar but I did see the glasses it required to be used in the cinema. well thanks for clearing that up anyway I didn't realise there was a difference, thanks Burgomaster too.

I have COMIN' AT YA! and FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 on DVD in 3-D. They both used polarized lenses in the theater, but had to use the crappy duo-color lenses for the DVD for the reasons Jim H mentioned above. Hopefully, 3-D TVs and Blue Ray players will make thie red/blue stuff go away very soon!

akiratubo · August 23, 2010, 04:11:53 PM

Wow. This caught me off guard by being ... horrifying. It starts out seeming as though it will be a lighthearted gorefest then, suddenly, it hits you with the meanest, most effective monster rampage in years, maybe decades. It's not just a bunch of people being eaten, it's a bunch of people being maimed for life. The movie even dwells on the aftermath for a while. Wow.

Torgo · August 24, 2010, 02:37:47 PM

I wanted to see this but when I found out that they actually didn't shoot the movie in 3d but did the 3D as a post conversion process, I held off. They should've offered a 2D option for this movie. I did however read an interview with the director recently who stated that while he didn't have to cut or trim anything for the R rating, that he will be releasing an extended director's cut on DVD/Blu-ray that will have an extended Spring Break massacre sequence in it.

zombie no.one · August 24, 2010, 02:56:40 PM

Quote from: The Burgomaster on August 23, 2010, 02:59:13 PM
Hopefully, 3-D TVs and Blue Ray players will make thie red/blue stuff go away very soon!

yeah I'm with you, it's an annoying gimmick and not really fun to watch.

to go slightly off topic of the film, I was just reading on wikipedia (so it must be true! (but I think it is)), that the whole piranha myth stems from when Theodore Roosevelt visited Brazil once and the fishermen plonked a load of piranhas in a lake, starved them a bit, then fed them a cow carcass when he showed up. after which Roosevelt returned with stories about an amazing fearsome fish that is more dangerous than sharks and wrote some essay on it. I don't think there has been a single recorded human fatality off a piranha attack, in reality.

Jim H · August 24, 2010, 03:56:45 PM

Quote from: Torgo on August 24, 2010, 02:37:47 PM
I wanted to see this but when I found out that they actually didn't shoot the movie in 3d but did the 3D as a post conversion process, I held off. They should've offered a 2D option for this movie. I did however read an interview with the director recently who stated that while he didn't have to cut or trim anything for the R rating, that he will be releasing an extended director's cut on DVD/Blu-ray that will have an extended Spring Break massacre sequence in it.

They actually couldn't shoot it properly in 3D - the lake the film is almost entirely shot on reflects tons of daylight, and causes the light to be uneven between the two lenses of a 3D camera - basically, the light entering the two separate lenses differs, meaning it would look REALLY BAD. But, they planned for it to be 3D from the beginning (3D films have to be shot differently for maximum effect, as heavy cutting and too much panning damages the effect), and the conversion seemed good as best as I am able to judge. If that's your only reason for holding back, I'd say go for it.

The Burgomaster · August 24, 2010, 04:40:36 PM

Quote from: Torgo on August 24, 2010, 02:37:47 PM
I wanted to see this but when I found out that they actually didn't shoot the movie in 3d but did the 3D as a post conversion process, I held off. They should've offered a 2D option for this movie. I did however read an interview with the director recently who stated that while he didn't have to cut or trim anything for the R rating, that he will be releasing an extended director's cut on DVD/Blu-ray that will have an extended Spring Break massacre sequence in it.

The conversion wasn't that bad. As I said in my original comments above, the 3-D was sometimes "bland" (i.e., it looked sort of flat . . . more like 2-D . . . in some scenes). But I didn't find it to be blurry or distracting except maybe in a few brief instances. Overall, the 3-D was better than I expected.