Thaindian News

By Satyen K. Bordoloi
Film: “Piranha 3D”; Cast: Steven R. McQueen, Jessica Szohr, Adam Scott, Elisabeth Shue, Kelly Brook, Riley Steele, Richard Dreyfuss; Director: Alexandre Aja; Rating: **

It is a genre that has been tackled many times over, a horror that lurks underwater, terrorising anything that sticks out even its leg into the water. “Piranha” had a chance to score one up on these. Sadly, the only thing new about this second remake of the 1978 original is 3D.

After a minor earthquake come out prehistoric water predators, a costal town has to find ways to survive, especially its single mother sheriff, her teenage son and two other children.

There isn’t much of a story in the film. And neither does director Alexandre Aja have Steven Speilberg’s ability to create tension despite having thousands of piranhas at his disposal. The audiences have also changed.

The film tries to make up by showing a few semi-naked teenage bodies in the beginning and too much gore, blood and mutilated bodies later on.

Call it beauties and the beasts, the former on the surface, the latter stalking under water. And though the film engages in parts, it does not completely hold the audience attention, despite the use of a good dosage of cliches, heroic sacrifice and damsel-in-distress.

What is interesting, especially for the fans of Hollywood science fiction, is cameos by some science fiction veterans, especially Richard Dreyfuss (”Jaws”) and Christopher Lloyd (”Back to the Future”).

3D sadly cannot compensate for the lack of cinematic tension which comes from good story telling techniques. Thus the only thing that you end up seeing new in the film is too much of blood and gore. If you enjoy that, this is your film.