Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981)

Director:

James Cameron

Writer:

H.A. Milton (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Terror Is Back....But This Time It Flies!

Plot:

A scuba diving instructor, her biochemist boyfriend, and her police chief ex-husband try to link a series of bizarre deaths to a mutant strain of piranha fish whose lair is a sunken freighter ship off a Caribbean island resort.

Plot Keywords:

Piranha | Fish | Death | Party | Beach

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tricia O'Neil	...	Anne Kimbrough
Steve Marachuk	...	Tyler Sherman
Lance Henriksen	...	Police Chief Steve Kimbrough (as Lance Henricksen)
Ricky Paull Goldin	...	Chris Kimbrough (as Ricky G. Paull)
Ted Richert	...	Raoul, Hotel Manager
Leslie Graves	...	Allison Dumont
Carole Davis	...	Jai
Connie Lynn Hadden	...	Loretta
Arnie Ross	...	Mal the Cook
Tracey Berg	...	Beverly (as Tracy Berg)
Albert Sanders	...	Leo Bell, D.D.S.
Anne Pollack	...	Mrs. Wilson
Hildy Magnasun	...	Myrna Benotti
Phil Colby	...	Ralph Benotti
Lee Krug	...	Ron 'Ronny', the Lifeguard

Also Known As:

Piranha II: Flying Killers (Australia)
Piranha paura (Italy)
The Spawning (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

84 min | USA:94 min (extended version)

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Brazil:16 | Italy:T | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Jamaica

Company:

Brouwersgracht Investments

Trivia:

In an interview, James Cameron said this movie gets better halfway through when seen at the drive-in with a six pack of beer.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Steve goes to search for his son, he starts up the helicopter twice.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Half Baked (1998)

As silly as you'd expect from a sequel.

Review summary: Takes out the campy, satirical tone of the original and replaces it with a darker, more serious tone, and ends up being sillier.

Lets put it this way, this film is cheesy, but fun. I really enjoyed this one because it was directed by James Cameron, one of the most celebrated directors of Hollywood. Surprise, that is if you don't happen to know. "Piranha II: The Spawning" is financed by another low-budget film producer, Italian film producer Ovidio Assonitiis (also known as Oliver Hellman). But among the things that fascinates me about this low-budget B-film is Cameron's underwater photography. Well, he didn't shoot the film, and most of the film is made by Assonitiis (probably he just credited it to Cameron). Well, it is in this film where it probably inspired Cameron to create underwater adventure flicks, with a lot of fancy underwater shots. In 1989, Cameron made "The Abyss" containing a lot of well-done underwater shots. Mere years later, Cameron direct "Titanic". Sometimes, even the cheesiest of films can provide inspiration. "Piranha II: The Spawning" was Cameron's first, which led him to more outstanding works. With that shed of fact, perhaps it's best we leave this one alone.

I, at least give the film **, for being guilty pleasure, and being suspenseful on some scenes. Best for pure camp goodness, and nothing else.

Rating: ** out of 5.