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IMDbPro

Piranha 3D

  • 20102010
  • RR
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
91K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,396
24
Elisabeth Shue in Piranha 3D (2010)
A tremor under the surface of Lake Victoria unleashes scores of prehistoric piranhas, an event which rallies the local sheriff (Shue) who will risk everything to save her townsfolk.
Play trailer2:14
9 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Horror
After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the are... Read allAfter a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area's new razor-toothed residents.After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area's new razor-toothed residents.
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
91K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,396
24
  • Director
    • Alexandre Aja
  • Writers
    • Pete Goldfinger
    • Josh Stolberg
  • Stars
    • Elisabeth Shue
    • Jerry O'Connell
    • Richard Dreyfuss
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alexandre Aja
  • Writers
    • Pete Goldfinger
    • Josh Stolberg
  • Stars
    • Elisabeth Shue
    • Jerry O'Connell
    • Richard Dreyfuss
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 441User reviews
    • 374Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 12 nominations

    Videos9

    Piranha 3D
    Trailer 2:14
    Piranha 3D
    Piranha 3-D
    Clip 2:31
    Piranha 3-D
    Piranha 3-D
    Clip 0:23
    Piranha 3-D
    Piranha 3-D
    Clip 0:33
    Piranha 3-D
    Piranha 3-D
    Clip 0:31
    Piranha 3-D
    Piranha 3-D
    Clip 0:38
    Piranha 3-D
    Piranha 3-D
    Interview 0:40
    Piranha 3-D
    Piranha 3D: "Wild Wild Girls"
    Promo 2:32
    Piranha 3D: "Wild Wild Girls"
    Piranha 3D: "For Your Consideration"
    Promo 2:49
    Piranha 3D: "For Your Consideration"

    Photos201

    Ving Rhames in Piranha 3D (2010)
    Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, and Franck Khalfoun in Piranha 3D (2010)
    Jerry O'Connell in Piranha 3D (2010)
    Jessica Harbeck in Piranha 3D (2010)
    Jerry O'Connell, Rebecca Romijn, and Kelly Brook at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)
    Kelly Brook at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)
    Kelly Brook and Jessica Szohr at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)
    Rebecca Romijn, Kelly Brook, and Bob Weinstein at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)
    Jessica Szohr at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)
    Jessica Szohr at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)
    Rebecca Romijn at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)
    Rebecca Romijn at an event for Piranha 3D (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Elisabeth Shue
    Elisabeth Shue
    • Julie Foresteras Julie Forester
    Jerry O'Connell
    Jerry O'Connell
    • Derrick Jonesas Derrick Jones
    Richard Dreyfuss
    Richard Dreyfuss
    • Matt Boydas Matt Boyd
    Ving Rhames
    Ving Rhames
    • Deputy Fallonas Deputy Fallon
    Christopher Lloyd
    Christopher Lloyd
    • Mr. Carl Goodmanas Mr. Carl Goodman
    Eli Roth
    Eli Roth
    • Wet T-Shirt Hostas Wet T-Shirt Host
    Steven R. McQueen
    Steven R. McQueen
    • Jake Foresteras Jake Forester
    Jessica Szohr
    Jessica Szohr
    • Kellyas Kelly
    Kelly Brook
    Kelly Brook
    • Dannias Danni
    Riley Steele
    Riley Steele
    • Crystalas Crystal
    Adam Scott
    Adam Scott
    • Novakas Novak
    Ricardo Chavira
    Ricardo Chavira
    • Samas Sam
    Dina Meyer
    Dina Meyer
    • Paulaas Paula
    Paul Scheer
    Paul Scheer
    • Andrewas Andrew
    Brooklynn Proulx
    Brooklynn Proulx
    • Laura Foresteras Laura Forester
    Sage Ryan
    Sage Ryan
    • Zane Foresteras Zane Forester
    Cody Anthony
    Cody Anthony
    • Todd Dupreeas Todd Dupree
    • (as Cody Longo)
    Brian Kubach
    • Brettas Brett
    • Director
      • Alexandre Aja
    • Writers
      • Pete Goldfinger
      • Josh Stolberg
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Alexandre Aja planned to have Joe Dante (director of the original Piranha (1978)) and James Cameron (director of Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)) play boat Captains who give safety lessons to the teens. Dante wanted to do it, but Cameron was too busy.
    • Goofs
      At the end of the film the expert says the fish have underdeveloped sex organs and these fish are babies. However a fish's sex organs are internal and he wouldn't know this without dissection or a CAT scan.
    • Quotes

      Danni: Nice horn.

      Laura Forester: Thanks. Nice boobs.

      Danni: Thanks.

      Laura Forester: I have a training bra but I don't like to wear it 'cause it itches.

      Danni: Tell me about it! Who are you waiting for?

      Laura Forester: My brother Jake, he's seventeen. He'll like your boobs too.

      Danni: They all do.

    • Crazy credits
      After the credits a severed partially skeletal head is shown sinking to the lake floor.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Last Exorcism/Piranha 3D/Vampires Suck (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Show Me The Way To Go Home
      Written by Irving King and Hal Swain

      Performed by Mitch Miller & The Gang

      Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

      By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

    User reviews441

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Aja delivers all the blood, camp and boobs you could ever ask for
    Films rarely deliver on the promises of their trailers. Even their synopses can indicate a promise of something the final film has a problem making truly happen. Some movies come close, others fail miserably, and others deliver a different experience entirely. Piranha 3D is the rare film the delivers exactly what the trailers, synopses and every ounce of marketing promises – buckets of blood, campy humour and boobs – lots and lots of boobs.

    The plot, or what little semblance there is, revolves around the small town of Lake Victoria, which explodes with activity every Spring Break. An earthquake tremor shatters the lake's floor, and lets loose hundreds of prehistoric piranha. And as the trailer suggests, not even local Sheriff Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue) can stop the mayhem in store for the unlucky college students and residents who venture into the water.

    Despite a rather threadbare plot, Piranha 3D survives on an alternating scale of maniacal destruction and sheer glee. It is clear from the opening moments of the film that Alexandre Aja is having loads of fun creating this throwback monster movie. And in a year where just about everything seems like a nostalgic reference to films from other decades (specifically the 1980s), Piranha 3D fits right in. It makes no argument about the type of film it is at any point. It knows it is not going to be the next Schindler's List, and it knows it has no chance of even remotely being a "good movie". What it strives for, especially if you are the right audience for it, is to be the funnest film of the summer. After all, this is a movie that makes a joke about a severed CGI penis.

    The film is fun for the sheer fact that Aja does not seem to care about the line between good and bad taste. The aforementioned severed penis aside, there are quite literally hundreds of people who are murdered by these prehistoric killers by the time the film reaches its credits. And Aja just seems to revel in the destruction he creates at every turn. I lost count of how many people perished in one grisly attack near the beach that makes Jaws look about as menacing as Bambi. And somehow, the attacks even vary at how successful they are, and just what gets attacked. Various body parts are ripped out and eaten in detail, and many people end up more mangled than the trailers suggest. Aja has a go-for-broke style that we rarely get a chance to see in modern horror, and pushes the limits of what he can show at any given moment. I have heard there were cuts made to the film, but as it is, I cannot even fathom what could have possibly been chopped out in comparison to what they left in.

    But the buckets of blood are only the beginning. This is also a film that revels in having bare breasts appear almost every five minutes. Hell, there is an entire five minute underwater ballet-like scene that borders on soft porn. But again, it does not seem like Aja cares. He just wants to revel in how much he can possibly get away with, full frontal nudity and all. It almost feels exploitative at times with just how much these female actresses show off, specifically Kelly Brook and Riley Steele (who is just one of a handful of porn stars who appear in the film). Aja knows his audience, knows his genre, and knows the films that inspired it. It almost comes off like he wanted to ensure he had enough bare breasts so he knew he did not do a disservice to all of those expecting gratuitous amounts of nudity.

    The film's ultimate success comes from its humour though. With just how ridiculous the film quickly becomes, it never loses sight of its tone and lack of seriousness. It may get extraordinarily gruesome, but it is never serious or horrific enough that you will have trouble laughing at what is going on. The campy one-liners are all very effective, as is the film's nostalgic sensibilities. Even better are the cast members who provide them: Christopher Lloyd as an aquarium owner two steps short of Doc Brown; Jerry O'Connell as a coked out porn producer; Ving Rhames as a bad ass deputy; Eli Roth as the host of a wet t-shirt contest. Everyone brings their A-game, and maintain their deadpan humour throughout. They all look to be having just as much of a blast as Aja is.

    But there are issues with the film. For one, some of the special effects are lacking. The explicit shots showing the piranha destroying their victims all seem to look awful, as do the piranhas themselves (3D effects do nothing but make them look even worse). The makeup effects are working at full throttle in every single case, but the effects of how these people are being ripped limb from limb seems to have not been too much of a concern for anyone. I realize the campy style of the film, but its style does not excuse its shoddy special effects. The character development is also a little stilted, much like the performance of main star Steven R. McQueen. Had Aja sacrificed the thirty to forty minutes of "development" and just added more mayhem, this would not be nearly as much of an issue. But looking at the movie and its style, I doubt Aja was going for perfection here.

    Granted you are the audience for buckets of blood and gratuitous amounts of nudity, Piranha 3D delivers on all counts. It has some problems and is far from a great movie, but its campy and nostalgic style more than forgives any issue. The film exists solely to be gleefully destructive. And as long as you realize that going in, you will not be disappointed.

    7.5/10.

    (This review also appeared on http://www.geekspeakmagazine.com).
    helpful•113
    67
    • DonFishies
    • Aug 21, 2010

    FAQ9

    • Is "Piranha 3D" based on a book?
    • Are piranhas as aggresive as shown in this film?
    • Is Richard Dreyfuss reprising his role as Matt Hooper from "Jaws"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 20, 2010 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (France)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Piranha
    • Filming locations
      • Lake Havasu, Arizona, USA
    • Production companies
      • Dimension Films
      • Intellectual Properties Worldwide (I)
      • Aja / Levasseur Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $24,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $25,003,155
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,106,872
      • Aug 22, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $83,188,165
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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