Piranha 3-D
Encyclopedia
Piranha 3D is a 2010 3D horror
film, and the second remake of the 1978 film of the same name. It is directed by Alexandre Aja
and sports an ensemble cast
featuring Steven R. McQueen
, Jessica Szohr
, Jerry O'Connell
, Richard Dreyfuss
, Christopher Lloyd
, Elisabeth Shue
, Adam Scott
, Kelly Brook
, Riley Steele
, Ving Rhames
and Eli Roth
.
The film went to gross over $83 million worldwide and was well-received by critics.
) is fishing in Lake Victoria, Arizona when a small earthquake
hits, splitting the lake floor and causing a whirlpool. Boyd falls in and is ripped apart by a school of piranha
s that emerge from the chasm and ascend the vortex.
Jake Forester (Steven R. McQueen
) is admiring attractive tourists as spring break
begins. He reunites with his old crush, Kelly (Jessica Szohr
) and meets Derrick Jones (Jerry O'Connell
), an eccentric pornographer, as well as Danni (Kelly Brook
), one of his actresses. Derrick convinces Jake to show him good spots on the lake (Lake Victoria) for filming a pornographic movie.
That night, Jake's mother, Sheriff Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue
), searches for the missing Matthew Boyd with Deputy Fallon (Ving Rhames
). They find his mutilated body and contemplate closing the lake, however this is made difficult by 20,000 partying college students on spring break
who are important for bringing revenue to the small town. The next morning, a lone cliff diver is attacked and consumed by the marauding fish.
Jake bribes his sister and brother, Laura (Brooklynn Proulx
) and Zane (Sage Ryan), to stay home alone so that he can show Derrick around the lake. After Jake leaves, Zane drafts Laura to go fishing on a small sandbar island. They forget to tie the boat down and are stranded in the middle of the lake. Meanwhile, Jake goes to meet with Derrick and runs into Kelly, who invites herself onto Derrick’s boat, The Barracuda. Jake meets Crystal (Riley Steele
), another of Derrick’s actresses, and cameraman Drew (Paul Scheer
).
Julie takes a team of seismologist divers — Novak (Adam Scott
), Sam (Ricardo Chavira), and Kendra (Dina Meyer
) — to the fissure. Novak speculates that the rift leads to a buried prehistoric lake. Kendra and Sam scuba dive to the bottom and discover a large cavern filled with large piranha egg stocks. Both are killed by the piranhas before they can alert the others to the discovery. Novak and Julie find Kendra's corpse and pull it onto the boat, capturing a lone piranha, which they take to Carl Goodman (Christopher Lloyd
), a marine biologist who works as a pet store owner. He explains that the piranha that they caught is a prehistoric species, long believed to be extinct, which must have been trapped underground for over two million years where they have grown super-aggressive.
Julie, Novak, Fallon, and Deputy Taylor Roberts (Jason Spisak
) try to evacuate the lake, but their warnings are ignored until the piranhas begin to attack the tourists. Novak boards a jet-ski with a shotgun
to help while Fallon drags people to shore and Julie and Taylor try to get swimmers into the police boat. A floating stage capsizes from the weight of the panicking guests.
Meanwhile, Jake spots Laura and Zane on the island, and forces Derrick to rescue them. Derrick crashes the boat into some rocks, flooding the rooms below deck. Kelly is trapped in the kitchen while Derrick, Crystal, and Drew are thrown from the boat. Crystal is devoured and Drew disappears and is presumed dead. Meanwhile, Danni manages to get a partially eaten Derrick back on board.
Deputy Fallon makes a last stand, but its presumed he is killed by the fish. After the chaos settles, Julie receives a call from Jake pleading for help. Julie and Novak steal a speed boat and head off towards the kids. Julie and Novak reach Jake and attach a rope to his boat. Julie, Danni, Laura, and Zane start crossing the rope, but the piranhas latch onto Danni's hair and ultimately devour her. The others make it to safety, but the rope comes loose. Using Derrick's corpse as a distraction, Jake ties the line to himself and goes to save Kelly. He ties Kelly to him and lights a flare after releasing the gas in a pair of stored propane tanks. Novak starts the boat and speeds away just as the piranhas surround Kelly and Jake. They are dragged to safety and the propane
tanks explode, destroying the boat and killing most of the piranhas.
Mr. Goodman calls Julie on the radio, and Julie tells him that they seem to have killed the majority of the piranhas. Terrified, Goodman tells her that the reproductive glands on the piranha they obtained were not mature, which means that the fish they were fighting were only the babies. As Novak wonders aloud where the parents are, a huge piranha leaps out and knocks him into the water.
Richard Dreyfuss said that he accepted the role only after Bob Weinstein
persuaded him by offering the actor a larger salary which Dreyfuss later donated to charity. Dreyfuss also stated that the ill-fated character he plays is a parody and a near-reincarnation of Matt Hooper, the character he portrayed in the 1975 film Jaws
. Jaws later served as inspiration for the parody film entitled Piranha. The song the character in Piranha 3-D listens to on the radio on his boat is "Show Me the Way to Go Home
", which Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider
and Robert Shaw
sing together in Jaws.
Pornographic actresses Ashlynn Brooke
and Gianna Michaels
make cameos in the movie as partygoers who meet extremely gruesome, piranha-related demises.
was originally scheduled to direct the film, and made uncredited rewrites to the script by Josh Stolberg
and Peter Goldfinger, as well as incorporating the original John Sayles script that Joe Dante directed the first time around. Alexandre Aja was selected to direct the film instead.
Production on the film was scheduled to begin late 2008, but was delayed until March 2009. In October 2008, Aja stated filming would begin in the spring. He further stated "it's such a difficult movie, not only because of the technicality of it and the CGI
fish, but also because it all happens in a lake. We were supposed to start shooting now, but the longer to leave it the colder the water gets. The movie takes place during Spring Break and, of course, the studio wanted it ready for the summer, but if you've got 1,000 people who need to get murdered in the water, you have to wait for the right temperature for the water, for the weather, for everything."
Shooting took place in June 2009 at Bridgewater Channel in Lake Havasu
, located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona
. The water was also dyed red for the shooting.
Citing constraints with 3D camera rigs, Aja shot Piranha in 2D and converted to 3D in post production using the reali-D conversion process developed by the company, Inner-D. Unlike some other 3D converted films released in 2010, Piranhas conversion was not done as an afterthought, and it represents one of the first post-conversion processes to be well received by critics.
and Inception
. It was set to have a panel on 24 July 2010 as part of the San Diego Comic-Con International but was cancelled after convention organizers decided the footage that was planned to be shown was not appropriate. Nine minutes of footage, with some unfinished effects, were leaked onto websites. The clip used in promotional TV ads and the trailer that shows Jessica Szohr
's character, Kelly, face to face with a pack of piranhas was not used in the movie, and was used for promotion only.
The official poster was released June 22, 2010.
, based on 112 reviews, with a "certified fresh" score of 6.2 out of 10.
On Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received a mixed average
score of 53%, based on 20 reviews. A tongue-in-cheek scholarly review of the movie was written for the journal Copeia (Chakrabarty & Fink 2011), which reviewed the movie as if it were a documentary film.
Empire
gave the film three out of five stars, saying "Remember the film you hoped Snakes on a Plane
would be – this is it! By any sane cinematic standards, meretricious trash ... but thrown at you with such good-humoured glee that it's hard to resist. It's a bumper-sticker of a movie: honk if you love tits and gore! Honk honk honk." Christy Lemire
, film critic for the Associated Press
, said "Run, don't walk: 'Piranha 3D' is hilariously, cleverly gory. Mere words cannot describe how awesomely gnarly 'Piranha 3D' is, how hugely entertaining, and how urgently you must get yourself to the theatre to see it. Like, now." HollywoodLife.com called the film "a campy masterpiece of a movie", adding "If you have an ounce of fun in your body, you will love this movie about killer piranhas that overtake a town of hotties — in 3D!" Peter Hall of Cinematical.com said "The gore, the nudity, the language, the gags, the characters-- it's all always on the rise. Just when you think things could not possibly get more ridiculous, that the film has peaked, Aja and screenwriters Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg manage to ram another syringe of adrenaline into its heart." The Hollywood Reporter
referred to the film as "a pitch-perfect, guilty-pleasure serving of late-summer schlock that handily nails the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the Roger Corman original" while stating "Jaws
it ain't -- Aja exhibits little patience for such stuff as dramatic tension and tautly coiled suspense, and there are some undeniable choppy bits...but he never loses sight of the potential fun factor laid out in Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg's script." The Orlando Sentinel
gave the film one and a half stars out of four, stating that "Piranha 3D goes for the jugular. And generally misses, but generally in an amusing way."
, dance
, hip-hop and RnB
music. Artists include Shwayze, Envy, Flatheads, Amanda Blank, Public Enemy, Dub Pistols, Hadouken!
and many more.
has announced a sequel
to be in the works. The film will be called Piranha 3DD and will be directed by John Gulager
with Patrick Melton
and Marcus Dunstan
writing. It is set for a November 23, 2011 release.It Stars Ving Rhames
, Paul Scheer
and Christopher Lloyd
- reprising their roles from Piranha 3D . On April 25, 2011 it was reported that Danielle Panabaker
, Matt Bush
, Chris Zylka
, David Koechner
, Meagan Tandy
, Paul James Jordan, Jean-Luc Bilodeau
, Hector Jimenez
, Adrian Martinez
, and Clu Gulager
have been cast. On April 27, 2011 the addition of Gary Busey
to the cast was confirmed. On May 2, 2011 it was announced that Katrina Bowden
had joined the cast. On May 11, 2011 Bloody Disgusting
confirmed David Hasselhoff
had joined the film. Piranha 3DD will reportedly be set at a waterpark where the piranhas find a way through the pipes.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
film, and the second remake of the 1978 film of the same name. It is directed by Alexandre Aja
Alexandre Aja
Alexandre Aja is a French film director who rose to international stardom for his 2003 horror film Haute Tension .-Personal life:...
and sports an ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
featuring Steven R. McQueen
Steven R. McQueen
Steven R. McQueen - and also known as 'Steven Chadwick McQueen' - is an American actor, best known for his role as Jeremy Gilbert in The CW show The Vampire Diaries and his recurring role as Kyle Hunter in the drama series Everwood. McQueen uses the name 'Steven R...
, Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
, Jerry O'Connell
Jerry O'Connell
Jeremiah "Jerry" O'Connell is an American actor, best known for his roles in the TV series Sliders, Andrew Clements in My Secret Identity, Vern Tessio in the film Stand by Me, Charlie Carbone in Kangaroo Jack, and Detective Woody Hoyt on the drama Crossing Jordan...
, Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
, Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
, Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Judson Shue is an American actress and producer, most famous for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Back to the Future Parts II and III and Leaving Las Vegas, for which she won five acting awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden...
, Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
, Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook is an English model, actress, entrepreneur, television presenter and Playboy model.-Early life:...
, Riley Steele
Riley Steele
Riley Steele is an American pornographic actress.Steele grew up in Escondido, California, United States, and before starting her adult film career worked at Starbucks and at a golf course snack bar. She met porn star Jesse Jane at the signing for Pirates, where Jane advised her to get into the...
, Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
and Eli Roth
Eli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth is an American film director, producer, writer and actor. He is known for his role as Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds for which he won both a SAG Award and a BFCA Critic's Choice Award...
.
The film went to gross over $83 million worldwide and was well-received by critics.
Plot
Fisherman Matthew Boyd (Richard DreyfussRichard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
) is fishing in Lake Victoria, Arizona when a small earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
hits, splitting the lake floor and causing a whirlpool. Boyd falls in and is ripped apart by a school of piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
s that emerge from the chasm and ascend the vortex.
Jake Forester (Steven R. McQueen
Steven R. McQueen
Steven R. McQueen - and also known as 'Steven Chadwick McQueen' - is an American actor, best known for his role as Jeremy Gilbert in The CW show The Vampire Diaries and his recurring role as Kyle Hunter in the drama series Everwood. McQueen uses the name 'Steven R...
) is admiring attractive tourists as spring break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
begins. He reunites with his old crush, Kelly (Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
) and meets Derrick Jones (Jerry O'Connell
Jerry O'Connell
Jeremiah "Jerry" O'Connell is an American actor, best known for his roles in the TV series Sliders, Andrew Clements in My Secret Identity, Vern Tessio in the film Stand by Me, Charlie Carbone in Kangaroo Jack, and Detective Woody Hoyt on the drama Crossing Jordan...
), an eccentric pornographer, as well as Danni (Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook is an English model, actress, entrepreneur, television presenter and Playboy model.-Early life:...
), one of his actresses. Derrick convinces Jake to show him good spots on the lake (Lake Victoria) for filming a pornographic movie.
That night, Jake's mother, Sheriff Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Judson Shue is an American actress and producer, most famous for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Back to the Future Parts II and III and Leaving Las Vegas, for which she won five acting awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden...
), searches for the missing Matthew Boyd with Deputy Fallon (Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
). They find his mutilated body and contemplate closing the lake, however this is made difficult by 20,000 partying college students on spring break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
who are important for bringing revenue to the small town. The next morning, a lone cliff diver is attacked and consumed by the marauding fish.
Jake bribes his sister and brother, Laura (Brooklynn Proulx
Brooklynn Proulx
Brooklynn Marie Proulx is a Canadian child actress. she was born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada and currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. Her first film was playing Paris Jackson in a film about popstar Michael Jackson....
) and Zane (Sage Ryan), to stay home alone so that he can show Derrick around the lake. After Jake leaves, Zane drafts Laura to go fishing on a small sandbar island. They forget to tie the boat down and are stranded in the middle of the lake. Meanwhile, Jake goes to meet with Derrick and runs into Kelly, who invites herself onto Derrick’s boat, The Barracuda. Jake meets Crystal (Riley Steele
Riley Steele
Riley Steele is an American pornographic actress.Steele grew up in Escondido, California, United States, and before starting her adult film career worked at Starbucks and at a golf course snack bar. She met porn star Jesse Jane at the signing for Pirates, where Jane advised her to get into the...
), another of Derrick’s actresses, and cameraman Drew (Paul Scheer
Paul Scheer
Paul Christian Scheer is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He co-created and starred in MTV's sketch comedy series Human Giant and currently co-stars as Andre on the FX comedy The League. He also currently stars as Trent Hauser on the Adult Swim show NTSF:SD:SUV:: which he created...
).
Julie takes a team of seismologist divers — Novak (Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
), Sam (Ricardo Chavira), and Kendra (Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles as Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw films. She portrayed Mrs. Hong as a recurring guest star on ABC's Scoundrels.-Personal life:Meyer was born in Queens, New York...
) — to the fissure. Novak speculates that the rift leads to a buried prehistoric lake. Kendra and Sam scuba dive to the bottom and discover a large cavern filled with large piranha egg stocks. Both are killed by the piranhas before they can alert the others to the discovery. Novak and Julie find Kendra's corpse and pull it onto the boat, capturing a lone piranha, which they take to Carl Goodman (Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
), a marine biologist who works as a pet store owner. He explains that the piranha that they caught is a prehistoric species, long believed to be extinct, which must have been trapped underground for over two million years where they have grown super-aggressive.
Julie, Novak, Fallon, and Deputy Taylor Roberts (Jason Spisak
Jason Spisak
Jason Spisak is an American voice actor in animation and video games, and a Computer Programmer.Spisak is also the co-leader of the Symphony OS Project. He is the designer of Symphony's unique Mezzo desktop environment and wrote the Laws of Interface Design, for which the project tries to adhere...
) try to evacuate the lake, but their warnings are ignored until the piranhas begin to attack the tourists. Novak boards a jet-ski with a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
to help while Fallon drags people to shore and Julie and Taylor try to get swimmers into the police boat. A floating stage capsizes from the weight of the panicking guests.
Meanwhile, Jake spots Laura and Zane on the island, and forces Derrick to rescue them. Derrick crashes the boat into some rocks, flooding the rooms below deck. Kelly is trapped in the kitchen while Derrick, Crystal, and Drew are thrown from the boat. Crystal is devoured and Drew disappears and is presumed dead. Meanwhile, Danni manages to get a partially eaten Derrick back on board.
Deputy Fallon makes a last stand, but its presumed he is killed by the fish. After the chaos settles, Julie receives a call from Jake pleading for help. Julie and Novak steal a speed boat and head off towards the kids. Julie and Novak reach Jake and attach a rope to his boat. Julie, Danni, Laura, and Zane start crossing the rope, but the piranhas latch onto Danni's hair and ultimately devour her. The others make it to safety, but the rope comes loose. Using Derrick's corpse as a distraction, Jake ties the line to himself and goes to save Kelly. He ties Kelly to him and lights a flare after releasing the gas in a pair of stored propane tanks. Novak starts the boat and speeds away just as the piranhas surround Kelly and Jake. They are dragged to safety and the propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
tanks explode, destroying the boat and killing most of the piranhas.
Mr. Goodman calls Julie on the radio, and Julie tells him that they seem to have killed the majority of the piranhas. Terrified, Goodman tells her that the reproductive glands on the piranha they obtained were not mature, which means that the fish they were fighting were only the babies. As Novak wonders aloud where the parents are, a huge piranha leaps out and knocks him into the water.
Cast
- Elisabeth ShueElisabeth ShueElisabeth Judson Shue is an American actress and producer, most famous for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Back to the Future Parts II and III and Leaving Las Vegas, for which she won five acting awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden...
as Sheriff Julie Forester - Adam ScottAdam Scott (actor)Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
as Novak Radzinsky - Jerry O'ConnellJerry O'ConnellJeremiah "Jerry" O'Connell is an American actor, best known for his roles in the TV series Sliders, Andrew Clements in My Secret Identity, Vern Tessio in the film Stand by Me, Charlie Carbone in Kangaroo Jack, and Detective Woody Hoyt on the drama Crossing Jordan...
as Derrick Jones - Ving RhamesVing RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
as Deputy Fallon - Jessica SzohrJessica SzohrJessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
as Kelly Driscoll - Steven R. McQueenSteven R. McQueenSteven R. McQueen - and also known as 'Steven Chadwick McQueen' - is an American actor, best known for his role as Jeremy Gilbert in The CW show The Vampire Diaries and his recurring role as Kyle Hunter in the drama series Everwood. McQueen uses the name 'Steven R...
as Jake Forester - Dina MeyerDina MeyerDina Meyer is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles as Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw films. She portrayed Mrs. Hong as a recurring guest star on ABC's Scoundrels.-Personal life:Meyer was born in Queens, New York...
as Kendra Montellano - Christopher LloydChristopher LloydChristopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
as Carl Goodman - Richard DreyfussRichard DreyfussRichard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
as Matthew Boyd - Ricardo Chavira as Sam
- Kelly BrookKelly BrookKelly Brook is an English model, actress, entrepreneur, television presenter and Playboy model.-Early life:...
as Danni - Paul ScheerPaul ScheerPaul Christian Scheer is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He co-created and starred in MTV's sketch comedy series Human Giant and currently co-stars as Andre on the FX comedy The League. He also currently stars as Trent Hauser on the Adult Swim show NTSF:SD:SUV:: which he created...
as Andrew "Drew" Cunningham - Cody LongoCody LongoCody Longo is an American film actor.Longo has starred as Andy Matthews in the remake of Fame, popular boy Evan Whitbourne in Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, Dave in Ball Don't Lie and Gavin Coley in Medium. In 2009 he appeared in an episode of Three Rivers.He was also in Make It or Break It...
as Todd Dupree - Sage Ryan as Zane Forester
- Brooklynn ProulxBrooklynn ProulxBrooklynn Marie Proulx is a Canadian child actress. she was born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada and currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. Her first film was playing Paris Jackson in a film about popstar Michael Jackson....
as Laura Forester - Riley SteeleRiley SteeleRiley Steele is an American pornographic actress.Steele grew up in Escondido, California, United States, and before starting her adult film career worked at Starbucks and at a golf course snack bar. She met porn star Jesse Jane at the signing for Pirates, where Jane advised her to get into the...
as Crystal - Devra Korwin as Mrs. Goodman
- Jason SpisakJason SpisakJason Spisak is an American voice actor in animation and video games, and a Computer Programmer.Spisak is also the co-leader of the Symphony OS Project. He is the designer of Symphony's unique Mezzo desktop environment and wrote the Laws of Interface Design, for which the project tries to adhere...
as Deputy Taylor Roberts - Eli RothEli RothEli Raphael Roth is an American film director, producer, writer and actor. He is known for his role as Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds for which he won both a SAG Award and a BFCA Critic's Choice Award...
as Wet T-Shirt Contest MC
Richard Dreyfuss said that he accepted the role only after Bob Weinstein
Bob Weinstein
Robert "Bob" Weinstein is an American film and theatre producer, the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films, and current head, with his brother Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company.-Career:...
persuaded him by offering the actor a larger salary which Dreyfuss later donated to charity. Dreyfuss also stated that the ill-fated character he plays is a parody and a near-reincarnation of Matt Hooper, the character he portrayed in the 1975 film Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
. Jaws later served as inspiration for the parody film entitled Piranha. The song the character in Piranha 3-D listens to on the radio on his boat is "Show Me the Way to Go Home
Show Me the Way to Go Home
"Show Me the Way to Go Home" is a folk song. It was made famous by its 1925 adaptation by the pseudonymous "Irving King" . The song was written on a railroad train journey from London by Campbell and Connelly. They were tired from the travelling and had a few alcoholic drinks during the journey,...
", which Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
and Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (actor)
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting , From Russia with Love , A Man for All Seasons , the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , Black Sunday , The Deep and Jaws , where he played the shark hunter Quint.-Early life...
sing together in Jaws.
Pornographic actresses Ashlynn Brooke
Ashlynn Brooke
Ashlynn Brooke is a former American pornographic actress, feature dancer, and model.-Early life:Brooke was born in Choctaw, Oklahoma. She was a cheerleader for nine years, and graduated High School in May 2003...
and Gianna Michaels
Gianna Michaels
Gianna Michaels is an American pornographic actress.- Life and career :Michaels was born in Seattle, Washington. Her first job was at a hamburger restaurant in Seattle called Dick's Drive-In. After being approached about modelling, she eventually tried it, figuring that if she did not like it, she...
make cameos in the movie as partygoers who meet extremely gruesome, piranha-related demises.
Production
Chuck RussellChuck Russell
Charles "Chuck" Russell is an American motion picture director, producer and actor.-Filmography:*The Hearse *Hell Night *The Seduction...
was originally scheduled to direct the film, and made uncredited rewrites to the script by Josh Stolberg
Josh Stolberg
Josh Stolberg is an American film director, screenwriter, and photographer. He won the Seashore Award and the Queen Spirit Award as a director of the film The Life Coach. He also wrote and directed the 2005 film Kids in America, as well as made a cameo appearance as a security guard in the film...
and Peter Goldfinger, as well as incorporating the original John Sayles script that Joe Dante directed the first time around. Alexandre Aja was selected to direct the film instead.
Production on the film was scheduled to begin late 2008, but was delayed until March 2009. In October 2008, Aja stated filming would begin in the spring. He further stated "it's such a difficult movie, not only because of the technicality of it and the CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
fish, but also because it all happens in a lake. We were supposed to start shooting now, but the longer to leave it the colder the water gets. The movie takes place during Spring Break and, of course, the studio wanted it ready for the summer, but if you've got 1,000 people who need to get murdered in the water, you have to wait for the right temperature for the water, for the weather, for everything."
Shooting took place in June 2009 at Bridgewater Channel in Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu is a large reservoir behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between California and Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the lake's eastern shore. The lake has a capacity of . The concrete arch dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation between 1934 and 1938...
, located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,938 people, 17,911 households, and 12,716 families residing in the city. The population density was 974.4 people per square mile . There were 23,018 housing units at an average density of 534.8 per square mile...
. The water was also dyed red for the shooting.
Citing constraints with 3D camera rigs, Aja shot Piranha in 2D and converted to 3D in post production using the reali-D conversion process developed by the company, Inner-D. Unlike some other 3D converted films released in 2010, Piranhas conversion was not done as an afterthought, and it represents one of the first post-conversion processes to be well received by critics.
Release
Piranha 3-Ds theatrical release date had been set for April 16, 2010, but was delayed. The film was planned to premiere on August 27, 2010, but in June 2010 was moved to August 20, 2010. The film's first trailer debuted with Avatar. A second trailer was shown in prints of A Nightmare on Elm StreetA Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 film)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2010 American slasher film directed by Samuel Bayer, and written by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer. The film stars Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker and Kellan Lutz...
and Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
. It was set to have a panel on 24 July 2010 as part of the San Diego Comic-Con International but was cancelled after convention organizers decided the footage that was planned to be shown was not appropriate. Nine minutes of footage, with some unfinished effects, were leaked onto websites. The clip used in promotional TV ads and the trailer that shows Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
's character, Kelly, face to face with a pack of piranhas was not used in the movie, and was used for promotion only.
The official poster was released June 22, 2010.
Box office
In its opening weekend, Piranha 3D grossed $10,106,872 in its first 3 days. In the United Kingdom, Piranha 3D opened at #4 at the box office, earning £1,487,119. As of May 16, 2011, Piranha 3D has made a total of $83,188,165 worldwide.Reception
Piranha 3D has received positive reviews, having received a 74% approval rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 112 reviews, with a "certified fresh" score of 6.2 out of 10.
On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received a mixed average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 53%, based on 20 reviews. A tongue-in-cheek scholarly review of the movie was written for the journal Copeia (Chakrabarty & Fink 2011), which reviewed the movie as if it were a documentary film.
Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
gave the film three out of five stars, saying "Remember the film you hoped Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American horror-action-thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006 in North America...
would be – this is it! By any sane cinematic standards, meretricious trash ... but thrown at you with such good-humoured glee that it's hard to resist. It's a bumper-sticker of a movie: honk if you love tits and gore! Honk honk honk." Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire is the film critic for The Associated Press and co-host of Ebert Presents at the Movies with Ignatiy Vishnevetsky. She also co-hosts the weekly online movie review show, What The Flick?!....
, film critic for the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, said "Run, don't walk: 'Piranha 3D' is hilariously, cleverly gory. Mere words cannot describe how awesomely gnarly 'Piranha 3D' is, how hugely entertaining, and how urgently you must get yourself to the theatre to see it. Like, now." HollywoodLife.com called the film "a campy masterpiece of a movie", adding "If you have an ounce of fun in your body, you will love this movie about killer piranhas that overtake a town of hotties — in 3D!" Peter Hall of Cinematical.com said "The gore, the nudity, the language, the gags, the characters-- it's all always on the rise. Just when you think things could not possibly get more ridiculous, that the film has peaked, Aja and screenwriters Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg manage to ram another syringe of adrenaline into its heart." The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
referred to the film as "a pitch-perfect, guilty-pleasure serving of late-summer schlock that handily nails the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the Roger Corman original" while stating "Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
it ain't -- Aja exhibits little patience for such stuff as dramatic tension and tautly coiled suspense, and there are some undeniable choppy bits...but he never loses sight of the potential fun factor laid out in Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg's script." The Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
gave the film one and a half stars out of four, stating that "Piranha 3D goes for the jugular. And generally misses, but generally in an amusing way."
Home media
The film was released on the DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D formats on Tuesday, January 11, 2011. The "3D" part of the title was taken off the 2D releases to prevent confusion of the two formats. The film was released in Australia on Thursday, December 30, 2010.Soundtrack
Lakeshore Records released the soundtrack album of Piranha 3D which included mostly rapRap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, hip-hop and RnB
RNB
RNB is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* Nankai Broadcasting – , a broadcasting station in Ehime Prefecture, Japan* Rhythm and blues* Contemporary R&B* Russian National Library...
music. Artists include Shwayze, Envy, Flatheads, Amanda Blank, Public Enemy, Dub Pistols, Hadouken!
Hadouken!
Hadouken! are an English grime, electronica, dance band who formed in Leeds in October 2006 by singer, writer and producer James Smith, alongside his girlfriend, synth player Alice Spooner, guitarist Daniel "Pilau" Rice, and drummer Nick Rice. The band name is taken from the name of a special...
and many more.
Track listing
Songs not included on the soundtrack
- "Show Me the Way to Go HomeShow Me the Way to Go Home"Show Me the Way to Go Home" is a folk song. It was made famous by its 1925 adaptation by the pseudonymous "Irving King" . The song was written on a railroad train journey from London by Campbell and Connelly. They were tired from the travelling and had a few alcoholic drinks during the journey,...
" by Mitch Mitter & The GangMitch MillerMitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive... - "I'm Not A Whore" by LMFAOLMFAO (group)LMFAO is an American electro pop duo consisting of rappers, producers, dancers, and DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu . The group formed in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Redfoo is SkyBlu's uncle. Redfoo is also the son of music mogul Berry Gordy, SkyBlu a grandson...
- "Fetish" by Far East MovementFar east movementFar East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...
- "Girls on the Dance Floor" by Far East MovementFar east movementFar East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...
Sequel
Due to the film's critical and commercial success within its first weekend, Dimension FilmsDimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
has announced a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to be in the works. The film will be called Piranha 3DD and will be directed by John Gulager
John Gulager
John Thompson Gulager is an actor, cinematographer and film director.-Acting career:The production and filming of Feast was the main focus of season three of Project Greenlight. The film, made for Miramax, had a limited theatrical release. The DVD version was released on October 17, 2006. He was...
with Patrick Melton
Patrick Melton
Patrick Melton is an American screenwriter.-Early life:Melton was born in Champaign, Illinois. He attended Evanston Township High School, and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies...
and Marcus Dunstan
Marcus Dunstan
Marcus Dunstan is an American screenplay writer and director.-Life and career:Dunstan was born in Macomb, Illinois...
writing. It is set for a November 23, 2011 release.It Stars Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
, Paul Scheer
Paul Scheer
Paul Christian Scheer is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He co-created and starred in MTV's sketch comedy series Human Giant and currently co-stars as Andre on the FX comedy The League. He also currently stars as Trent Hauser on the Adult Swim show NTSF:SD:SUV:: which he created...
and Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
- reprising their roles from Piranha 3D . On April 25, 2011 it was reported that Danielle Panabaker
Danielle Panabaker
Danielle Nicole Panabaker is an American actress. She was a cast member in the CBS drama Shark, and appeared in the films Mr. Brooks, Sky High, The Crazies and Friday the 13th, among other projects...
, Matt Bush
Matt Bush (actor)
Matt Bush is an American actor, best known for the film Adventureland and his AT&T Rollover Minutes commercials. He starred in the TBS comedy Glory Daze as Eli, a freshman who rushes the wildest fraternity on a 1980s college campus....
, Chris Zylka
Chris Zylka
Chris Zylka is an American actor and model.Zylka was born Chris Settlemire in Warren, Ohio. He took his mother's maiden name as a stage name. Zylka began his career with a guest appearance on 90210 in 2008...
, David Koechner
David Koechner
David Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
, Meagan Tandy
Meagan Tandy
Meagan Yvonne Tandy is an American actress and model. She was Miss California USA 2007 who was one of 5 finalists competing for the Miss USA title in 2007. She placed 8th in swimsuit which advanced her to the top 10 and then placed 4th in evening gown, which gave her enough points to make the top 5...
, Paul James Jordan, Jean-Luc Bilodeau
Jean-Luc Bilodeau
Jean-Luc Bilodeau is a Canadian actor who has been acting since 2004. He is best known for his role as Josh Trager in the ABC Family channel program Kyle XY. Bilodeau has also appeared in films and television series such as Ill Fated, Trick 'r Treat, 16 Wishes, No Ordinary Family and Best Player...
, Hector Jimenez
Héctor Jiménez
Héctor Jiménez is a Mexican actor best known for playing Esqueleto, Nacho's tag team partner in the movie Nacho Libre. He is also Mr. Tumnus in Epic Movie and the cashier in Wild Hogs. He worked in a theater company in Tijuana for eight years before moving to Mexico City where he worked for a...
, Adrian Martinez
Adrian Martínez
Adrián Martínez Flores is a Mexican footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Irapuato FC.He previously played for San Luis F.C. in the Primera Division de Mexico....
, and Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager is an American television and film actor. He is particularly noted for his co-starring role as William H. Bonney in the 1960–62 NBC TV series The Tall Man and for his role in the later NBC series The Virginian...
have been cast. On April 27, 2011 the addition of Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
to the cast was confirmed. On May 2, 2011 it was announced that Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
had joined the cast. On May 11, 2011 Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is a website that covers horror movies with reviews, interviews and news. It is currently run by Brad Miska, and Tom Owen. According to one source, the site has 1.5 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month. It is widely considered to be the "world's most...
confirmed David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
had joined the film. Piranha 3DD will reportedly be set at a waterpark where the piranhas find a way through the pipes.