Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

Upon being stamped with the "summer blockbuster" title, such films typically make  a ton of money based on their action, adventure, and star power, but lack any legitimate plot or acting.  Think Will Smith in Independance Day, or Brangelina in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  The modern summer blockbuster has become a cash cow to be avoided by all discriminating movie-goers.  That was until Piranha 3D came out.

Never taking itself too seriously, the film blends a perfectly over-the-top mix of blood and babes.  Lucky to get an "R" rating, Piranha pushes the envelope with severed legs and naked girls galore.  If your stomach can handle the gore, the movie is exactly what one wants in a summer movie.  While dialogue is weak (frankly, its horrid) and the camera angles and graphics are elementary (at best) it doesn't seem to matter as viewers are constantly distracted by the hilarious Jerry O'Connell, the gorgeous Kelly Brook, or the gruesome piranhas.  In the vein of Snakes on a Plane, the movie mocks itself so perfectly that what would be considered cheesy warrants uproarious laughs and non-stop excitement.  

There isn't much to herald in Piranha other than it's natural charm.  Stocked full of washed-up actors, and Adam Scott (Step Brothers, The Vicious Kind) the acting is blah.  The piranhas themselves are bastardized CGI animations that aren't fooling anyone.  And with cliches at every turn, the film doesn't progress the horror genre whatsoever.  But that is where Piranha 3D wins!  It plays as an homage to the fun 3D action flicks of the yesteryear gen-y-ers aren't old enough to remember; and with that comes the new excitement of such an entertaining and fun movie experience.  Laughs and gasps fill the 89-minute run time, enough to where audiences should leave smiling.   

While Inception was this summer's "thinking man's" blockbuster, Piranha 3D is an absolute blast, and this summer's "everyman" blockbuster!


7.5/10