If you're planning to visit New York, be aware that the forecast calls for Sharknado 2: The Second One.
This mega cheese-fest will be best enjoyed with a heaping helping of snacks, and brain checked firmly at the door. It's hard to put a finger on just what makes these low-budget, super-silly films enjoyable. The first Sharknado was a mix of B-movie plot, beautifully earnest acting from the cast (that's really what makes it—a combination of performances, from Ian Ziering selling it, to Tara Reid's wooden delivery of each. and. every. line.), plus laughable but quotable dialogue, like, "I hate sharks." Of course you do, you're in Sharknado!
Just how B-level are we talking? An 18-day shoot for the sequel. This is a notch above student film projects, but just barely. In the original, the effects are clumsy and cheesy, the day-for-night is noticeable, and in one scene where the city of Los Angeles is presumably abandoned (because SHARKS EVERYWHERE), you can clearly see regular old traffic carrying on along the freeway while our heroes recover from a harrowing rescue of a school bus full of kids.
The Syfy Network (U.S.) B-movie revival really took off with Sharktopus (starring Eric Roberts!), but Sharknado truly blew them out of the water when it debuted—thanks in no small part to the Twitter Sharknado of comments unfurling as the movie aired. If you have the luxury of putting your littles to bed and joining in to live tweet the inanity and the hilarity, it only enhances the experience. (During last summer's Sharknado zeitgeist, a local theatre actually screened the movie, during which the modest crowd took to yelling out at the screen, much like a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.)
The real fun of this kind of cheesy movie is gathering some friends (or older kids—there will, for sure, be some cartoon-ish violence, as well as people being chomped on by sharks. And chainsaws—can't leave out the chainsaws), turning up the volume, and laughing and commenting along with our poor, shark-beset heroes.
Sometimes, it's the experience of the movie that makes it great, not a billion dollar budget or critical acclaim—Sharknado and Sharknado 2: The Second One will have neither, but they're definitely an experience.
You can order Sharknado from Amazon.
My review: 4 out of 5
Double feature: Sharknado and Sharknado 2: The Second One air on Wednesday, July 30, on Space Channel in Canada. Set your PVR or watch for rebroadcasts throughout the month.
Instead of chewing on your fingernails, why not try these No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Drops to pop in your mouth during the scary scenes.
Looking for a more family-friendly movie? Check out this review for Planes: Fire & Rescue.
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