Piranha (1995)

Plot Outline: A bunch of killer piranhas are accidentally released into a river and proceed to munch their way down river towards a kid's summer camp and newly opened holiday resort. Can they be stopped before there is a disaster?

The Review: This remake has received a lot of bad press and undeservedly so. It's a virtual scene-by-scene remake of the 1978 original but it's one of the better remakes I've seen. However there are too many problems and omissions from this which made the original the cult classic it is today. The first thing you notice missing is the lack of the tongue-in-cheek elements that gave the original a light-hearted feel. This one seems more serious and unfortunately, that doesn't work. The acting is just as bad, if worse, than the original as we get a load of C-list TV actors taking up the roles (notably ex-Baywatch star Alexandra Paul). And as I've already said, without the tongue-in-cheek performances of the original, the characters seem pretty dour here. There's no sense of fun at all and the cast are going through the motions. But I'm being far too harsh. This was a made-for-TV remake and obviously it isn't going to be as good as a proper full budget remake. There is a little more gore at times and we get some really good make-up effects courtesy of a couple of grisly leg wounds. However the piranhas haven't altered much and they still look as cheap as ever. Some things just don't change do they? There's some reasonable attack scenes and the piranhas are very well fed throughout the film, including kids and dogs which are usually a big no-no!

Final Verdict: Perhaps this is how the original would have turned out had there not been any of the tongue-in-cheek elements and camp tone that Joe Dante infused it with. As it stands, this remake is as good a remake as any and still miles better than such underwater monster crap as Shark Attack and Barracuda.

Rating: