In 2013, one movie set the (western) world alight more than any other. It wasn’t The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, or Iron Man 3, or Fast & Furious 6. It was Sharknado.
A movie about tornados sucking up sharks and destroying Los Angeles was an unexpected phenomenon. Sharknado dominated the twittersphere when it first aired, the term ‘Sharknado’ began appearing in mainstream media, and organisations (including the Red Cross) used the film’s success to promote storm safety information. The Asylum is not a company to miss an opportunity, and they have released the sequel a year later.
Sharknado 2 starts with the stars of the first film, Ian Ziering and Tara Reid, flying into New York when they are attacked by sharks. That’s right, sharks attack an aeroplane in a scene that pays homage to the classic Twilight Zone tale, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. I haven’t seen that kind of lunacy since Megashark vs Giant Octopus (also by The Asylum). It’s the perfect start for the high energy, high concept, shark infested madness that follows.
The formula for the first film was, ‘what dumb things can we do with sharks on land’. The formula worked. The formula for the second film has been updated to, ‘what dumber things can we do with sharks on land’. The filmmakers decided to add more sharks, more film references, and more guest stars to make the film worthy of bearing the name, ‘Sharknado’. Ian Ziering’s chainsaw scene from the first film seemed impossible to top, but Ziering holds nothing back and proves me wrong.
Sharknado 2 is not for the faint hearted. It is not for the people that thought the anesthetising Gravity was the film of 2013. Sharknado 2 is for the people that want a Sharknado 3. And an Oscar for Ian Ziering.
Fabulous Sebastian
www.syfy.com
