Sharknado (2013)

Here’s my entry for Shitfest! Fall, in case you missed it…

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Despite all the hoopla and urging from friends and fellow critics, I swore I wouldn’t be caught dead watching “Sharknado.” Then, one night during shark week, my family decided on watching this very flick and I was forced to go along. And while the film offered little to no positives, I did gain more evidence to always trust my gut as “Sharknado” is easily one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. I won’t be wasting much time on this write-up, because it simply isn’t worth the effort. I just want to discourage anyone from watching this pile of flaming garbage.

In cinema there’s this saying, “so bad it’s good,” which typically only applies to intentionally god-awful films. Well, if you’re one of those people who don’t fully appreciate this premise, you’re in luck. This turn a phrase has no bearing here seeing as “Sharknado” is downright atrocious and will never be associated with the mildly flattering word “good.” Although this simple, four-lettered word has become so tragically overused that it has essentially lost all meaning, the remnants of its definition are still too favourable to be linked in any way to a film like this. It is nothing more than the recipient of diluted hype created by an endless stream of social-networking platforms. It’s the fortunate beneficiary of residual favour that comes to anything carrying a spliced title of two things the human race can’t get enough of…that being sharks and tornadoes, more specifically destruction. “Sharknado” is a horrible way to kill two hours and will leave you clamouring for a death at the hands of these airborne, poorly animated, and inaccurately portrayed monsters of the deep.

sharknado

A freak hurricane stikes Los Angeles, causing  man-eating sharks to be picked up in water spouts and dropped upon shocked citizens. A local bar owner and a couple of his friends head to higher ground and to rescue their loved ones. Little do they realize that the hurricane has caused severe flooding and forced the sharks into common neighbourhoods.

Sharknado - 2013

I understand the idea of a mockbuster and I enjoy brainless, fun for the sake of fun flicks just as much as the next. Nonetheless, “Sharknado” is just awful. I don’t care how low-budget, satirical, or intentional it is. In all honesty, is “Sharknado” serious? I can move past idiotic premises and plot holes, but inconsistency and illogicality is unacceptable. Every aspect of the settings is laughable, changing from stormy, sunny, to apocalyptic in a matter of seconds. Let alone the several different bodies of water used to concoct a singular ocean. One minute the audience is staring at calm seas, then subjected to tsunami sized waves without any indication or reason. To make matters worse, the CGI is as blatantly inauthentic as the sharks. Which, for the record, are poorly animated and are apparently a lot more savage and smaller than scientifically proven.

Sharknado

Now, to sum up the abysmal, idiotically amateur performances which look and feel a lot like an unwanted gag reflex or a stinging sunburn. This unwanted eyesore features performances from Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, and Cassie Scerbo, amongst others, not that it really matters. All in all, there is nothing here of merit and essentially, nothing you’ve never seen before. Predictably, when you hire actors of this caliber, you get what you pay for. As for the camera work, I’m sure you all can guess. Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, whom I might add does his best to aid this sinking ship, yet sadly winds up being weighed down, does his best with what he is given. That being said, his lack of experience really starts to show and ultimately, the weakness of his material makes his bright spots seem all the more dim.

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It appears that no matter how hard I wish “Sharknado” didn’t exist and that I hadn’t witnessed it, this filth just won’t seem to die. That being said, everyone needs a film to write about for Shitfest…so,  here you are. Aren’t you lucky, you’ve subscribed to The Cinema Monster and you are knocked over the head with this drivel. Sorry I had to subject you to this…I will do my best to never watch something like this again.

Sharknado: 0 out of 10.

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About Joseph@thecinemamonster

Aspiring writer who absolutely adores film and television. thecinemamonster.com

Posted on October 9, 2013, in Thriller and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 20 Comments.

  1. A very worthy Shitfest entry!!!! Thanks for playing!!

  2. I cant even imagine wanting to endure this crap even for Shitfest.

    You are a braver man than I
    :)

  3. It annoys me how constructed it is. Movies that are ‘so bad they’re good’ can be a lot of fun if done right. But they have to be sincere, that’s part of the joke. Sharknado feels like it was put together knowing it would be ‘so bad its good’ which makes it a bit cynical and depressing.

    Also, the editing in this is senseless! Nothing fits together or makes sense or flows. It’s physically hard to figure out what’s happening on screen half the time!

  4. While I think the phrase “so bad it’s good” best applies to camp films that are unintentionally horrible and that take themselves very seriously, I liked your review. Your points about how this monster of a movie was created by social media machinations was really interesting. The idea that something with no redeemable value is given value by mass insinuation and the kind of pressure that goes along with that is worth exploring further. That is actually the exact opposite of camp, which is created by smaller film-going communities as an act of resistance to the mainstream.

    • Thanks Jacob! I love when people differ on films or opinions, that’s the point of cinema! I do think that Sharkando takes itself too seriously. I can see that it was done with intention and knowledge of just how horrible it is though. Happy to hear you enjoyed reading, stop by anytime :) .

  5. I heard that this film was a real thing a few weeks ago and I was seriously shocked – I mean… WHY. But your review was hilarious – I’m sorry you had to go through that, man, but it was a great read :D

  6. I cannot picture my existence without “Sharknado.” I just reviewed it recently and it was a gift from the Gods! I was present on Twitter the evening it premiered. The Universe almost imploded that night. The Asylum films will never go away, though, I suppose. Oh well. More fodder for us movie reviewers. Can’t wait for “Sharkcano” or “Shark Avalanche.” Good job on this post, man! A fun read indeed! :)

    • Thanks so much Vic! To each his own I guess lol…

      • Haha, yeah true. I mean, I know “Sharknado” is complete garbage but my Son and I bond over such bad movies and we do a kind of MST3K on some of them. Like recently we sat down and had a blast with “Atlantic Rim” and “Blast Vegas” with Frankie Muniz. That one had absolutely no redeeming value whatsoever, lol.

  1. Pingback: LATE NIGHT SPILL 8: I watched a film | Films and Coke

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