OM NOM NOM
These days Hollywood is in the midst of a rabid frenzy. Almost every movie coming out these days is either a remake, a reboot, a sequel, or an adaptation (often of a truly bewildering property). The string of remakes is something I find particularly odious as 9 times out of 10 the studios pick a movie that is both less than 30 years old and was just fine the first time around.
Also, they usually let Michael Bay be involved in some capacity, and that never ends well.
But there is one remake coming up that I'm not dreading in the slightest and am actually stoked to see. Perhaps even more shocking is that it's not a remake of a movie I found disappointing--far from it, in fact--yet I'm still eager to see its release.
I'm talking about Piranha 3D.
Damn it looks like fun. The original Piranha was easily one of the best, if not the best, Jaws rip-offs ever made. It was completely unashamed of what it was and had a great sense of humor and wicked glee throughout. And lo and behold, this remake looks like it maintains that mindset.
I was excited about the film when I first heard of it. For starters, it made the decision to change the central concept of the film in a way that actually improves it. The original Piranha's toothy fishes were a secret government project gone awry that was accidentally unleashed onto an unsuspecting populace. Now, back in 1978 that concept was not totally fresh, but it was at least not past its "best by" date. These days, all you need to do is quickly skim the shelves of your local video store and you'll see that that particular premise was been worn out many times over.
So, when I heard the premise for this film was that an earthquake releases a nest of prehistoric piranha into a lake, I was almost giddy. Sure, it's not a fresh concept, but it's so much more satisfying. And those prehistoric piranha look badass.
Now, granted, Piranha 3D is being directed by Alexander Aja, who also gave us the remake of The Hills Have Eyes and its sequel, which by all accounts are terrible. But that trailer just shows too much promise for me to be anything but excited. I'm definitely planning to see this one in theaters, though probably not in 3D.
Even better is that Shout Factory will be re-releasing the original Piranha on DVD that same month. If you can, buy it. Trust me, it's a good financial decision.
Also, they usually let Michael Bay be involved in some capacity, and that never ends well.
But there is one remake coming up that I'm not dreading in the slightest and am actually stoked to see. Perhaps even more shocking is that it's not a remake of a movie I found disappointing--far from it, in fact--yet I'm still eager to see its release.
I'm talking about Piranha 3D.
Damn it looks like fun. The original Piranha was easily one of the best, if not the best, Jaws rip-offs ever made. It was completely unashamed of what it was and had a great sense of humor and wicked glee throughout. And lo and behold, this remake looks like it maintains that mindset.
I was excited about the film when I first heard of it. For starters, it made the decision to change the central concept of the film in a way that actually improves it. The original Piranha's toothy fishes were a secret government project gone awry that was accidentally unleashed onto an unsuspecting populace. Now, back in 1978 that concept was not totally fresh, but it was at least not past its "best by" date. These days, all you need to do is quickly skim the shelves of your local video store and you'll see that that particular premise was been worn out many times over.
So, when I heard the premise for this film was that an earthquake releases a nest of prehistoric piranha into a lake, I was almost giddy. Sure, it's not a fresh concept, but it's so much more satisfying. And those prehistoric piranha look badass.
Now, granted, Piranha 3D is being directed by Alexander Aja, who also gave us the remake of The Hills Have Eyes and its sequel, which by all accounts are terrible. But that trailer just shows too much promise for me to be anything but excited. I'm definitely planning to see this one in theaters, though probably not in 3D.
Even better is that Shout Factory will be re-releasing the original Piranha on DVD that same month. If you can, buy it. Trust me, it's a good financial decision.