Plot: What’s it about?
A new adult theme water park has just opened, The Big Wet Water Park. Owner Chet (David Koechner) has overhauled the park to include such attractions as water certified strippers, but his water source proved to be insufficient. So in order to get enough, he tapped into a local lake to provide the additional supply. But the lake he sourced happens to be infested with vicious, prehistoric piranha, so the park is soon to have uninvited guests. Chet’s step-daughter Maddy (Danielle Panabaker) happens to be a marine biologist, so she will have the chance to observe a rare species in person. Maddy knows about the piranha attacks at Lake Victoria, so she knows what could happen if action isn’t taken. She tries to warn him about the piranha, but Chet just wants to have a good time, so he refuses to close down the park. So as the customers pour into the water park and the piranha prepare to feast, will anyone survive the bloodbath?
If you’ve always wanted to watch a film with killer piranha, Gary Busey, and David Hasselhoff, all in 3-D, then Piranha 3DD is your cinematic dream come true. This is a camp driven sequel that follows in the footsteps of the recent Piranha remake, with the same kind of blood, breasts, and stunt casting. While I love this concept, the cast and crew failed to embrace the premise here and the result is a disappointment. The writing comes off as above the concept, which lessens the fun, while the cast doesn’t have the kind of blind enthusiasm this material could feed on. I also expected the blood and nudity to be ramped up, but they’re on about the same level as the previous film. While Piranha 3DD isn’t a camp classic, the movie does have some fun moments and makes good use of the 3-D, which enhances the experience. So if you’re in the mood for a silly, over the top horror flick with some outlandish casting choices, Piranha 3DD is recommended.
Video: How does it look?
Piranha 3DD is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. This transfer is rock solid, but doesn’t have the eye popping level of visuals we want from HD. The depth is fine and detail is strong at times, but also inconsistent. The underwater scenes suffer the most, with murky contrast and unstable detail. Otherwise the visuals show bright colors and mostly accurate contrast. The 3-D version looks good and while used as a gimmick, it adds some fun to the movie. So if you are able to, watching this in 3-D is probably going to give the best overall experience.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD 5.1 soundtrack is terrific, with an active and bombastic presence. The surrounds are lit up from start to finish, with a lot of great power and presence on showcase. The music sounds awesome and has a nice punch, while cheap scares and atmospheric elements also come across well. The dialogue is never buried within the presence however, so all the vocals are clear and easy to pick up on. This release also includes English and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You can choose between a 3-D HD version of the movie, an HD standard presentation, and a DVD version of the film, so all bases are covered there. The film’s director John Gulager defends his creation in an audio commentary track, while other extras include deleted scenes, a short film with John McEnroe, and several featurettes with the film’s stars.
