Film review: Piranha 3D

BY GRAEME TUCKETT
Last updated 05:00 06/09/2010
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BIG BITE: Piranha 3D revels only in stripping, denigrating, then killing its young women.

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Oh come off it. Really? Prehistoric piranhas, released from an underground lake, just in time for spring break at a lakeside beach resort?

Piranha 3D really is that silly. But with Elizabeth Shue, Ving Rhames and (briefly) Richard Dreyfuss in the cast, maybe there is more to Piranha 3D than meets the eye? Well, no. It's rubbish.

Yes, I know, it's supposed to be rubbish, and all the rubbish things that are supposed to happen in a cheap post-Jaws rubbish horror movie do happen, in the rubbishy way that we knew they would.

But Piranha 3D has a sleaziness and a misogyny to it that even rubbish should have no place for.

Unlike its good-natured and hugely funny predecessors, this film revels only in stripping, denigrating, then killing its young women.

Plenty of blokes meet their demise as well, but only once with the sadistic and lascivious relish that director Alexandre Aja reserves for his women.

The one man whose death is lingered over is a low-level porn director. That's either hypocrisy or self-loathing of the highest order on Aja's part. Just say no.

Piranha 3D
Director: Alexandre Aja
Starring: Elizabeth Shue, Brooke Burke
Rated: R18
Time: 89 minutes
Trailer: Flicks.co.nz

* What did you think of Piranha 3D? Post your comments below.

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- © Fairfax NZ News

7 comments
Post a comment
Tony   #7   02:16 am Sep 27 2010

The film was good. You want to see a sexist film go see Sex in the city or any other movie that a cougar/hag would enjoy. I fear for the boys of America if they have to deal with any more of these female double standards. I'd say this was perfect timing.

Craig   #6   09:11 am Sep 09 2010

totally disagree. P3D was great, dumb fun. The gore/violence is a lot more outlandish than most contemporary teen horror flicks, but is a lot more cartoonish and playful than Aja's previous work. Its no more mysoginst or woman-hating than any 80s slasher flick that conforms to the sex = death formula.

Plus, its totally worth it for the four minutes of scenery-chewing by Christopher Lloyd. I was fully expecting him to lunge into a diatribe about how the Pirahna could be killed with "one-point-two-one gigawatts of electricity!"

Dano   #5   06:33 pm Sep 07 2010

Same here. I was expecting good trash, but P3D just left a bad taste in my mouth. It is sleazy and woman hating film, without any of the humour of Piranha or especially P2.

Daniel

dano   #4   11:07 am Sep 07 2010

Agreed. Sleazy trash. I love a stupid horror movie as much as the next guy, but P3D is just unfunny woman-hating garbage.

guy   #3   08:03 am Sep 07 2010

"It was dire and wrong at every level".. sounds like my kinda movie. and kelly brook. booyah.

Si   #2   07:35 am Sep 07 2010

3D is the worst gimmick on movie making since collectibles and franchising - I saw one and it was hideous. Never again

sarah   #1   09:42 pm Sep 06 2010

Well said, Graeme Tuckett.

I expected gory, I expected lame, but this was creepy sexist stuff. Some of the men in it made the pirahnas look quite friendly. Lots of hollywood moralizing chucked in for good measure (anyone with a hint of sexuality must die). It was dire and wrong at every level.

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