Love or hate James Cameron no one can deny the impact he has had on North American cinema. From his horror science fiction epic The Terminator to his Pocahontas rip off Avatar James Cameron has always pushed the boundaries of film. However in 1981 Cameron released an all but forgotten B movie gem called Piranha 2: The Spawning. Now before I go any further I must say that if you are not a fan of trashy B cinema then take a pass on this one. But if you are like me and consider yourself a connoisseur of terrible films then Piranha 2: The Spawning is for you. The first Piranha film came out in 1978 and was directed by Joe Dante it followed a town that’s water system becomes infested with piranhas. These piranhas were created by the U.S. military and were going to be used in Vietnam against the Vietcong. Needless to say that doesn’t happen and they end up killing few of the town’s people, flash forward several years and the piranhas are back! But this time they are located off the coast of a nameless Caribbean island.
The plot for Piranha 2: The Spawning is roughly this, the American government didn’t learn the first time and now have genetically engineered piranha that can survive on land. But that isn’t the best part because these piranhas can fly! Yes that’s right killer flying fish, just when you thought the American government could fuck anything else up they create killer flying fish.
So who are the characters of this cinematic master piece? Tricia O'Neil plays Anne Kimbrough a diving instructor/ marine biologist who works at a hotel resort. Her son Chris Kimbrough played by Ricky Paull Goldin spends most of the movie as a ship hand on a small sail boat and finally Lance Henriksen as Police Chief Steve Kimbrough who is always one step behind the crafty piranha. Also I should note Tyler Sherman played by Steve Marachuk who is sent in by the government to clean up the mess/try to bring back a specimen for testing (we all know how that always turns out).
Most of the film is a muddled mess but it’s not without its charm there are a few key scenes that really make this film what it is. The first is underwater scuba sex scene which by all accounts makes no sense but getting to see underwater boobs is pretty good in my opinion. The next key scene takes place in the morgue when one of the staff members is killed by the flying terrors. The fish in this scene looks like it’s on a string and at some points looks like a hand puppet. I was dying of laughter when I saw this but it didn’t come close to the climax of the film.
The beach sequence finds the resort guests being attacked during a late night beach party with some pretty great gore scenes. Also seeing flying fish that look fake and kill people is amazing in itself. Now I know that I didn’t really give too much of the plot in this review and that’s because this film have to be seen to believed. So here is hoping that you are now somewhat interested in this film and will seek it out, or ask to borrow it from me.
