Everybody knows it, or at least you should. Sharknado. Is it the definitive bad movie of our generation? With all of the publicity surrounding it when it premiered, and the recent sequel that it spawned, one could argue it’s the next big thing in bad cinema. But is it deserving of all the hype? The Ubyssey’s crack(pot) team of reviewers (read: just me) are here to answer that.
The film, shot in only 18 days, unfolds at a quick pace, never giving you much time to completely process the absurdity of it all. It centres around Fin (oh look, a shark reference), a rugged-Rick-Grimes-type who must keep his family and friends safe after a freak hurricane sweeps up hordes of certain marine-dwelling killing machines, only to unleash them upon Los Angeles, wreaking all kinds of ridiculous havoc. Why didn’t we think of that?
After about the first minute and a half, it is abundantly clear that this film knows just how bad it is -- and it doesn’t give a damn about it. Like any good train wreck, it dares you to keep watching for as long as you can. And because of this, it can actually be quite engrossing. The action rarely lets up, save for the occasional shots of cars driving through gloomy, rainy weather (picture an average Vancouver day) and for when Fin has to put being a macho man on hold to work on his failing marriage.
The most glaring offence, however, is the poorly rendered CGI everything. From sharks, to people, to cars, to the weather itself, there’s enough CGI to make even George Lucas uncomfortable.
The bottom line: Sharknado is one of those films that doesn’t apologize for its foolishness. Although it may have been a little overhyped, it still merits examination. If anything, this movie is the ideal film for a movie night with friends and adult beverages.