Featuring sharks and tornados, this is a silly, funny, outrageous B-disaster movie, but one that is watchable and enjoyable due to its sheer ridiculousness. The film follows a group of Californians combatting the impending destruction of Los Angeles caused by rising water levels, heavy tornados, and more pertinently, flesh-eating sharks. Amongst the more experienced cast members are Beverly Hills, 90210‘s Ian Ziering, American Pie alum Tara Reid and Home Alone’s John Heard, whose underwhelming performances perfectly supplement the film’s playfulness.
Pairing clichéd plot devices with hysterical visuals furthers the film’s ability to turn a sub-standard romp into an entertaining 90 minutes of extreme action set-pieces and poor special effects. Buoyed by social media, the film has reached a larger audience and heightened more conversation than director Anthony C. Ferrante anticipated. Following its television release, the film was regularly trending on Twitter, mentioned by the likes of Olivia Wilde and Mia Farrow. Commenting on the increasing popularity of the film, Ferrante tweeted: “I have never been part of something this crazy … the whole world is watching my insane little movie and talking about it.”
The film is now available on DVD, with special features including a making-of featurette, commentary by the cast and crew, trailers, and most ironically, a gag reel, which proves the cast had as much fun making the film as we had watching it. The DVD release also features a Widescreen 5.1 Surround Sound Presentation, just in case the crushing Sharknado needs to be turned up a notch.
Other films releasing on DVD/Blu-ray and/or on digital download include: Star Trek Into Darkness, The Lesser Blessed, Love is All You Need, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Tyler Perry Presents Peeples, Jesus Christ Superstar Live Arena Tour and Would I Lie to You 3. If after seeing the movie you’re curious to learn more about how sharks really act, check out Rob Stewart’s award-winning film Sharkwater, which is also available on DVD. ~Raj-Kabir Birk