6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A secret government project involving the breeding of mutant piranhas, gets way out of hand when the piranhas are accidentally released into the lake of a nearby summer camp.
Starring: Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies-Urich, Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn, Dick MillerHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
They breed like flies...there'll be no way to stop them!
Here's a "Horror" movie where the creatures don't swallow a victim whole, split them in half, tear out
their intestines, rip off their heads, pop out of their stomachs, shoot them with lasers, melt them with
acid, or do whatever it is that Horror movie baddies usually do. Nope, in Director Joe Dante's
(Small Soldiers) Piranha, the title fish peck their victims to death. The
formula: toss a couple of teenagers into a military testing salt water tank, throw some campers in
intertubes onto the lake, feature an old man dangling his feet off a pier, show a father reaching for
something under a boat, or place a park full of nearly-naked young adults into the water and let loose
some fish with razor-sharp teeth, a ravenous appetite, and a stomach capacity that would make Kobayashi wet his pants, and the result
is a "Horror" movie that's more funny than it is scary, but, surprise, it works. Piranha is one
of the finest of the Roger Corman-produced low-budget drive-in rip-off gems of the 70s and 80s; with
some honest production values, decent acting, and not all that much gore, it's easily one of the more
audience-friendly pictures of its kind, and, yup, there's a remake coming soon...in 3D.
'Piranha:' it gives a whole new meaning to "stop picking on me!"
Piranha swims onto Blu-ray with what is a sometimes problematic but mostly nice-looking 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. No doubt the transfer at several junctures coughs up a few less-than-handsome elements, notably coming in the form of excess noise, crushed blacks, a plethora of spots and speckles, and a few random vertical lines. Generally, though -- and for the bulk of the picture -- Piranha looks great for what it is. The image offers up a fait bit of intricate details in clothes, hats, and faces, though some of the trees seen off to the sides of the frame often feature clumpy rather than distinct bunches of leaves. The transfer appears mostly clear and sharp with only the occasional soft shot and hazy detail. Colors are slightly dull but true to those seen in similar low-budget pictures of the era. The image retains a fair bit of grain that spikes in places, though there's some chunky background noise scattered about the film, too. Piranha is by no means a pristine Blu-ray, but fans will appreciate the bump in resolution and nicely-realized elements Shout! Factory's transfer affords the material.
Piranha floats onto Blu-ray with a decent enough PCM 2.0 soundtrack. This one's a touch too loud at reference volume, but turning things down a few notches yields a pedestrian but serviceable listen. This track sometimes sounds a bit stale and unrefined, lacking in space and clarity as it trudges along with most of its elements emanating from the center channel. No one sound effect ever comes across as natural or convincing, though there are no wholly indistinct elements within the track. Even the distinct "piranha" sound effects lack much oomph and power; fortunately, though, the absence of a more robust presentation doesn't really hurt the effectiveness of the film. Dialogue sometimes plays as tinny and shallow while occasionally bleeding off to the sides. Though this is a basic, no-frills type soundtrack, it suits and supports both the film and the Blu-ray presentation well enough.
Shout! Factory brings Piranha to Blu-ray with a nice assortment of extras, including an
audio
commentary track with Director Joe Dante and Producer Jon Davison. They discuss Roger Corman's
concerns over the budget, shooting locales, the name actors that appear in the cast, ideas for the
film that were never fully realized and incorporated into the final product, cinematic trickery and
shooting on
a budget, variations on the script, the differences between working for a major studio and working
for Roger Corman, James Cameron's sequel, and plenty of other interesting factoids and
observations. Fans will enjoy this commentary. Behind the Scenes Footage (480p, 9:35)
again features Dante and Davison speaking over a few minutes worth of raw footage from the
making of the picture. Next is The Making of 'Piranha' Featurette with New Interviews with
Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Dick Miller, and Belinda Balaski (1080i, 19:44), a collection of
interview snippets and clips from the film that cover a broad array of issues, including the script,
special effects, shooting on a budget and a time crunch, and plenty more.
The disc also features
a series of bloopers and outtakes (480p, 6:48), additional scenes from the
network television version of Piranha (480p, 12:21), several radio spots (1080p, 1:38), a
TV
spot (480p, 0:33), a poster and still gallery (1080p), and a collection of Phil Tippet's
Behind-the-Scenes
photographs (1080p). Rounding out the on-disc supplements is a trailer farm that features the
Piranha theatrical trailer (480p, 2:15); the Piranha trailer with commentary by
Producer John Davidson (480p, 2:28); the film's teaser trailer (480p, 0:33); and additional previews
for Humanoids From the
Deep, Up From the Depths, and Death Race 2000.
Also
included in the case is reversible cover art and an eight-page booklet that contains an introduction to
the film
with
Roger Corman and the essay "Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Water
Again...For
the First Time...Sort Of" by Michael Felsher.
It's not Jaws, but Piranha is a perfectly good knockoff that plays as equal parts serious Horror movie, parody, and campy cult classic. Director Joe Dante's picture is probably the pinnacle of the Roger Corman catalogue; that's not really saying a whole lot, but his insistence on staying away from the Corman staples -- excess gore and nudity -- pays off in a big way. Piranha takes itself just seriously enough to work, but the entire movie gives off a "just kidding" vibe that really sells it and makes for a wonderful exercise in mindless filmmaking done right. No, don't look to see if it was nominated for any Oscars, but Piranha is an all-star of low budget filmmaking done right. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of Piranha sports a solid 1080p transfer, a passable soundtrack, and a fair collection of extras. Recommended.
Collector's Edition | Includes Enamel Pin Set+Exclusive Poster
1978
Collector's Edition
1978
4K Remaster
1978
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