Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Sharknado 2: The Second One Blu-ray Movie Review

The Big Apple's in big trouble.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 30, 2014

John McClane once asked, "how can the same **** happen to the same guy twice?" McClane has, in fact, had the same thing happen to him no less than five times now. Sharknado's Fin Shepard (played by Ian Ziering) must be asking himself the same thing. After his first run-in (literally) with sharks, he's unwittingly back for round two in Sharknado 2: The Second One, the cheap and silly follow-up to the cheaper but perhaps not sillier Asylum/SyFy fan favorite. Shepard may not know what a TV dinner feels like, but he knows what chum feels like, and how many times will this **** happen to him? There's a third movie apparently in the works, and if The Asylum has its way, and viewership remains high, it could conceivably go as high as, maybe, 90,210. That would be a lot of sharks. And more chainsaw. The only question that would remain, then, is whether Tara Reid would stick around to lend him another hand (or toe, or foot, or leg, or spleen) in his seemingly unending battle with hungry, hungry, flying, flying SHARKNADOS!

Slice and dice!

Following their run-in with the Sharknado, Fin Shepard (Ziering) and ex-wife April (Tara Reid) have become worldwide celebrities. She's written a bestseller and he's got the ladies draped all over him. Unfortunately, they find themselves in the middle of a second "Sharknado" incident while on board a flight bound for New York. All hell breaks loose when sharks attack the aircraft. Fin is able to bring it down in mostly one piece, but April suffers a serious injury at the hand (teeth) of the sharks. While she's in surgery and recovery, Fin sets out to save a few of his friends trapped at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. It looks like two serious weather patterns -- one bringing rain, another snow -- will merge right on top of the ballpark and bring a heavy downpour of sharks with it. Fin will have to suit up, find a chainsaw, and rally New York's finest to his cause if anyone is going to make it out of this mess alive.

Sharknado 2: The Second One is proof -- or an outlier; pick one -- that a modern movie can be marketed on little more than a title only. The studio best known for its collection of "mock busters" -- rip offs of other films that include everything from Transmorphers to 200 MPH, from Apocalypse Pompeii to Android Cop -- has finally found a movie, and an original movie at that, that has captured the public eye in a positive way and not through deceit, clever titles, and shrewd release windows. One look at the cameo roster for the movie proves the franchise's status as a modern day cult sensation. The entire movie is built on a title gag that has spawned all sorts of merchandise available in mainstream outlets like Kohls and not just SyFY's online shop. So of course everyone wants their little piece of the Shark pie. The film features cameos aplenty, from Subway's Jared Fogle to TV's Al Roker. There's even a John Rocker jab thrown in for good measure ("don't mess with a Mets fan on the 7 train!") and even a "jump the shark" reference just for the heck of it. The movie has it all going for it, including a ton of public eye momentum. It's clearly the biggest and most important piece of trash The Asylum has ever released. The only questions, then, are whether it lives up to the hype, tops the first, and whets the appetite for Sharknado: The Second One, Once Again.

Surprisingly, the answers are a resounding "yes." The Second One is everything the first one should have been. It's bigger and better, a whole lot more fun and less like a gimmick and more like a fun little take on a popular culture sensation. The movie never feels tedious or tiresome. It's high energy all the way, featuring some ridiculously over-the-top stunts and gags that fit perfectly into the fictional world the series has created. There's a good balance of zany antics and semi-serious interruptions; flying sharks and comically gruesome attacks are intercut with "serious" footage from the Today show and The Weather Channel to give it a sense of legitimacy in an "it's really happening" sort of way. Al Roker and Matt Lauer are two highlights. They take it just seriously enough to make the audience believe it's happening and that there are real risks for the people in the danger zone, but play it just cool and coy enough to let the audience know they are in on the gag, all the way to a great little farewell moment for the television duo at film's end. Elsewhere, it's typical Sharknado mayhem, this time involving some action at baseball's Citi Field but primarily taking place in and around New York's city streets where nobody is safe from flying sharks and flying sharks aren't safe from more power tools and a few more surprises in store for the bloodthirsty beasts.

Yet underneath all the madness, Sharknado 2: The Second One is really just another Asylum movie. Sure there's a bit more scope and scale and slightly (slightly) enhanced visual effects, but it's still just another on-the-cheap cash-in sort of movie. The acting ranges from comically inspired to flat out tired. Ian Ziering, bless him, has found the perfect middle ground in which he plays the part seriously but does so with an obvious wink and a nod that's evident, but not prominent. Lauer and Roker are excellent in their extended cameos, and Judd Hirsch is great as a New York cabbie. On the flip side, Tara Reid seems fully disinterested (and who can blame her considering the character's flat story arc) and Billy Ray Cyrus is dull as her monotone doctor. There are some funny little foul-ups, perhaps the most obvious being a supposedly "packed" Citi Field appearing almost completely empty. There are a few shots on the concourse area that show a few people loitering and walking about and "watching" the game, but all of the background seats are clearly empty. The film is also home to some more poor Asylum visual effects. The jetliner at the beginning looks a little better than average, but digital sharks, fake stab wounds, pretend gore, and all variety of make believe mayhem all look as smeary and bad as they do in every other Asylum movie.

Sharknado 2: The Second One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sharknado 2: The Second One swarms onto Blu-ray with a proficient but rather flat 1080p transfer. The 1.78:1 image is fairly typical of The Asylum's Blu-ray efforts. It's digital-smooth but produces some gorgeous up-tight details that reveal fine facial lines and makeup textures, clothing fabrics and seams, and plenty of crystal-clear New York backdrops. There are more than a few soft, fuzzy scenes, including some fake and/or zoomed in and prerecorded baseball action and soft, poorly defined special effects, particularly up in the sky as digital sharks circle digital storms. Colors are fair; clothes and faces frequently contrast nicely with more monotone city and sky gray-dominant backgrounds. Inside, colors pop a bit better, particularly in the well-lit hospital scenes. Black levels are never too far out of balance, and flesh tones appear accurate. The image suffers from some light background banding but is otherwise in good condition. This is a typically strong digital Asylum offering.

Sharknado 2: The Second One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sharknado 2: The Second One tears into sound systems with an active and mostly satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track opens with a fairly aggressive action sequence. It can be a bit overpowering and favor a shrieking and shrill effect at the top, but generally the sounds of chaos on a shark-infested passenger jet are satisfying and send sonic mayhem all over the listening area. Much the same holds true for the rest of the film. Big city sound effects and large action elements -- such as punishing waves -- frequently fill the stage, though precise clarity is sometimes lacking. General city din and background ambience are nicely immersive. Musical delivery is of a high quality, with a solid low end, good clarity throughout the middle and top, a wide front stage presence, and a healthy but not overpowering surround element. Dialogue is fairly consistent in its positive, front-center delivery, though a few scenes struggle to match, particularly an early film clip from the Live! with Kelly and Michael show. Otherwise, this track is good-to-go.

Sharknado 2: The Second One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sharknado 2: The Second One comes with far more extras than the usual Asylum package, no surprise considering this is the most mainstream, high-profile movie the studio has ever released, and they may as well make a good first impression (because every other impression won't be so favorable).

• Audio Commentary: Director Anthony C. Ferrante is joined by Actors Tara Reid and Ian Ziering. They produce a fun little track that begins with a discussion of Ziering's voice in the film and moves on to cover the opening teaser, working in New York, cast and cameos, music, editing, character details, Ziering's presence on the set, and much more. This is a good, entertaining, and frequently informative track that fans will love.
• Audio Commentary: Director Anthony C. Ferrante, Writer Thunder Levin, Editor Ana Florit, and Visual Effects Supervisor Emile Smith discuss this Blu-ray's "extended cut," film development, the opening Airplane! and The Twilight Zone homage sequence, casting, tone, music, shooting in New York, changes to the script as the filming progressed, cast and characters, digital effects, story details, and much more. This is another fun track that fans will want to hear.
• The Making of Sharknado 2 (1080p, 10:41): A look at franchise origins, crafting various scenes, story, character advancement, shooting in New York, working in Major League Baseball and the Mets, the challenges of the shoot, visual effects, and more.
• Chomp: The Evolution of Sharknado 2 Visual Effects (1080p, 4:08): The process of shooting the film with visual effects in mind, improvements in digital effects over the first film, crafting specific digital shots, and more.
• Shark Chum: From the Cutting Room Floor (1080p, 8:36): Included is a scene from the Canadian version, an extended lobby scene, alternate lines, line flubs and gags, an extended weather report, an extended Kelly and Michael scene, and a fun little Airplane! outtake at the end.
• Cameos: I Can't Believe They Got... (1080p, 10:57): A look at all the familiar faces in the film and working all of them into the movie.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 5:38).
• Trailers (1080p): Additional Asylum titles.

Sharknado 2: The Second One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sharknado 2: The Second One lives up to expectations, as meager as they may be for a SyFy/Asylum title. And it's clearly the best thing The Asylum has ever put out. It's a lot of fun, features plenty of great cameos, and sees Ian Ziering in an inspired performance that's equal parts serious and tongue-in-cheek. The movie has its flaws, some of which are major and typical of Asylum fare, but it's a spirited film that knows what it wants and what its fans expect, and it delivers on almost all counts. Here's hoping part three is just as much fun. The Asylum's Blu-ray release of Sharknado 2: The Second One features solid video and audio. A whole lot more in the way of extras are included when compared to basic Asylum titles, signifying this release's importance to the studio and the greater public exposure it's sure to enjoy. Recommended.