Piranha 3DD Blu-ray review

Actors: Danielle Panabaker, David Koechner, Katrina Bowden, Gary Busey, David Hasselhoff

Directors: John Gulager

Writers: Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton

Format: Color, 3D, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 3

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: The Weinstein Company

Release Date: September 4, 2012

Run Time: 83 minutes

            The title of this film tells you all that you need to know. They could have waited until there was a Piranha 2 in order to make one called 3DD, but instead they made Piranha 2 in 3D and called it 3DD for the important inclusion of large breasts in the storyline. The franchise also attempts to keep many of the same elements similar to the original, although the gore seems far less shocking when not accomplished at the hands of Alexandre Aja. Even though director John Gulager is accustomed to gory horror, having previously directed Feast, it is quite clear that the goal for Piranha 3DD is simply to imitate the original remake instead of doing anything new or original.

            There is enough similar in Piranha 3DD to the original to keep fans happy, from excessive nudity and violence to the comical CGI creatures which do all of the killing. The main difference in the storyline is simply a change of location for the attacks. While the first one had a Piranha attack in the open water, Piranha 3DD moves the action to a swimming pool. After previous attacks, few people go in the water anymore, leaving an opening for a water park to make a killing. Then the real killing begins when the water used to fill the pools is taken from a reservoir filled with the prehistoric creatures.

Casting is one of the few things that actually make this sequel stand out somewhat, adding humor in-between scenes of vulgar nudity and gruesome gore. There is a memorable one-liner from Gary Busey in the opening scene, before his demise, though it is the inclusion of David Hasselhoff as himself which makes the movie. This tongue-in-cheek performance is far more entertaining than most of the carnage brought on by the man-eating fish. There are a few moments where the film purposefully pushes the gore to the point of bad taste, and these moments are likely to please the fans enough, but the entire endeavor felt short of complete. At 83 minutes, it moves fast and is over before there is time to think about all that seems to be missing.

The 3D Blu-ray combo pack includes a 3D Blu-ray as well as the standard Blu-ray disc, not to mention a DVD and digital copy of the film. The special features are padded with some great comedic additions, including a featurette for each of the three comedic supporting stars; David Hasselhoff, David Koechner, and some bloopers with the reliably unpredictable Gary Busey. There is also a filmmaker commentary with Gulager, deleted scenes and a short film with John McEnroe.