Sharknado 2: The Second One (Move Review)

So I just finished watching the summer's biggest buzzed about movie Guardians Of The Galaxy...oh wait no I'm sorry I meant Sharknado 2: The Second One. The question on everybody's mind is simply is it as bad as the first one with all the charm and craziness that made it a internet sensation. With Sharknado I had to constantly ask myself is it bad? Is it good because it's bad? Is it a hit to make fun of once great high profile actors who haven't seen their names in lights for a long time? I came up with the revelation, who cares, I just want some sharks in tornados and that's good enough. That's all the movie is and was ever meant to be. D list actors verse a tornado of sharks; some win some lose. The internet stepped in and said let's make this a hit because the trailer is so laughably bad it has to be cool. It plays out like a decent but ultimately bad low budget suspension/horror/action movie. It's a type of fun you don't often get. It's like watching an old slightly lower budget 80s zombie movie. It's so bad that it's just fun to watch. There are no crazy ticket prices, no high profile late night interviews, it's a sit at your house and laugh and watch as you check the social media sites and read reviews. Plain and simple Sharknado doesn't alienate anyone from the fun. The success of the franchise for any future release will depend on if people want to keep it cool. If The Second One has anything to say about it the answer is Yes!

Sharknado 2 is like a robot that has become self aware. It's a different beast. Sharknado was a cheesy low budget movie with the appropriate casting for such movie and it felt like a SyFy d list summer movie. Nothing more, nothing less. When it caught on and became a phenomenon on twitter feeds and bloggers kept getting caught in the whirlwind of a Sharknado the franchise definitely noticed what made the movie a hit. So this time around the actors feel a little more like they've got a hit. This actually doesn't improve the acting (haha). The first scene in the movie is great low budget suspense film. Picture being 20,000 feet in the air caught in a Sharknado. Returning stars Ian Ziering (Fin) and Tara Reid (April) couldn't be happier anywhere else. From the start I assumed that this internet buzz franchise would draw tons of b-d list celebrities like sharks circling in the water to get in on this Sharknado craze. From the start of the film viewers start getting treated to just that and for the sake of not spoiling the cameos I'm not going to tell you just which b-d list celebrities are in the movie. It kind of ruins the fun when trying to spot them all. Just pay attention in every scene. It adds something, but some of the celeb additions might turn the original viewers of Sharknado off just a little.

The movie takes place in New York. Ziering and Reid's characters are on their way to New York to promote April’s book while Fin catches up with family members. Vivica Fox, Mark McGrath (yes, the singer of Sugar Ray), and Kari Wuhrer join the main cast. McGrath and Wuhrer play Ziering's brother-in-law and sister. A ton of the movie is spent on either saving them or them trying to save themselves (in Wuhrer's case). Insert a son with McGrath and a daughter with Wuhrer, for pretty much no reason as neither actor playing either gets too many awesome shark slaying moments, and you've got the basic cast. Fox plays an old flame of Ziering's character Fin and she teams up with him for most of the movie. Reid's role in the film was reduced significantly from the first film, which is mostly okay with me. Her acting was below par for even the low budget mentality of Sharknado, but even with her poor acting it's still nice she returned to the movie and adds to the plot.

The movie is exactly what the title is and what the first movie delivered. The movie is sharks in a tornado, water, or raining from the sky on fire. Random cast members must then slay them or get destroyed by said sharks. A loose plot and storyline is inserted and you've got your movie. You also get some low-budget cgi, a few cheesy props, and a nod or two to classic b-list movies. The movie is as successful in being bad and good in the same way that the first one was. It might try a little hard to be bad. Why you ask? Simply because the writers and actors are now in on the joke and they know that's what you want. Don't blame them for working hard to deliver, but that does cause the movie to lose a little of the charm of the first one. It’s just a little though and nothing that should ruin the movie experience because in this case bad is good and trying to be good at being bad makes it worse which is even better! Um, right?

The big question is will it gather the same amount of acclaim and notoriety the first one enjoyed. If the answer is yes then I'd say a future weather forecast could easily predict two or three more Sharknados. This franchise will continue as long as it's hip and people are talking about it. I think this new addition to the franchise will be a success. Like I said nobody has to be left out of this hype. It's a summer made for TV movie and it's something anyone can see. That's part of why I like the franchise so much. The celebrity cameos will have people talking and I'm sure there will be a laundry list of b-d list actors trying to get demolished by a tornado of sharks next time. I'm hoping Hulk Hogan shows up in a Sharknado movie sooner rather than later personally.

Final verdict on this movie from me is bring on Sharknado 3! I know I'll watch it. I’m predicting Sharknado 3: Antarctic Fishsticks!