I have seen thousands of campy movies in my life time, all of which I enjoy for a multitude of reasons. However, I’m ashamed to admit that until recently, I had not seen the 1981 camp fest known as Piranha 2 :The Spawning. I was incredibly familiar with the first film, as well as the remake and its sequel, so I’m not entirely sure how the original sequel slipped by me. Once I had a copy in my possession, I noticed a very familiar name in bold print on the cover — James Cameron.
Yes, THE James Cameron directed this film and apparently is so appalled by his own creation that he denies much of his involvement. After I watched it, I could understand why. It isn’t the most terrible B-movie I’ve seen. Actually it has some funny characters, ridiculous gore effects, and enough nudity to keep the late night viewers happy. It’s just a far cry from the films he went on to create and the brand that his name carries.
The piranha are back and this time they fly! When an annual beach side fish fry is scheduled to pop off, a strain of mutant piranha are discovered by a scuba diving instructor who informs the hotel manager of the imminent danger. When he refuses to cancel the festivities, the party goers become the main course!
Piranha 2 is far from wonderful, but it is a great popcorn flick with some silly dialog and schlocky creature effects. It’s worth the time to check it out and if you are a fan of those silly creature feature films, you just can’t go wrong. James Cameron might not be thrilled about this film, but I can say that I enjoyed it for what it was.
Give it a go and let us know what you think about it. I give this one 2 bottles of champagne out of 5.
I only saw the first piranha as well, but I’m interested in watching this too. Seems like a fun film to watch