Sharknado 2

Martin: "Why are there sharks in Manhattan?"
Ellen: "You should probably ask my brother."

release year: 2014
genre: cheesy monster horror/action
viewing setting: home DVD 4/15/22 and 4/10/16

synopsis: Not one but TWO shark-filled tornadoes converge on New York City.

impressions: This sequel just took the idiotic premise of the first movie and one-upped it. This was an intentionally bad movie that was meant to entertain, and it does that...if you can get past the idea of tornadoes that seem to seek out victims to hurl sharks at...and sharks that can breathe within the tornado and always seem to hit the people they're flying toward. One highlight of this film is the incredible number of cameos that it has. Another is the catchy theme song. Also of note: character names taken from Jaws and other movies, a shark thrown into a pizza oven, a Star Wars reference, a Frogger reference, an Excalibur reference. The filmakers were definitely having some fun here.

body count: Dozens.

something this movie has that no other movie has: from a rather extensive list, I pick this: the Statue of Liberty's head rolling down the street crushing people

acting: Ian Ziering returns, now known as a national hero, even though he's just an ex-surfer/bar-owner who happened to fight off some sharks before. He's so super this time, he can fly a plane and improvise science as needed. Tara Reid is his love interest, who can't ever stay put when she's supposed to. Vivica Fox is a helpful battle-savvy old friend. Kari Wuhrer and Mark McGrath are helpful family members. Beyond that, see the above list of cameo appearances.

final word: Ridiculously over-the-top sequel to a preposterous shark movie.

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