Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) Review

Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) Review

 

Five years ago I reviewed one of my favourite killer animal films, the 2010 remake of Piranha, as well as the original from 1978. I talked briefly about the atrocious sequel to the remake, Piranha 3DD, but I only briefly touched on the sequel to the original, and thought it would be fitting to review another Piranha film for this year’s marathon. It was either this or the 1995 made-for-TV remake, but that remake is described as using the same special effects shots from the 1978 original and having the same story only without any of the humour, so I figured Piranha II would give me more to talk about.

First thing to note is the subtitle, which varies depending on what market it’s in. Internationally it’s called Piranha II: Flying Killers, which is actually a little more appropriate, because this time the piranhas fly. Why do they fly? Well, it hadn’t been done before, and like director James Cameron said, this was “the finest flying killer fish horror/comedy ever made.” There’s some uncertainly as to whether or not Mr. Cameron made his directorial debut with this sequel. Some sources claimed the producer actually directed the whole thing, not Cameron, and others said he was brought on last minute to replace the original director who was fired, and then was subsequently fired himself weeks before filming concluded, but he has since confirmed it bears the distinction of being his first movie. Well, at least he’s improved since Piranha II, because there really aren’t any memorable shots, and while he had nothing to do with the story or producing it as far as I know, it is still an unfortunate stain on his career, because it’s a far cry from the entertaining creature feature antics of the original or 2010 remake.

In the opening scene, a couple is having trouble getting intimate, so they decide to switch things up big time by scuba diving down to the wreckage of a ship on the sea bottom and having sex there. It’s an odd way to spice up a relationship—and a deadly one, too, when there’s a school of hungry piranhas chilling down at the wreckage. The couple gets devoured, predictably, and then we get introduced to a big cast of characters residing at a resort. Just like the first Piranha, this one rips off Jaws in some big ways—in fact, it rips it off even more than the original, because it actually takes place at a seaside locale, whereas the original was set entirely on a river/lake. Another big way it imitates Jaws is by having an annual event take place despite mysterious deaths from a creature that’s never been in the area before. The event here is the annual spawning of a harmless resident fish, but the resort goers get more than they bargained for when the school of flying piranha come up from the depths on the same night.

Despite some promise, Piranha II is a failure, both as a sequel and just in general. Lance Henriksen is the only stand-out actor and easily the best one in the cast, but he isn’t given much to work with. He’d later go on to star in two significantly better James Cameron films: The Terminator and Aliens. Despite having lots of characters, few of them are even remotely interesting, and the body count is disappointingly low. The piranha attacks are the only real highlight. They’re goofy and bloody, though not unique or shocking, and they happen few times throughout. One plus is the action doesn’t peak too early; the big attack scene is saved for the end, but it has too little along the way to make it feel worthwhile. 

Piranha II was definitely a misfire, but still not the worst piranha film ever made. It has more low-budget charm compared to Piranha 3DD, and is more watchable. Piranha 3DD is much worse in every way. It’s also better than the unrelated TV-movie Mega Piranha, which is quite possibly the worst piranha film of all. So, regarding Piranha II, you could do worse, but you definitely can do better, too.