Piranha (1978)

Joe Dantes first feature film is stated to be the best "Jaws" knock off of them all...and yeah that's a statement made by Steven Spielberg.And he's surprisingly right. The movie has way more in common with "Jaws" when with it's own sequels, which are just about nudity and Piranhas killing unlikeable idiots.These are also things that happen in THIS film (nearly every women has to show her boobs, it's a Roger Corman production nonetheless), but with much more context, two likable leads, and a very well told and intriguing plot.The two protagonists have their own reasons, backstories and characteristics, and aren't just bland idiots. Their interactions are fun to watch and you want them to succeed.Also the Piranha attacks are fairly intense and suspenseful, because you don't want any of the characters to get hurt. Which is also due to the technical expertise of the film. For a Roger Corman produced, directors debut it's effectively made and doesn't look nearly as cheap as it is. The make up effects are even done by Rob Bottin and Phil Tippet, because this is also one of their first works before they got famous, and it shows, because the practical effects look great.Also the cinematography and editing are very good and the musical score, and sound effects fit well.All in all a fun, but also intense, Horror-B-movie with a heart...

I'm a huge fan of Joe Dantes work, even going so far as to buy every movie has directed. There's something about his style, especially the mixture of humor and lighthearted horror elements that always seemed to resonate well with me. Piranhas is a movie I had on my watch-list for quite some time but I was never able to find a copy of it with a good quality. By total accident I found the special edition Blu-Ray Edition of Piranhas. I was exhilarated and bought it immediately.So, how well does Dantes second feature film hold up after all these years? Surprisingly well! This has all the good stuff in it that you'd expect from a Roger Corman production. Blood, boobs, humor, fake looking special effects, its all there, but its all done with a lot of passion! I watched some bonus material of how the piranhas were made and discovered that Phil Tippet (now an Oscar winner for his work on movies like Star Wars) actually made the pesky little fish rats. I gotta say, after watching the bonus stuff, I had even more respect for the movie, for the sheer fact alone of how much work went into it. No wonder they all involved to Hollywood legends, these people are creative forces! Now, with all that said, its still amateur film-making. So don't expect next level Kubrick. The acting is at parts really good, especially from Bradford Dillman, and at parts really cringe worthy, just like it should be. The story is rather simple and I wont bother going into details, its just entertaining schlock with some great moments. I was surprised how serious it actually took itself. There were quiet some funny scenes but for the most part, its actually pretty dark. All in all, this movie really impressed me. I was entertained for the entirety of the film and there never seemed to be a dull moment. The underwater scenes still look great and the gore effect don't disappoint. Give it a try!

RELEASED IN 1978 and directed by Joe Dante, "Piranha" chronicles events when genetically-enhanced piranha are accidently released into a river system in central Texas, which threaten kids & counselors at a Summer Camp and vacationers at a lake resort. A spirited skip tracer (Heather Menzies) and a backwoods drunkard (Bradford Dillman) team-up to save the swimmers. Kevin McCarthy and Barbara Steele play military scientists who experimented with the escaped piranha.While "Piranha" is sort of a "Jaws" (1975) knockoff, it's different enough to not be a rip-off: The story takes place in a river system deep in the mainland and not the ocean; the 'monster' consists of teams of little vicious fish rather than a huge Great White Shark; the beach sequences involve quaint campground-like beaches rather than major ocean beaches; unlike "Jaws," there's a focus on alluring young women, although "Jaws 2" (1978) delivered the goods in this area as well; there's more of a sense of adventure and even suspense; and the tone mixes-in amusing elements with the horrific mayhem.As inferred, the picture is highlighted by several quality females with curvy Belinda Balaski (from "The Howling") and cutie Melody Thomas Scott (from The Young and the Restless) featured in prominent roles. Moreover, voluptuous Janie Squire has some worthy screen time in the prologue. There are superb women in the periphery as well. Interestingly, the 2010 quasi-remake, "Piranha 3D," took the sleaze route with loads of nudity, but the women are ironically hotter here, not to mention the film's all-around more entertaining.THE MOVIE IS LEAN and filler-free at 93 minutes and was shot along a river near San Marcos in the heart of Texas, Northeast of San Antonio. WRITERS: John Sayles and Richard Robinson.GRADE: A-

I not seen this movie for a really long.As I have Seen 2010 remakes so many times, that love that movie like mad. However this was still great, I thought it would feel dated now before I saw it again but it's did not feel dated at all. A lady is looking for two teenagers, who killed night before as broke in to place with pool that contains Piranhas, while searching for teens they release the Piranha in the lake and soon people are been bitten to death I really enjoyed the whole movie, there was nice bloody moments and there good gory moment as well in this movie, bite looks looked really nasty. The make effect was really good, the Piranha looked really good, the effects at the start were a little fishing with some of odd creates in lab.The acting was really good of most of the cast. 7 out of 10