Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Sharknado 2: The Second One

October 5, 2014

Sharknado 2: The Second One - Buy from Amazon: DVD and Blu-ray

Sharknado came out last year and immediately earned a "so bad, it's good" buzz. Amazingly, it earned excellent reviews and many critics said it was highly entertaining, in part because it was so low-budget and cheesy. It should come as no surprise that they made a sequel, Sharknado 2: The Second One, but will it live up to the first installment?

The Movie

The film begins with -- before we get to the movie, the Blu-ray begins with 12 minutes of trailers. Only one of which, Mercenaries, looks watchable.

The film begins at the end of the first film with April and Fin flying to New York City. The pair became famous for surviving the original Sharknado and even wrote a book about it. While on the plane, Fin thinks he sees a shark in the storm clouds. Of course he does. Turns out, there's another Sharknado forming and the plane is flying right through it. Sharks managed to eat the pilots, so Fin has to land the plane.

Once safely on the ground, we are introduced to a number of characters, including Fin's sister, Ellen, her daughter, Mora, and a couple of others, who are near the water sightseeing. Ellen's husband, Martin, is at a baseball game with a bunch of people. We later meet Skye. And there's a cab driver played by Judd Hirsch.

After the action-packed opening -- sorry, after the "action-packed" opening we have to wait another 20 minutes for the sharks to make their return. For the rest of the movie, it's bad action scenes and cheap looking special effects.

I like B-movies; however, trying to make an intentional B-movie is actually really difficult. In some ways, it is more difficult than making a good movie of the same genre, because not only do you have to understand what makes those movies enjoyable, you have to have the skill to replicate the mistakes that make B-movies fun. I enjoyed The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and its sequel or Alien Trespass. I did not like this movie. I found it incredibly dull. The film spent too much time trying to convince us they were in on the joke rather than spending time trying to make sure the jokes were funny. Likewise, they shoved so many cameos into the movie that they became a distraction rather than a selling point. Some of them, like Robert Hays playing the pilot in the prologue, added something to the movie. Judd Hirsch is a good actor, so having him play a cabbie was a welcome addition to the movie. Others, like Andy Dick, or worse still, Perez Hilton were distractions. Most never rose past the level of, "Hey, it's whathisface." The first one got far by having such an outrageous premise, but this time around the premise simply isn't enough.

The Extras

There are two audio commentary tracks on the Blu-ray, one with the director and the two stars and the other with more of the behind-the-camera talent. There are three making of featurettes, an overview, plus one that focuses on the special effects and the other that focuses on the cameos. Finally, there are deleted scenes and outtakes. That's more than I was expecting, but not enough to save the movie.

The technical presentation is better than expected, but not exactly great. The level of details is better than most low-budget films, but it is still softer and muted when compared to the details and colors in most Blu-rays I've reviewed. The audio is clear, for the most part, while there's not a lot of activity in the surround sound speakers. It's fine, but nothing special.

The Blu-ray Combo Pack costs just $13, which is $3 or 30% more than the DVD. It's cheap, but that's the best thing it has going for it.

The Verdict

Sharknado 2: The Second One tries to capitalize on the success of the first film, but the lack of energy and the no longer fresh premise hurt. If you really loved Sharknado, you will probably still like this one, but if you thought the first one was only good, or worse, you can safely skip this one. That said, if you are interested in buying, the DVD and Blu-ray have plenty of extras.


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Filed under: Video Review, Sharknado 2, Andy Dick, Vivica Fox, Robert Hays, Judd Hirsch, Tara Reid, Kari Wuhrer, Ian Ziering, Courtney Baxter, Mark McGrath