Piranha 3DD DVD Blu-ray and 3D Disc Review
Piranha 3DD DVD Blu-ray and 3D Disc Review
Directed by John Gulager. Starring Danielle Panabaker, David Koechner, and Christopher Lloyd and David Hasselhoff.
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Piranha 3DD is throwback to the late 70s and early 80s popcorn'sploitation flick, full of boobs, blood and bad jokes. It's all in summer fun and while perhaps the 3D ticket price might have been a bit much to ask for the big screen experience, it's now perfectly presented on DVD for either guilty-pleasure night at home alone with your microwave Orville Redenbacher's Xtra Butter or party time with beer-bongs and the gang. Long on goofy laughs and standalone scare-skits, Piranha 3DD isn't the kind of movie you watch for story or suspense. It's all for fun — and with 3 discs, you can triple the titters in either 3D, 2D, or digital on the PC.
For a recap of the plot and whatnot, please refer to my original review of the film here. Also, to see our exclusive interviews with John Gulager and actors Danielle Panabaker and David Koechner, click.
When it comes to extras on the DVD, there are plenty of fish in this sea: first up is a lively yak-track with director John Gulager, writer Marcus Dunstan, and producer Joel Soisson. They talk about the usual stuff, such as locations — the opening sequences were shot at The Salton Sea (an atmospheric, shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault in California's Imperial Valley) — but then add dimension to the standard party line by adding tidbits of trivia such as the fact Gulager himself filmed those sequences all by himself and unpaid, in order to make the film look as good as he possibly could. The trio cracks wise about the opening sequence (starring Gary Busey and Gulager's dad, famed character actor Clu Gulager) with Dunstan doing full-on, dead-on imitations of the actors.
They also reveal that the first day of shooting was also one of the most elaborate — that would be the death and drowning scene inside the panel van with the "Hot Wheels" paint job. Exteriors were done at a lake, while the interior underwater scenes were accomplished in a pool on set. Gulager reveals that Alexandre Aja, the director of Piranha 3D, had had a scene set in a van, which was never shot. They also chat about the actors, how certain unorthodox auditions actually worked. Gulager says Christopher Lloyd was unexpectedly quiet and notes that he usually plays informational characters - lots of lines, very expository. He likes how Lloyd was "Making sense of a movie that makes no sense." They also talked about how they scouted water parks in Louisiana - but wound up shooting in North Carolina because so many of the amusement destinations are owned by churches and getting permission was actually an issue when their lawyers read the script.
My favorite extra on the DVD is The Hofftastic World of The Hoff. "It's more than just a philosophy. It's a religion," jokes the former Baywatch actor. "I play the role of David Hasselhoff," he says. "There was lots of competition, but ultimately I won the role." He gives a tour of his trailer, and reveals how he reads a script: "Bullshit, bullshit, Bullshit. Me. Bullshit, bullshit, Bullshit. Me." Pretty funny stuff. Short, but sweet!
There's plenty more to dive into. Great stuff, highly recommended to those in search of dumb fun.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson