Sharknado | |
---|---|
Written by | Thunder Levin |
Directed by | Anthony C. Ferrante |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Ramin Kousha |
Composer | Ramin Kousha |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | David Michael Latt |
Cinematography | Ben Demaree |
Editor | William Boodell |
Running time | 85 minutes [1] |
Production companies | The Asylum Syfy Films |
Budget | $2 million [2] |
Original release | |
Network | Syfy |
Release | July 11, 2013 |
Related | |
Sharknado 2: The Second One |
Sharknado is a 2013 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. It tells about a waterspout that lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them in Los Angeles. It is the first installment in the Sharknado film series. [3] [4] The movie first aired on the Syfy channel on July 11, 2013, and stars Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, and John Heard. [5] It was also given a one-night-only special midnight theatrical screening via Regal Cinemas and Fathom Events, where it earned $200,000 from 200 screenings. [6] [7] The over-the-top premise and theatrics of the film quickly earned it a cult following.
The film spawned a franchise of the same name; five sequels have been produced ( Sharknado 2: The Second One , Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! , Sharknado: The 4th Awakens , Sharknado 5: Global Swarming , and The Last Sharknado: It's About Time ), [8] [9] [10] as well as three spin-off films ( Lavalantula , Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness, and 2 Lava 2 Lantula).
Though the original film was not explicitly a comedy, maintaining at least a façade of seriousness despite the implausible plot, the sequels were more openly comedic in nature. [ citation needed ]
Off the coast of Mexico, the ship of shark fin smuggler Captain Carlos Santiago is caught in a hurricane, interrupting his meeting with a potential buyer. A tornado throws shoals of sharks onto the boat, killing all aboard.
The hurricane soon hits Los Angeles, flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. Bar owner and professional surfer Fin sets out with his friends, Baz, Nova, and George, to rescue his estranged wife, April, and their teenage daughter, Claudia, after the bar and boardwalk are destroyed by the flooding. While heading to April's home, the group stops on a freeway to save people as flooding causes sharks to attack. George is killed and the group learns of a tornado warning. They arrive at April's house just before the first floor is flooded and shark-infested. Collin, April's boyfriend, is eaten by sharks, but the rest of the group escapes unharmed from the house, which gets hit by a huge wave causing it to collapse.
As they travel, the group comes across a school bus trapped in the floodwaters and surrounded by sharks. Fin stops to save the children and bus driver by rappelling down to the bus from a bridge. Afterward, the bus driver is killed by a letter in the Hollywood Sign. While Nova is driving the car, a shark lands on top of the car and rips the roof off. Fin's hand is cut and the group abandons the car before it explodes. They steal another car and meet up with Fin and April's son Matt, who is found taking shelter at his flight school. Three tornadoes develop and absorb the floodwater, turning into shark-filled "sharknados". The group borrow equipment from nearby storage and Matt and Nova become attracted to each other. Matt and Nova decide to stop the threat of the incoming sharknados by tossing bombs into them from a helicopter. Two are destroyed, but they are unable to stop the third one.
As Nova fights off a shark that had latched onto the helicopter, she falls out of the helicopter and directly into another shark's mouth. Matt is heartbroken. Baz is also lost in the storm along with Matt's friends Bobby and Luellyn. Ultimately, Fin destroys the last sharknado with a bomb attached to his car and the sharks begin to plummet toward the ground. One falling shark flies directly toward the remaining members of the group. Fin jumps into its mouth with a chainsaw and cuts his way out. He emerges carrying an unconscious but otherwise unharmed Nova. Matt is reunited with Nova, and Fin gets back together with April. [11]
Sharknado was directed for film studio The Asylum by Anthony C. Ferrante, whose previous directing credits include the horror film Boo , and written by Thunder Levin, whose previous writing credits include the film Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!. [3] The film's tagline is "Enough said!" [12] Sharknado is one of many B-movies commissioned by Syfy. [13] Robbie Rist said in an interview that he came upon the film's poster at the American Film Market and became enthusiastic about the concept. When his friend Ferrante said that he had been approached to direct the film, Rist insisted that Ferrante take the job. Rist was given a small role in the film and composed the theme. [14]
Actress Tara Reid said of the film, "It is silly, and there's only a certain amount of barriers you could go into. You can't take it so seriously when it's absolutely the sharks flying in the sky. It's so out there that it's actually really funny." The cast had to imagine the presence of sharks due to a green screen being frequently in use. [15] Ian Ziering stated that he had serious reservations about the script but was motivated, in part, by the need to earn enough to qualify for Screen Actors Guild health insurance for his family. [16]
In an interview with Uproxx's Danger Guerrero, Ferrante summarized the film's plot: "There's a flood. And a storm. Don't worry about it." [17]
The premiere of the film was watched by 1.37 million viewers, which is slightly below the average audience of 1.5 million viewers for a typical Syfy original film. [13] [18] However, the film was a trend on Twitter, including discussion by celebrities such as Damon Lindelof, Wil Wheaton, and Olivia Wilde and also by Cory Monteith, whose last tweet before his death was about the film. Due to an increase in publicity (mostly through Twitter), Syfy repeated Sharknado on Thursday, July 18, 2013, one week after its premiere. That airing was watched by 1.89 million viewers, an increase of 38% over its initial airing. [19] On July 27, a third airing of Sharknado got 2.1 million viewers, continuing the increase in popularity of the film and setting a record for most watched original film encore in Syfy history. [20] Sharknado was projected to increase revenue for The Asylum from $5 million in 2009 to $19 million in 2013. [21]
A representative of the National Weather Service jokingly recommended what to do in case of a sharknado, saying: "As with any waterspout or tornado, the best advice is to be in an interior part of the lowest floor of a sturdy building – and not outside, whether sharks are raining down or not." [3] Organizations such as the Red Cross of Oklahoma City also used the film as an opportunity to pass on storm safety information [22] while others incorporated it into their own advertising. [23]
Regal Cinemas announced that at midnight on August 2, 2013, it would play the film in roughly 200 theaters nationally. [24] Tickets sold out quickly in New York, Boston, and Seattle, where more showings were added to appease customer demand. [25] Box office numbers were weak for the midnight showings; estimates were at under $200,000. [26]
Syfy and The Asylum announced in August 2013 that Sharknado merchandise would be made available, including shirts and potentially other products, such as costumes, bags and posters. [33] Funko acquired the licensing agreement to manufacture the POP Vinyl version of Sharknado [34]
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 77% based on 22 reviews; the average rating is 6.40/10. The site's consensus states: "Proudly, shamelessly, and gloriously brainless, Sharknado redefines 'so bad it's good' for a new generation." [35]
Reviewer Mary McNamara, writing for the Los Angeles Times , mentioned that the plot holes are "the whole point of movies like this: fabulous in-home commentary. Often accompanied by the consumption of many alcoholic beverages." [5] David Hinckley of the New York Daily News said "Sharknado is an hour and a half of your life that you'll never get back. And you won't want to." [36] Kim Newman of Empire called the film "cynical rubbish, with an attention-getting title and just enough footage of terrible CG sharks in a terrible CG tornado chomping on people to fill out a trailer suitable for attracting YouTube hits." [37]
Sharknado has become a cult film. [38] The film was used for a RiffTrax Live event in July 2014, where former Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast members mocked the film for a live audience and broadcast to other theaters through NCM Fathom; the idea for using the film for this was prompted by the Sharknado producers discussing the film with Fathom at the same time. [39] After the event, Ferrante said that "Being skewered by the MST3K guys was an honor." [40] In 2016, Homes.com added a page to their disaster prep guides on How to Prepare Your Home For a Sharknado. [41]
The success of Sharknado spawned a series of sequels, with the sixth and final entry in the series being released on August 19, 2018. [42]
In 2023, Sharknado was re-released with new special effects and deleted scenes for the film's tenth anniversary. [43] [44]
Masiela Lusha is an Albanian-born American actress and author. She gained recognition for playing Carmen Lopez on the globally syndicated ABC sitcom George Lopez, a role that earned her two consecutive Young Artist Awards for Leading Young Actress in a Comedy or Drama. After transitioning into film, she starred in Sony Pictures’ Blood: The Last Vampire. Lusha also starred alongside David Hasselhoff and Ian Ziering in SyFy's television movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.
Tara Donna Reid is an American actress and model. Her film roles in the late 1990s and 2000s established her status as a sex symbol.
Robert Anthony Rist is an American actor. He is known for playing Cousin Oliver in The Brady Bunch, Martin in Grady and "Little John" in Big John, Little John. Rist is also known for voicing assorted characters in television shows, games and movies, including Stuffy, the overly-proud stuffed dragon in Doc McStuffins, Whiz in Kidd Video, Star in Balto, Maroda in Final Fantasy X, Choji Akimichi in Naruto, and Michelangelo in the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), and Casey Jones (2011). Additionally, he and director Anthony C. Ferrante provided music for the Sharknado film and the theme song for the Sharknado franchise. He played Ted and Georgette Baxter's adopted son David on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was also the voice of the stick man from the Handi Snacks commercials.
The Asylum is an American independent film production and distribution company based in Burbank, California. The company is known for producing low-budget, direct-to-video films, in particular mockbusters, which capitalize on the popularity of major studio films with similar titles and premises. The Asylum's business model revolves around producing as many low-budget films as quickly as possible, which earn around $150,000 to $250,000 in profit. Since the company produces dozens of films every year, this model generates millions of dollars, and the company claims to have never lost money on a film. The Asylum spends around 4-6 months making a film, and since the company is not affiliated with any industry guilds other than SAG-AFTRA, this means their employees will sometimes work upwards of 22 hours a day.
Ryan Whitney is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ginger Falcone in Disney XD's Zeke and Luther, Allison in The Thundermans, Cindy Collins in Zoom and Emily Hobbs in See Dad Run.
Cassandra Lynn Scerbo is an American actress, singer and dancer. She was one of the members of the all-girl pop band Slumber Party Girls in the CBS children's music variety series Dance Revolution. In acting, she starred as Brooke in the film Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007), as Lauren Tanner in the ABC Family comedy-drama series Make It or Break It (2009–2012), and as Nova Clarke in the Sharknado film series alongside Ian Ziering and Tara Reid (2013–2018).
Chuck Hittinger is an American actor. He is known for playing Sean Ackard in Pretty Little Liars (2010–11), as Van Dyke Tosh in Jonas, and as Matt, the son of Ian Ziering's character, in the 2013 Syfy television movie Sharknado.
Jack Davis Griffo is an American actor. He starred as Max Thunderman on the Nickelodeon series The Thundermans (2013–2018). Griffo also had starring roles in the network's original movies The Thundermans Return, Jinxed, and Splitting Adam, and the Netflix original series Alexa & Katie.
Sharknado 2: The Second One is a 2014 American made-for-television film and a sequel to the 2013 television film Sharknado and the second installment in the Sharknado film series. It was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, with Ian Ziering and Tara Reid reprising their roles from the first film. The film premiered on July 30, 2014, and was the highest-premiering film on the Syfy Channel.
Syfy was an Australian pay television channel dedicated to science fiction and fantasy television shows and movies. The channel was launched on 1 January 2014, replacing SF.
Anthony C. Ferrante is an American film director, producer, and writer, known for directing the Sharknado series, the 2017 thriller Forgotten Evil and the 2005 ghost story Boo, which was his feature film writing and directing debut.
Sharknado: The Video Game is a 2014 endless running video game developed by Other Ocean Interactive and published by Majesco Entertainment. The game is based on the 2014 film Sharknado 2: The Second One.
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! is a 2015 American made-for-television science fiction action comedy disaster film and the third installment in the Sharknado film series, following Sharknado and Sharknado 2: The Second One. The film was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante with Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo, and Mark McGrath reprising their roles from the previous installments. Also joining the cast are David Hasselhoff, Bo Derek, Ryan Newman, and Jack Griffo.
Sharknado is an American six-film made-for-television science fiction action comedy horror disaster film series released by Syfy between 2013 and 2020. It has since been expanded into video games and comics, including a spin-off film, Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness, that was released in 2015. The first two films received mixed to positive reviews from critics, while the others received negative reviews.
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens is a 2016 American made-for-television science fiction action comedy disaster film and the fourth installment in the Sharknado film series, following Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. The film was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante with Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, David Hasselhoff and Ryan Newman reprising their roles from the previous installments. New people joining the cast in the film include Tommy Davidson, Masiela Lusha, Imani Hakim, Cheryl Tiegs and Gary Busey. In the film, Fin Shepard and his allies, five years after the last sharknado, contend with a group of sharknado variants, such as a "cownado" and a "lightningnado".
Lavalantula is an American 2015 science fiction comedy horror thriller television film that takes place after a series of volcanic eruptions in Los Angeles unleashes a swarm of gigantic, lava-breathing tarantulas from which the film draws its title. It was directed by Mike Mendez and stars Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples and Patrick Renna. Ian Ziering appears as Fin Shepard, tying the film into the Sharknado universe. It premiered on Syfy on July 25, 2015.
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming is a 2017 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film and the fifth installment in the Sharknado film series, following Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, and Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time is a 2018 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film and the sixth and final installment in the Sharknado film series. The film was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante with Ian Ziering, Tara Reid and Cassie Scerbo reprising their roles from the previous installments. In the film, Fin and his gang use time travel in order to prevent sharknadoes from ever happening.
Fin Shepard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Sharknado film series. He is a former surfer and shark hunter, who is played by Ian Ziering in all the films. He is a positive hero, protecting his family and the rest of the world from the evil sharks and hurricanes that bring sharks from the sea to land.
Thunder Levin is an American screenwriter and director, known for writing the first four Sharknado television films. Levin's work was largely responsible for the resurgence of sharksploitation films.