There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Maybe it's because I saw this one when I was young and I didn't bother with Jaws. I probably saw Jaws way too late because I really didn't care much for it but I really am glad it was the inspiration for this movie. What is scarier than one man-eating big fish, well a lot of flesh-eating little fish who can cause a lot more mayhem among people who like to have fun time in the water. Yes these fish are some really ugly pieces of nature being able to survive in cold and salt water which a normal piranha cannot live in. I actually liked the whole back story for why the fish were grown and turned into a mutated species by scientists. Fish as weapons in wars it could sure be effective as the victims did experience. I liked the combination of Heather Menzies as detective Maggie McKeown and Bradford Dillman as Paul Grogan who are eventually the ones saving the day. Kudos also to Shannon Collins as Paul's daughter Suzie. She played the role of fearful but eventually brave kid really well.

With all the films that are released on video that try to ride the coat tales of other popular entries in film, people forget that early on there really was only one man who did that. That man was Roger Corman, a producer who worked at creating cheap films that entertained viewers no matter what the material. Then there's Joe Dante, a director who hasn't worked with many theatrical released films, but the ones he has made have faithful followings. Dante is another filmmaker that enjoys taking ideas from popular films and turning it on its head. The thing is, Dante at least does it with a non-subtlety attitude and style. Seriously, looking at the poster alone tells you that Dante and Corman were borrowing the concept from Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975).For the most part, the film is watchable but there are various elements that don't work. One of those elements is John Sayles' writing. It works well at building tension in how the story plays out, but the dialog and back-story to why the piranhas are in a local resort feel flimsy. Turns out, a school of piranhas were genetically enhanced to help win the Vietnam war. So in other words radio activity is the problem. It's understood that this comes from a time where it was prevalent but now it no longer is plausible. Using radioactivity as a plot device for a sea creature is no longer usable. It has been exploited since the early 50s era films. Not many of the actors that take part feel like they are that of something new either.Bradford Dillman as a divorced drunk father of one daughter is possibly the most interesting of the bunch. And this guy was the only one to ask to have his character have more depth. So you can imagine what the rest of the characters are like. Next is Heather Menzies-Urich who plays a missing persons detective, who also looks to find the truth behind the piranha epidemic. She also becomes Dillman's love interest - without little explanation. Okayyyy,...see what I mean on character depth? Some of the dialog is silly to hear at times too. Unfortunately, these things are big parts to the film that weigh it down because they are essential to telling a good story. Thankfully, there are a enough good parts to help make it somewhat enjoyable. For example, Dick Miller has a role. And who doesn't like Dick Miller?For one, the practical effects are quite convincing to say the least. Phil Tippett's ability to make the piranhas themselves, the gore and blood look authentic is important. I mean, even if the cast isn't the most convincing, the plot device should at least. I do question one scene however. There's a scene where stop motion animation is used and it looked great but it never served a purpose. What was the point? Kudos to using the technique but thumbs down for not giving it meaning. Jaime Anderson's cinematography is good specifically for the underwater scenes. Surely that wasn't the easiest thing to do. The editing by Joe Dante and Mark Goldblatt was competently done too. Specifically for keeping the illusion of the Piranhas looking like actual fish and not puppets. Lastly, Pino Donaggio's music was OK. It wasn't great but at least had a theme specifically for the piranhas. That at least is recognizable. It's watchable but not all that exciting at times.It has good practical effects and a borrowed concept from Jaws (1975) that only can be considered flattering. However, its story and majority of its characters aren't all that different from other characters in other films.

Out of all the "Jaws" ripoffs and parodies out there, Joe Dantes' "Piranha" stands tall as one of the best. It's a smart, funny, engaging picture in the best B movie tradition. There's no dull moments, and no filler, just a lot of good piranha action and a terrific cast that makes it tons of fun for film buffs.Marking the first solo directorial effort for Dante (after having co-helmed "Hollywood Boulevard" with Allan Arkush), it stars Bradford Dillman ("Bug") and Heather Menzies-Urich ("Sssssss") as Paul Grogan, a cranky loner / boozer and Maggie McKeown, a not terribly competent skip tracer who band together to find the objects of Maggies' latest search. When Maggie hastily drains a pond to determine its contents, she sets the plot in motion: the pond contained ravenous piranha that have been genetically engineered. So now the mission is to save as many of the people in the piranhas' path as possible.You know you're in for a good time with a cast also including Kevin McCarthy ("Invasion of the Body Snatchers" '56), Keenan Wynn ("Point Blank"), Barbara Steele ("Black Sunday"), Dick Miller ("A Bucket of Blood"), Belinda Balaski ("The Howling"), and Paul Bartel ("Eating Raoul"). Bartel is especially funny as a macho, hard driving camp director. The savvy screenplay (his first) is by John Sayles, who makes a great uncredited cameo appearance as an Army sentry. He balances the appeal of low budget genre pictures from decades past with an irresistible amount of campiness, some memorable lines, and a political subtext. The movie was a great starting off point for some movie veterans (such as producer Jon Davison and production manager Tom Jacobson), and combined the efforts of a couple of visual and makeup effects experts - Jon Berg, Robert Short, Chris Walas, Adam Beckett, Phil Tippett, Peter Kuran, Rob Bottin. Look for Bottins' own mangled head in a brief appearance. To complete the drive-in package, there's also some brief breast shots in the movie. And at the end, Pauls' method of solving the problem is amusing in its ecological incorrectness.This is one movie that deserves to be considered a cult classic.Followed by a sequel and two remakes (the first for cable TV), with the theatrical remake itself getting a sequel of its own.Eight out of 10.

When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.With Kevin McCarthy, Dick Miller and others, how can you go wrong? Take a Corman film and put it in the hands of the talented Joe Dante, and you are guaranteed to have a good time.Is this a ripoff of "Jaws"? Yes and no. Surely that was what sparked this film's creation. But looking back now on all the shark movies that have been made, this almost seems far enough removed to be considered completely unrelated (never mind the "Jaws" video game in the beginning).Truly a must-see for all Corman or Dante fans.