Sharknado 2: The Second One

Yup "Shark happens" This is definite junk food for the brain in a so bad it's awesome kind of way. The ultimate in guilty pleasure, Sharknado 2 is equally as bad (good) as the original although you can tell they had a bigger budget for the sequel because the special effects are better and there are a ton of cameos.

Ian Ziering, I have to give it to him here, he really gives his all and was fun as hell to watch running around New York saving the day, kicking shark ass with his chainsaw.

Lots of laughs, a good time, exactly what I was expecting from a made for TV B-movie. The opening scene with Robert Hays (Airplane) is awesome, it does drag a bit at times but filled with enough blood and epic cheese moments to make it through. Tara Reid is still god awful. The GMA guys were surprisingly hilarious. 7/30/14

It was perhaps inevitable with the success (financial, not critical) of the first "Sharknado" movie that we would get a sequel. While other production units might have made a quickie effort, in some aspects this sequel comes across better than the first movie - slightly. The shooting in various places in New York City do give the movie a better looking backdrop. And there are some amusing moments, particularly with the many cameos by various celebrities. However, in some aspects the movie is worse. This is most evident with the special effects. I know you can't expect multi million dollar special effects, but for some reason the special effects here look worse than those in the first movie. Also, the characters are not written to be particularly interesting, which is probably why most of the cast give lazy performances. (Though Vivica A. Fox and Judd Hirsch do put some life in their roles.) In the end, this movie is pretty much at the level of the first movie. If you liked the first movie, you'll probably like this sequel. If you didn't like the first movie, you know what you're in for.

Having survived the great Los Angeles Sharknado, our heroes Fin and his wife - back together - are on their way to New York. The opening scene on the plane might play like a dream sequence, but proves just how unpredictable these films can be.

Ian Ziering is back as Fin, and as handsome and sexy as ever! (Gosh, he looks so good on screen). 'Sharknako 2' features seasoned actor Judd Hirsch and country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus. The acting is much better than 'Sharknado', and the entire production in general is much better. The shark effects are still very bad, though - especially for a movie made as recent as 2014. You'd think with sharks being the film's main draw card, they'd spend more time and money designing the shark effects. Then again, I suppose this is the humorist look they were aiming for...

'Sharknado 2' was seriously very entertaining - in a strange kind of way. It is faster paced than 'Sharknado', with more action and more suspense (although still a comedy). The script and dialogue are also a bit better. There's great enthusiasm from the characters to stop the Sharknado. There are a number of very unexpected kills, and there are some very funny moments (some scenes are simply funny because the visuals are so bad!!). Either way - again - I enjoyed this much more than expected.

Would I watch it again? I think so, yes.

A freak weather system turns its deadly fury on New York City, unleashing a Sharknado on the population and its most cherished, iconic sites - and only Fin (Ian Ziering) and April (Tara Reid) can save the Big Apple.

Whether or not this tops the first film is hard to say, but they pulled all the stops when it came to references for "Taxi", "Airplane", "Jaws" and maybe even "Evil Dead". And the cameos are never-ending (good luck catching them all).

John W. Bowen said it very well when he argued that this film actually surpasses the first. He wrote, "The original wisely refused to take itself seriously but never fully embraced its own absurdity, whereas Sharknado 2 happily wallows in it and invites us to dive right in."

If you have friends and a case of beer (or whatever your preferred beverage is), this is a lot of fun. But if you expect it to be critically better in any way, you are delusional. It is just as cheesy as the first.

Things have calmed down since the first "Sharknado" (2013), but not for long… Romantically inclined Ian Ziering (as Fin Shepard) and raspy-voiced Tara Reid (as April Wexler) are on a flight to JFK International Airport in New York City. She is scheduled to give a speech, after authoring the successful book "How to Survive a Sharknado". He just wants a slice of New York pizza. Can't blame him. Accompanied by a theme song swiped from The Ramones, the opening credits get us off to a rollicking start. After an attack by sharks, whipped up by a sudden tornado, Mr. Ziering makes an emergency landing. Despite the fact that several passengers have their heads eaten by flying sharks, and others are whisked out of the plane, many people are reluctant to believe Ziering's dire warning about another "Sharknado". Mostly oblivious to the foreboding weather, citizens go about their everyday business...

Then, the shark hits the fan...

For years, the Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi) Channel has been slaughtering science-fiction film aficionados with the some of the worst "original movies" ever to see the green light of day. The cheap, lurid and derivative stories would sound promising during promotion – then proves themselves a cinematic disaster when viewing. The best of the quick, low-budget productions had a sense of humor. Spoofing the genre, "Sharknado" and "Ghost Shark" (2013) were surprisingly fun. Mindful of this, director Anthony C. Ferrante, writer Thunder Levin (his real name) and the "Asylum" crew respond by treating this sequel as a comedy. They seem to be saying, "We know you're laughing at us, we're laughing with you." The shark attacks are hilarious – and they wouldn't be funny with fantastic special effects and great acting. There will certainly be more "Sharknado" movies, but topping this one will be a challenge...

****** Sharknado 2: The Second One (7/30/14) Anthony C. Ferrante ~ Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Mark McGrath, Vivica A. Fox