''Mega Piranha'' (also known as ''Megapiranha'') is a 2010

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

comedy horror film produced by

The Asylum The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and s ...

. It was directed by

Eric Forsberg Eric Forsberg (born December 16, 1959) is an American writer. He wrote and directed the feature film ''Mega Piranha'', as well as the writer of the feature film ''Snakes on a Train'', one of the first mockbusters produced and released by The ...

and stars

Tiffany Tiffany may refer to: People * Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name * Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname Known mononymously as "Tiffany": * Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress kn ...

, Paul Logan and Barry Williams. In the tradition of The Asylum's catalog, this film is a mockbuster of '' Piranha 3D''. It was filmed in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

, Central America.

Plot

The film focuses on the Orinoco River in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

, where a strain of genetically modified piranha have escaped into an isolated tributary of the river. Through human interference of the local environment, the megapiranha manage to escape from their isolated spot and swim downstream, killing all that cross their path. The megapiranha gradually make their way towards

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

at the height of the tourist season. After the outbreak, a team including Special Agent Fitch and Sarah Monroe, work to contain the megapiranhas within Venezuela. They begin to get into trouble with the authorities when they attempt to cross over the Venezuelan border. Not having proper clearance and documentation, Special Agent Fitch resorts to using the diplomacy of his fist and drives off. He is pursued by Colonel Antonio Diaz in a high-speed chase through the jungle. Throughout the chase, Fitch alternates driving a

Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact car, compact in size (narrow-body ...

and Hyundai Elantra while Diaz is seen at different points in a

GMC Jimmy The Chevrolet Blazer is an automobile nameplate used by General Motors for its Chevrolet brand since 1969 for several SUV models: * Full-size Chevrolet K5 Blazer, based on the C/K pickup chassis and built from 1969 to 1995 (renamed Blazer in ...

, Chevrolet Suburban, Suzuki XL-7, and

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford lig ...

. Fitch escapes by stealing a helicopter and heads to the International Super Bunker (ISB). During the journey, the helicopter runs out of fuel and Sarah Monroe rigs the emergency oxygen tank to the fuel line to make it to the ISB safely. The megapiranhas continue to move north, consuming two battleships and a nuclear submarine. They eventually reach south Florida, where they kill at least five Puerto Ricans on a beach and manage to blow up two hotels. Meanwhile, the only force that can stop them is located at the ISB. After the megapiranhas prove impervious to both torpedoes and depth charges—and even a nuclear torpedo fails to stop them—Special Agent Fitch and Professor Sarah Monroe conclude that the only way to stop the megapiranhas is to face them in their own terrain: underwater. An army of

SCUBA Scuba may refer to: * Scuba diving ** Scuba set, the equipment used for scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving * Scuba, an in-memory database developed by Facebook * Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array Two instruments ...

divers armed with guns would make the huge fish

bleed Bleeding usually means the leakage or loss of blood from the body. Bleeding, bleed, or bleeder may also refer to: *Bleed (printing), intentionally printing across the expected trim line or edge of the sheet *Bleed, or spill (audio), when audio fro ...

, causing them to enter a feeding frenzy and kill each other. If this were to fail, then a massive nuclear strike would be used to destroy the megapiranha, as well as most of Florida. In the middle of the operation, Colonel Diaz arrives in a helicopter, presumably using multiple fuel tanks to do this journey. The Colonel aims to get revenge on Agent Fitch and throws a rope into the water to trick him into climbing up into the enemy helicopter. Fitch, upon his arrival, shoots the pilot in the mouth with a flare gun, which causes the pilot's head to explode. Fitch then uses a homing beacon (which is actually a canister of CO₂) to attract a megapiranha, jumping out of the helicopter shortly before it is consumed by the fishy behemoth. Fitch is pursued by the megapiranha that ate the helicopter, eventually hiding in a reef where the megapiranha is unable to follow. When the piranha opens its mouth, Fitch shoots his gun at the helicopter still in the beast's jaws. The helicopter explodes, killing the fish. The other megapiranha converge on the bloodshed and Fitch is able to escape as the piranha enters a feeding frenzy and begin tearing each other to pieces, seemingly resulting in them wiping themselves out. Sarah and Fitch make out and all is well.

Cast

as Sarah Monroe * Paul Logan as Jason Fitch * Barry Williams as Bob Grady * David Labiosa as Colonel Antonio Diaz * Jude Gerard Prest as Dr. Higgins * Jesse Daly as Gordon * Alessandro Tierno as Sargento Ayudante * Jay Beyers as Seaman Toby * Cooper Harris as Lieutenant Julia * Gregory Paul Smith as Greg, The Submarine Navigator * Jonathan Nation as Mort *

as US Ambassador Arnold Regis * William Morse as Lieutenant Stritch * Clint Browning as Captain Jonas *

Lola Forsberg Lola Forsberg (born February 1, 1999) is an American film actress. Biography Lola Forsberg was born in Santa Monica, California, on February 1, 1999. Her mother is stage director and film producer, Karen Goodman Forsberg and her father is filmmak ...

as Stephanie "Steph" * Robert Don as Rodriguez * David Dustin Kenyon as Lieutenant Baker * Sex Henderson as Submarine Crewman * Jillian Easton as Jane Fisher / Jane, The Reporter * Matt Lagan as Submarine Captain Jim * Anthony Wemyss as Bernie * John P. Napoleon as Lieutenant Miller * Sally Elphick as ISB Tech * Carl Watts as Captain Decker * Myles Cranford as Sy * Ryan Sherman as Jim, The Tech * Ashley Carr as Half Dead Person * Fernando Huc as Jose, The Driver * Natalie Nastulczykova as Technician

Production

The mockbuster was produced to capitalise on the 2010 film '' Piranha 3D''. On March 29, 2010, the '' SyFy'' Channel released an exclusive sneak peek of a scene from the film in anticipation of its April 10 premiere of the film. On the April 7, 2010 The Asylum released the official trailer online. Usual Asylum audience may notice the film recycles short clips from other Asylum films, likely due to low production costs and a limited filming schedule. Such clips come from films like '' Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus'', '' Journey to Middle Earth'', '' War of the Worlds'' and '' Transmorphers: Fall of Man''.

Reception

''Dread Central'' wrote about the film: "Now, the question becomes whether ''Mega Piranha'' means we should expect a super-sized piranha a la Asylum's ''

Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus ''Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus'' is a 2009 American-British monster disaster film distributed by The Asylum, released on May 19, 2009, in the United States and on August 7, 2009, in the United Kingdom. It was directed by Ace Hannah and stars s ...

'' or if they are basing their film around the prehistoric Megapiranha, a toothier, three-foot version of the carnivorous fish that became extinct millions of years ago. Given the big screen 3D remake is about these Megapiranha, I would say odds are high the latter will prove the case.'' The film reached a 2.2 million audience for its April 10 premiere, making it the channel's most-watched movie of the year. Of those, 807,000 were adults 18–49.

Soundtrack

The score was composed by Chris Ridenhour and featured the song "Frozen Skies" by Tiffany.

References

External links

* {{Piranha 2010s American films 2010 comedy horror films 2010s English-language films 2010 films 2010 horror films 2010 independent films 2010s science fiction horror films 2010 television films American comedy horror films American horror television films American natural horror films American science fiction horror films Films about piranhas Films directed by Eric Forsberg Films set in Belize Films set in Florida Films set in Venezuela Films shot in Belize Films with screenplays by Eric Forsberg Mockbuster films Syfy original films The Asylum films