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Sharknado 2: The Second One
R2 - United Kingdom - Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (24th October 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Shark Happens! Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering, Sharknado, 90210) and his ex-wife April (Tara Reid, Sharknado, American Pie) are flying to New York City when their plane enters the most unnatural of storms and is battered by airborne sharks. As blood is shed and passengers are maimed in the skies, New York awakens and people spill onto the streets, unaware of the peril descending rapidly towards them. Armed with weapons and explosives, Fin realises he must risk all to save his sister s family from the greatest of danger as floods and storms crash into the city. From the makers of cult hit Sharknado, comes an adventure sequel full of screams, bloodbaths and bite. The sharks are back.
Video
Independent British distributor Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment have released low budget SyFy channel sequel "Sharknado 2: The Second One" on to DVD in the United Kingdom in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The movie receives an anamorphic transfer, and looks about as good as you would expect a low budget B-movie to look. Shot on 35mm and transferred to digital, "Sharknado 2" does unfortunately suffer from a couple of minor issues. There is light edge enhancement throughout the feature, especially around people, as well as some minor aliasing on occasion (most notably on windows of buildings in the background). Blacks are not always as deep as perhaps they should be, and when they are, they can exhibit some crush. Still, lighter colours are toned down, and the drab colour scheme suits the poor weather conditions and Manhattan downtown location, giving a good feeling of overall depth. Details are reasonably good most of the time, with facial close-ups showing smaller details with good clarity. Some of the background items can be a little blocky, and can suffer from a lack of sharpness, but they don't look too bad. As for damage to the print - there is none - as should be expected for a new feature regardless of budget. This is a serviceable transfer, for a serviceable movie. The film is the extended version, and runs 91:08 PAL.
Audio
Two audio options are included: - English Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I obviously opted for the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. I mean, who wants to hear sharks attacking people from a tornado from a stereo track right? This audio track is easily the highlight of the disc. Although movies of this budget usually get rather basic tracks, this one features some strong channel separation and solid directionality. Sharks whizz past your head, the weather effects are subtle when required, but then turned up a gear for the many action scenes, and thuds and shark kills, bring the LFE alive. The score is as formulaic as they come, but it is certainly adequate and at a consistent, non-overpowering volume level. Dialogue is clear and concise at all times, and there are no drop outs, scratches, or pops. Unfortunately, no subtitles have been included.
Extras
We start the extras package off with a basic "Behind the Scenes" featurette (10:13). This featurette includes some behind the scenes footage of actors working against green screen, and some interview snippets with various cast and crew members. One funny bit of information found here, is when director Anthony C. Ferrante tells us how the franchise came to be. Seemingly he wrote a film for SyFy called "Leprechaun's Revenge" which jokingly references a "Sharknado" disaster. SyFy saw that line of dialogue and said "we have to make this film". Kind of worrying that SyFy make decisions based on such circumstances, but they know their fans, and these low budget 'out there' ideas seem to work for them. Next up, we have a featurette entitled "Chomp: The Evolution of Sharnado 2 VFX". It's very short at just 3:52, but features some very interesting before and after comparisons of the special effects process. The effects in the film aren't the greatest, but for the budget, they've achieved effects that are certainly workable. The special effects team talk about how they were able to research and develop the effects of the tornadoes, sharks, and water to a higher standard of the first movie. The "Cameos: I Can't Believe They Got..." featurette (10:26), is a closer look at the many many cameos that feature in the movie. I have to admit, I did not know who many of these so-called 'celebrities' were, as I am not familiar with American day time television, but were still many recognisable faces - most notably Kelly Osbourne as an air stewardess and Tiffany Shepis as Chrissie. This featurette gives us some basic insights into how cameos are organised, and the interest they got from celebrities wanting to be in the movie. A standard gag reel (5:24), features your usual selection of dialogue cock-ups, uncontrollable laughter on set, and cast members mobile phones ringing during filming. Quite funny to watch, but as usual with gag reels, there are some where you obviously had to be present. The final substantial extra is a selection of deleted scenes, listed rather amusingly as "Shark Chum" (8:13). The scenes include extended sequences, and some alternate lines of dialogue, as well as a couple of outtakes. The only scene worth viewing though, is the one with the Toronto mayor Rob Ford falling victim to a shark during a press conference. The rest of the extras consist of a start-up trailer for the hilarious poor-looking "Stonado" (1:52) and a theatrical trailer (1:19).
Overall
"Sharknado" was one of the surprise hits of 2013, thanks to being so bad, people loved to laugh at it. The makers of "Sharknado 2" obviously understand this, and have played up to its badness. "Sharknado 2" is not a very good movie, but it is a lot of fun, and an enjoyable way to waste a couple of hours. Roll on the already announced "Sharknado 3"!
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