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Gore, boobs, and monsters have always been a recipe for success — at least a moderate degree of it. Piranha 3D, Alexandre Aja’s remake of Roger Corman’s cult classic, proves the recipe may well be immortal. This flick is a big love letter to the low-budget creature features of the 70s and 80s. It’s not better than any of those movies, it’s not quite parodying them, and it’s not trying to sophisticate them. Instead, Piranha 3D simply IS one of those movies — a blast from the past, in all its cheap, puerile, exploitative glory.

In addition to delivering the requisite viscera and titillation, Aja also manages to keep things moving at a brisk pace. Room for improvement? Absolutely. Elisabeth Shue, one of our two main protagonists, seems tired and disinterested. Honey, you’re fighting dinosaur fish. Take a cue from the magnificent Christopher Lloyd and overact a little! And while the film pays charming homage to Jaws, it sorely lacks any of Spielberg’s masterly tension or suspense.

A lot of people think it’s easy to churn out cheap thrills like Piranha, and maybe it is. But fans of horror and exploitation movies can tell if the filmmakers’ hearts and minds are in the right place. In the case of Piranha 3D, I can confidently say the love is there. In every chomp and jiggle.

Co-starring Jerry O’Connell and Ving Rhames.