History Film / Piranha3D

* AdmiringTheAbomination: Mr. Goodman is awestruck by the piranha's will to survive millennia while displaying fearful reverence for the brutal efficiency of their hunting strategies. Fortunately, he's not blind to the danger the piranha pose and advocates killing them as quickly as possible.
* AgonyOfTheFeet: Among the injured being brought to shore is a sheriff's deputy hobbling to shore with the assistance of another deputy who's frantically telling him to look at him and not at his left leg, which has been eaten to the bone from the knee down.

* ArtisticLicenseMarineBiology: The Piranha survived two million years in an enclosed cavern through cannibalism. Every predator gets about 10% of the energy his prey took in. So, every generation of piranha should have lost 10/11 of their population. Even assuming they magically preserved 90% of the energy, they wouldn't have made it that long without producers in their food chain! And just to add insult to injury at the end of the movie we find out [[spoiler:they've been fighting the babies, which are apparently as big as their full-grown prehistoric ancestors. So, apparently, this process made them bigger.]]

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Among the victims of the piranhas include Todd, a {{Jerkass}} bully to Jake who also kills several people during the piranha attack by driving his speedboat through a crowd before falling off his boat and getting killed himself. Another victim is Derrick, a scummy porno filmmaker who exploits his female actresses.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The main characters are alive but plenty of others aren't, and the piranha are still out there.]]

* BigNo: Paula screams "NO!!!" twice while attempting to swim away from the piranhas after they had finished munching on [[spoiler:Sam. By the time Novak reaches her, it's too late.]]

* BlackComedy: The deaths are sometimes over-the-top hilarious, but still remain horrifying. [[spoiler:The death of Novak at the end definitely fits this.]]

* DiabolusExMachina: Although the ending wasn't really sunshine and rainbows, it was revealed that [[spoiler:the piranhas seen throughout the movie were actually babies, and a man-sized adult piranha eats Novak.]]

* EyeScream: [[spoiler:While trying to rappel over the water, Danni ends up getting piranhas biting at her hair. In her panic to get them off, the upper half of her body falls into the water. When she emerges, her eyes and parts of her face have been bitten off.]]

* {{Gorn}}: There's blood here, there, and everywhere. Most of the deaths are caused by the piranhas, but some don't involve them like a girl [[spoiler:getting her hair caught in a boat propeller and has half of her face skinned off. It looks like something you would see in the ''Film/FinalDestination'' movies.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Deputy Fallon grabs an engine and propeller and holds it in the water to chop swarms of piranha in an effort to allow more people to get to shore. The fish quickly get to his legs since he has to stand in the water to do this, but he keeps going until he's fully devoured. {{Subverted|Trope}} since the sequel reveals he survived, albeit without his legs.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Jake's decision to help out with filming the porn video leads to both Kelly and his younger siblings trapped on a boat surrounded by piranhas. [[spoiler:He makes up for it by rescuing Kelly and blowing up the boat along with hundreds of piranhas.]]

* NoEnding: The film ends on the Forester family, Kelly, and Novak [[spoiler:having wiped out a large chunk of the piranhas, but Julie points out that it wasn't all of them. Then, after Dr. Goodman informs them that they were just babies, Novak then gets attacked by a larger piranha, about the size of a bass. Cue credits, without showing what happened to the rest of the school/pack or whether the adults got to everyone on the boat.]] Without anything actually being resolved, the film just stops cold.

** When the main cast find out that [[spoiler:the piranha they've been fighting are ''babies''.]]

* StealthPun: When [[spoiler:Derrick's severed penis]] is sinking down to the bottom of the lake, two piranhas start fighting over eating it. In other words, [[spoiler:a cockfight.]]

* TakeThat: As shown above in NoCelebritiesWereHarmed, Derrick is clearly based off of Joe Francis and is portrayed as a sleazy scumbag producer [[spoiler:who then gets violently killed near the end.]]

* TemptingFate: At the end when the main characters find out that [[spoiler:the piranha they've been seeing throughout the movie are the ''babies'', Novak is the first to ask where are the parents and gets his answer ''immediately''.]]

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler:Danni. Being a kind woman in spite of her profession doesn't spare her from becoming piranha chow.]]

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:Turns out, the piranha we've been seeing throughout the movie are only the ''babies''.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Wild Wild Girls cameraman Andrew vanishes without trace three-quarters of the way through the movie.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Among the victims of the piranhas include Todd, a Jerkass bully to Jake who also kills several people during the piranha attack by driving his speedboat through a crowd before falling off his boat and getting killed himself. Another victim is Derrick, a scummy porno filmmaker who exploits his female actresses.]]

* BigNo: Paula screams "NO!!!" twice while attempting to swim away from the piranhas after they had finished munching on [[spoiler:Sam]]. [[spoiler:By the time Novak reaches her, it's too late.]]

* DistractedByTheSexy: Sam, one of the seismologists, smiles and waves at some topless spring breakers, and insists on finishing their investigation quickly so they can join in the festivities.

* GroinAttack: Jerry O'Connell gets his penis bitten off by the piranha.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Happens to quite a few bikini babes. Two notable examples:

* HazardousWater: Though even slightly above isn't better, as the piranha can jump a mere few inches and grab onto anything dangling. [[spoiler: Danni dies this way when the piranha latch onto her hair as she rappels over the water, and her trying to remove them and keep going just leads to them getting her arms too.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Deputy Fallon grabs an engine and propeller and holds it in the water to chop of swarms of piranha in an effort to allow more people to get to shore. The fish quickly get to his legs since he has to stand in the water to do this, but he keeps going until he's fully devoured. {{Subverted|Trope}} since the sequel reveals he survived, albeit without his legs.]]

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Though a porn actress rather than a hooker, Creator/KellyBrook's character Danni is otherwise this to a tee. She becomes a sort of surrogate CoolBigSis to the teenage hero, [[ShipperOnDeck encourages him to kiss the girl he likes]] and is the only character to show grief when [[spoiler: the {{Jerkass}} porn producer Derrick dies; Not that she was immune from becoming fish food, of course]].

* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler: Danni]] is a more sexualized example of TheCutie than most but still applies, as she becomes a piranha victim despite her sweet personality.

* MoralGuardians: A FreezeFrameBonus shows a bunch protesting during spring break festivities, holding slogans like "show us your Bible, not your boobs."

* SexSignalsDeath: Downplayed. Scantily clad spring-breakers, a pornographer, and wet t-shirt contest host ([[DeathByCameo played by]] Creator/EliRoth) are on the receiving end of the piranhas' wrath.

* StealthPun: When Jerry O'Connell's [[spoiler:severed penis]] is sinking to the bottom of the lake, two piranhas start fighting over eating it. In other words, [[spoiler:a cockfight.]]

* UncertainDoom: A wire from the snapped soundstage whacks two cheerleaders in one of the nearby boats trying to save swimmers. While one of them is clearly sliced in half the other might have survived, given how there was a deep cut bible across her thigh, but it might not have been deep enough to cut all the way through (unlike her friend) as she doesn't come apart on-screen and might have been able to survive even if she had.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Wild Wild Girls cameraman Andrew vanishes without trace three quarters of the way through the movie. It can be safely assumed he was eaten by piranha but it's weird we never see it considering all the other victims on the same boat get very graphic and obvious deaths.

* ArtisticLicenseMarineBiology: The Piranha survived two million years in an enclosed cavern through cannibalism. Every predator gets about 10% of the energy his prey took in. So, every generation of piranha should have lost 10/11 of their population. Even assuming they magically preserved 90% of the energy, they wouldn't have made it that long without producers in their food chain! And just to add insult to injury at the end of the movie we find out [[spoiler:they've been fighting the babies, which are apparently as big as their full-grown prehistoric ancestors. So, apparently, this process made them bigger]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The main characters are alive but plenty of others aren't, and the piranha are still out there]].

* BigNo: Paula screams "NO!!!" twice while attempting to swim away from the piranhas after they had finished munching on [[spoiler: Sam]]. [[spoiler: By the time Novak reaches her, it's too late.]]

* BlackComedy: The deaths are sometimes over-the-top hilarious, but still remain horrifying. [[spoiler: The death of Novak at the end definitely fits this.]]

* BoobBasedGag: After [[spoiler: Crystal]] has been eaten alive by the piranhas, her skeleton is seen slowly drifting to the bottom of the lake... while her breast implants are seen slowly drifting up to the surface.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Lots and ''lots'' of this, including non-piranha caused deaths: a girl gets sliced in half by a high tension wire and watches her bikini top fall off before [[DiagonalCut the rest of her upper torso follows suit]]. Another girl's hair gets tangled in the propellers of a speedboat, ripping off her scalp and face. The host of a Wet T-shirt contest is decapitated. In more piranha-related news, a piranha eats a woman from the inside out, emerging from her mouth. Two piranhas fight over the severed [[spoiler:penis]] of a pornographer...and didn't like it in the end.

* DeadStarWalking: Creator/RichardDreyfuss' character is killed in the opening scene.
* DiabolusExMachina: Although the ending wasn't really sunshine and rainbows, it was revealed that [[spoiler: the piranhas throughout the movie were actually babies, and a man-sized adult piranha eats Novak]].
%%* DistractedByTheSexy

* FanDisservice: Then cue the piranha attacks. Many very beautiful people (in bathing suits) are killed in ways that combine sex and gory violence. For example, the girl who gets sliced in half by a high-tension wire as mentioned earlier: first the bikini top falls off, exposing her breasts... then the rest of her upper torso follows suit. Also Jerry O'Connell's severed penis, which is even more horrific if you saw it in theaters in 3D.

* HotterAndSexier: Than the previous versions, by far - lots of nudity, including the aforementioned nude ballet.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Jake's decision to help out with filming the porn video leads to both Kelly and his younger siblings trapped on a boat surrounded by piranhas. [[spoiler: He makes up for it by rescuing Kelly and blowing up the boat along with hundreds of piranhas.]]

* NoEnding: The film ends on the Forester family, Kelly, and Novak [[spoiler: having wiped out a large chunk of the piranhas, but Julie points out that it wasn't all of them. Then, after Dr. Goodman informs them that they were just babies, Novak then gets attacked by a larger piranha, about the size of a bass. Cue credits, without showing what happened to the rest of the school/pack or whether the adults got to everyone on the boat.]] Without anything actually being resolved, the film just stops cold.

** When the main cast find out that [[spoiler: The piranha they've been fighting are ''babies''.]]

* TemptingFate: At the end when the main characters find out that [[spoiler: the piranha they've been seeing throughout the movie are the ''babies'', Novak is the first to ask where are the parents and gets his answer ''immediately'']].

** [[spoiler: Paula, one of the marine divers.]] If your diving partner has swum into a dark cavern, says that something bit him (and not even taking him seriously), his rope goes slack, and all attempts at further vocal contact are met with horrific screaming, it's probably in your best interest NOT to go swimming in after him.

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: An annoying example. That scene in the trailers where [[spoiler: a giant piranha leaps out of the water, and gobbles a character off the boat?]] ''That's the ending.''

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:Turns out that the piranha we've been seeing throughout the movie are only the ''babies''.]]

* BleachedUnderpants: Actual porn star Riley Steele plays a side character, who is also a porn star.

Also filling out the adult cast are Creator/JerryOConnell (a Girls Gone Wild-esque producer/director), Creator/ChristopherLloyd (a marine biologist pet shop owner), and [[TheCameo Richard Dreyfuss]] ([[DeathByCameo a local fisherman who is the first to get eaten]]). The film, as incredible as it may seem, was financially successful and actually got mostly ''positive'' reviews, for being realistically scary but also knowing when to indulge in its BMovie roots.

''Piranha 3D'' is a remake (InNameOnly, actually) [[Film/{{Piranha}} of the 1978 original]], directed by Creator/AlexandreAja and released in 2010.

Also filling out the adult cast are Creator/JerryOConnell (a Girls Gone Wild-esque producer/director), Creator/ChristopherLloyd (a marine biologist pet shop owner), and [[TheCameo Richard Dreyfuss]] ([[DeathByCameo a local fisherman who is the first to get eaten]]). The film, as incredible as it may seem, actually got mostly ''positive'' reviews, for being realistically scary, but also knowing when to indulge in its BMovie roots. Two years later, a sequel was released, ''Film/Piranha3DD''.

* {{Gorn}}: There's blood here, there, and everywhere. Most of the deaths are caused by the piranhas, but some of them don't involve them like [[spoiler: a girl getting her hair stuck in a boat propeller and has half of her face skinned off. It looks like something you would see in the Final Destination movies.]]

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Though a porn actress rather than a hooker, Creator/KellyBrook's character Danni is otherwise this to a tee. She becomes a sort of surrogate CoolBigSis to the teenage hero, [[ShipperOnDeck encourages him to kiss the girl he likes]] and is the only character to show grief when [[spoiler: the {{Jerkass}} porn producer Derrick dies; not that she was immune from becoming fish food]].

Set at Lake Victoria (a fictional version of Lake Havasu, Arizona), a minor earthquake opens up a chasm that connects the lake to a larger subterranean one. The local sheriff (Creator/ElisabethShue) escorts a trio of scientists (Creator/AdamScott, Creator/DinaMeyer, and Ricardo Chavira) to explore the underwater cave, while her chief deputy (Creator/VingRhames) is left to oversee the chaos of Spring Break. However, thousands of prehistoric piranha that have outlived their species' extinction by millions of years are now able to escape to the surface, eating two of the scientists, and then making their way towards the town's very active beach.

%%* {{Gorn}}

* DoubleStandard: The porn actresses are treated as fair game for DeathBySex, but people like Jake who watched them survive.

* GagBoobs: After [[spoiler: Crystal]] has been eaten alive by the piranhas, her skeleton is seen slowly drifting to the bottom of the lake... while her breast implants are seen slowly drifting up to the surface.

Also filling out the adult cast are Creator/JerryOConnell (a Girls Gone Wild-esque producer/director), Creator/ChristopherLloyd (a marine biologist pet shop owner), and [[TheCameo Richard Dreyfuss]] ([[DeathByCameo a local fisherman who is the first to get eaten]]). As incredible as it may seem, the film actually got mostly ''positive'' reviews, for being realistically scary, but also indulged in its BMovie roots. Two years later, a sequel was released, ''Film/Piranha3DD''.

* ActionMom: Julie Forester, the Lake Victoria sheriff, shows [[MamaBear no hesitation to go rescue her kids when they're in danger.]]
* AdmiringTheAbomination: Mr. Goodman is awestruck by the piranha's will to survive millennia while displaying fearful reverence for the brutal efficiency of their hunting behavior. Fortunately, he's not blind to the danger they pose and advocates killing them as quickly as possible.
* AgonyOfTheFeet: Among the injured being brought to shore is a sheriff's deputy hobbling to shore with the help of another deputy who's telling him to look at him and not at his left leg which has been eaten to the bone from the knee down.

* CassandraTruth: The police warn the partygoers to get out of the water, but nobody listens until the blood starts spilling.

* HazardousWater: Though even slightly above isn't better, as the piranha can jump a mere few inches and latch on to anything dangling. [[spoiler: Danni dies this way when the piranha grab onto her hair as she rappels over the water, and her trying to remove them and keep going just leads to them getting her arms too.]]

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: A porn actress rather than a hooker, but Creator/KellyBrook's character Danni is otherwise this to a tee. She quickly becomes a sort of surrogate CoolBigSis to the teenage hero, [[ShipperOnDeck tries to get him to kiss the girl he has a crush on]] and is the only character to show grief when [[spoiler: the {{Jerkass}} porn producer dies. Not that she was immune from becoming fish food]].

** At one point in the aftermath, two girls on a boat are shown clutching each other in tears while one of the boys on the boat passes a water bottle to another boat to help care for survivors. What used to be a bunch of idiotic, rebellious teens getting massacred quickly turns into a bunch of terrified, traumatized kids trying to pick up the pieces of the bloody aftermath, a result of their foolishness. It's a very sobering switch.

* PoliceAreUseless: [[AvertedTrope Not here]]. They find out the piranha threat, try to alert people and do an impressive job getting everyone they can out of the water when the piranha attack while also trying to fight off the piranhas from attacking the spring breakers.

* SmugSnake: Not really a villain, but audiences just love to hate Derrick Jones' manic douchiness.

* VertigoEffect: After saving mulitple people from piranhas, Julie gets word from her son that he as well as his younger siblings are trapped on a boat that is sinking right below piranha-infested waters. Her fear is puncuated with a camera zoom. This shot is one of the many references to ''Jaws'', albiet a more subtle one.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: In slow-motion, right at the camera. And it's {{Squick}}-inducing enough in ''2D''...

''Piranha 3D'' is a remake (InNameOnly, actually) [[Film/{{Piranha}} of the 1978 original]], directed by Creator/AlexandreAja.

* ActionMom: Julie Forester, the Lake Victoria ''sheriff''. She shows [[MamaBear no hesitation to go help her kids when they're in danger.]]
* AgonyOfTheFeet: Among the injured being brought to shore is a sheriff's deputy hobbling to shore with the help of another deputy who's telling him to look at him and not at his left leg which has been eaten to the bone from the knee down.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Among the victims of the piranhas include Todd, a Jerkass bully to Jake who also kills several people during the piranha attack by driving his speedboat through a crowd before falling off his boat and getting killed himself. Another victim is Derrick, who's a scummy porno filmmaker that exploits his female actresses.]]

* DoubleStandard: The porn actresses are treated as fair game for DeathBySex, but people like Jake who watched them, survive.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Deputy Fallon grabs an engine and propeller and holds it in the water to chop of swarms of piranha in an effort to allow more people to get to shore. The fish quickly get to his legs since he has to stand in the water to do this, but he keeps going until he's fully devoured. Subverted since the sequel reveals he survived, albeit without his legs.]]

* ImprovisedWeapon: Ving Rhames' character runs out of ammo, so he takes the motor off of a boat and uses it to chop piranhas up like a blender.

* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler: Danni]] is a more sexualized example of TheCutie than most, but she still applies, as she becomes a piranha victim despite her sweet personality.

** At one point in the aftermath, you see two girls on a boat holding each other and sobbing, while one of the boys on the boat passes a water bottle to another boat to help care for survivors. What used to be a bunch of douchebag rebellious teens getting massacred quickly turns into a bunch of terrified and traumatized kids trying to pick up the pieces of the bloody aftermath, a result of their foolishness. It's a very sobering switch.

* TeensAreMonsters: One of the teens grabs a boat just for himself and tries to go for shore, running over several people in the process and killing a few of them. Karma gets him when the hair one of the girls he kills jams his propeller and slows him down and the desperate people in the water capsize him.

* DeathBySex: Downplayed. Scantily clad spring-breakers, a pornographer, and wet t-shirt contest host ([[DeathByCameo played by]] Creator/EliRoth) are on the receiving end of the piranhas' wrath.

Set at Lake Victoria, a minor earthquake opens up a chasm that connects the lake to a larger subterranean one. The local sheriff (Creator/ElisabethShue) escorts a trio of scientists (Creator/AdamScott, Creator/DinaMeyer, and Ricardo Chavira) to explore the underwater cave, while her chief deputy (Creator/VingRhames) is left to oversee the chaos of Spring Break. However, thousands of prehistoric piranha that have outlived their species' extinction by millions of years are now able to escape to the surface, eating two of the scientists, and then making their way towards the town's very active beach.

''Piranha 3D'' is a remake (InNameOnly, really) [[Film/{{Piranha}} of the Creator/JoeDante 1978 original]], directed by Creator/AlexandreAja.

** When one of the marine divers finds himself surrounded by swarm of piranhas ready to have him for lunch.

* ShoutOut: The first victim is [[Film/{{Jaws}} called Matt and he sings "Show Me The Way To Go Home"]] while out on the lake. He's also played by Creator/RichardDreyfuss.

** [[spoiler: Paula.]] If your diving partner has swum into a dark cavern, shouts that something bit him, his rope goes slack, and all attempts at further vocal contact are met with horrific screaming, it's probably in your best interest NOT to go swimming in after him.

** When Sheriff Forester finds out that Jake and his little brother and sister are on a sinking boat under a swarm of piranhas. See VertigoEffect below.

* TemptingFate: At the end when the main characters find out that [[spoiler: the piranha they've been seeing throughout the movie are the ''babies'', Novak is the first to ask where are the parents and gets his answer immediately]].

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: An annoying example. That scene in the trailers where [[spoiler: a giant piranha leaps out of the water, and snatches a character off the boat?]] ''That's the ending.''

** At one point in the aftermath, you see two girls on a boat holding each other and sobbing, while one of the boys on the boat passes a water bottle to another boat to help care for survivors. What used to be a bunch of douchebag rebellious teens getting massacred quickly turns into a bunch of terrified and traumatized kids trying to pick up the pieces of their foolishness. It's a very sobering switch.

** When Sheriff Forester finds out that Jake and his little brother and sister are on a sinking boat above a swarm of piranhas. See Vertigo Effect below.

** When Sheriff Forester finds out that Jake and his little brother and sister are on a sinking boat above a swarm of piranhas.

* TemptingFate: At the end when the main characters find out that [[spoiler: the piranha we've been seeing throughout the movie are only the ''babies'', Novak is the first to ask where are the parents and gets his answer immediately]].

* VertigoEffect: After saving mulitple people from piranhas, Julie gets word from her own son that he as well as his younger siblings are trapped on a boat that is sinking into piranha-infested waters. The fear hitting her is puncuated with a camera zoom. This shot is one of the many references to Jaws, albiet a more subtle one.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Cameraman Andrew vanishes without trace three quarters of the way through the movie. It can be safely assumed he was eaten by piranha but it's weird we never see his fate considering all the other victims on the same boat get very graphic and obvious deaths.
** Andrew's fate is actually discovered in the sequel. He's revealed to be alive and currently undergoing therapy along with Deputy Fallon. (Fallon is afraid of the water, Andrew is afraid of fish.)