Piranha

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Piranha

R

Released Jul 3, 1978

1h 32m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Two people (Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies) unwittingly free a mad military scientist's (Kevin McCarthy) mutant fish near a summer camp and resort lake.

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Critics Consensus

Performed with a wink and directed with wry self-awareness, Piranha is an unabashed B-movie with satirical bite.

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Of all the late '70s-early '80s Jaws knockoffs, none balanced tongue-in-cheek humor with out-and-out gore as deftly as Joe Dante's Piranha.

Rated: B+

Jan 10, 2006

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Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Ultimately Dante is the star and his personality seeps from ever pore of the movie. From his snarky jabs at the military and political apparatuses to silly flourishes that seem to come from out of the blue, Dante’s fingerprints are everywhere.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 17, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Dante’s talented, sure hands assemble a fun little horror-thriller that deserves to be seen as more than just a post-Spielberg rehash, but a winking and skilled thriller in the summer escapism style.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 9, 2023

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Stephanie Archer

Film Inquiry

While Piranha may not be the best horror film, even boarder lining ridiculous at times, it is undeniably entertaining.

Jul 30, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Even Jaws director Steven Spielberg counts himself among the film's fans.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 26, 2021

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r96 s

'Piranha' is short on laughs for a "comedy horror", though I did still enjoy this film. The elements to do with the titular fish are pretty strong, they are portrayed in the right way so the humans do feel in suitable danger. The piranhas aren't shown much, which is smart. Obviously it is inspired by 1975's 'Jaws' and does fall fairly far adrift of that classic, though that is to be expected and I'd still log it as a respectable attempt at following the mould set by that Steven Spielberg movie. It's nicely paced too, the ending felt like it came quickly. Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies make for a pairing that I liked following, the rest of the cast are all on the same level - noteworthy to see Keenan Wynn and Dick Miller involved. It's not really a film about the cast though, let's be honest. Come for the piranha, stay for the piranha.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

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Farah R

The level of quality that went into filmmaking in the past is lamentable when watching movies today. Piranha, a parody of Jaws, has better writing, acting, and special effects than some big-budget movies. If you don't take it too seriously, it's plenty fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

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Tyler B

Calmly surfing off of the tail swim of Jaws.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

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nick s

I didn't expect much of this movie given that it was cashing in on Jaws. It did lack the buildup and payoff of the blockbuster and the action wasn't paced well. But what really took me aback was the quality of the acting. Until the appearance of Dr Menders at the half way mark it was very convincing. Far above a B movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/03/24

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Dallas H

I enjoy watching Joe Dante's creature features even if they feel like a Jaws movie riff. And what is the deal with pronouncing the word "piranha" in this movie? The characters enunciate the word with a hard Y instead of a silent H.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/17/24

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Christian K

Funny and harmless enough, appreciated the simple setup and premise and the bad acting. The actual piranha scenes are done surprisingly well.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

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Joe Dante

Director

Bradford Dillman

Paul Grogan

Heather Menzies-Urich

Maggie McKeown

Kevin McCarthy

Dr. Robert Hoak

Keenan Wynn

Jack

Dick Miller

Buck Gardner

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33%

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Synopsis

Two people (Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies) unwittingly free a mad military scientist's (Kevin McCarthy) mutant fish near a summer camp and resort lake.

Director: Joe Dante
Producer: Jon Davison
Screenwriter: John Sayles
Distributor: New World Pictures
Production Co: New World Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 3, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 3, 2018
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Mono

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