Sharknado (2013)
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A massive waterspout lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them into the city of Los Angeles.
The story
Off the coast of Mexico, a ship of shark fin smugglers is caught in a hurricane, where a tornado throws shoals of sharks onto the boat, killing everyone aboard. The hurricane soon hits Los Angeles, flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. Bar owner and professional surfer Fin sets out with his friends to rescue his estranged wife, April, and their teenage daughter, Claudia, after their bar and boardwalk are destroyed. While traveling to April's home, the group must navigate flooded streets and save people from shark attacks as they learn of an incoming tornado warning.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Off the coast of Mexico, a ship of shark fin smugglers is caught in a hurricane. A firefight between the smuggler Captain Carlos Santiago and a buyer ends when a tornado throws shoals of sharks onto the boat, killing everyone. The hurricane hits Los Angeles, flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. Fin, a bar owner and surfer, travels with friends Baz, Nova, and George to rescue his estranged wife April and daughter Claudia. They save people and a dog on a freeway before George is killed by a shark. They reach April's house, where April's boyfriend Collin is eaten by sharks before the group escapes the collapsing building. They later rescue children from a school bus trapped in floodwaters, but the bus driver is killed. While fleeing, a shark rips the roof off their car, which then explodes. They meet Fin and April's son Matt, a helicopter pilot. Three tornadoes develop into 'sharknados.' Matt and Nova attempt to destroy them with bombs from a helicopter, but only two are destroyed. Nova falls into a shark's mouth and is lost, and Baz is also lost in the storm. Finally, Fin destroys the last sharknado with a bomb attached to his car. As sharks plummet, Fin jumps into the mouth of a falling shark with a chainsaw, cutting his way out with an unconscious Nova. Fin and April reunite.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 85
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Anthony C. Ferrante
- Writers
- Thunder Levin · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tara Reid · April Wexler; Ian Ziering · Fin "Finley" Shepard; John Heard · George; Cassie Scerbo · Nova Clarke; Jaason Simmons · Baz Hogan; Aubrey Peeples · Claudia; Chuck Hittinger · Matt; Christopher Wolfe · Collin
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy; disaster
- Themes
- survival; disaster; family reunion
- Tone and mood
- over-the-top; silly; humorous
- Premise and plot tags
- shark attack; tornado; disaster movie; sci-fi comedy
- Franchise connections
- Sharknado
- Reception
- The film quickly earned a cult following due to its over-the-top premise and theatrics. It was a trend on Twitter and set a record for the most watched original film encore in Syfy history.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · review count: 22
- Production trivia
- The film's tagline is 'Enough said!'; Robbie Rist composed the theme music and was given a small role in the film.; The National Weather Service jokingly recommended staying in an interior part of the lowest floor of a sturdy building in case of a sharknado.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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