SHARKNADO (2013)
Sharknado (2013) is a made-for-TV disaster flick directed by Anthony C. Ferrante for Syfy and The Asylum, revels in its absurd premise: a freak hurricane floods Los Angeles with shark-infested waters, spawning tornadoes that hurl the predators through the air. Ian Ziering stars as Fin Shepard, a washed-up surfer and bar owner on Santa Monica Pier, who springs into action when the storm hits. With his ex-wife April (Tara Reid), their daughter Claudia (Aubrey Peeples), and son Matt (Chuck Hittinger), Fin battles the chaos alongside his loyal bartender Nova (Cassie Scerbo) and drunk pal Baz (Jaason Simmons).
As the “sharknadoes” escalate—sharks crash through windows, flood homes, and chomp bystanders—Fin’s crew arms up with chainsaws and shotguns, racing to save his family. Matt, a pilot, and Nova devise a plan to drop bombs into the twisters from a helicopter, aiming to disrupt the storms, while Fin rescues April and Claudia from her swamped house via daring rooftop leaps. The carnage peaks with sharks raining on Hollywood landmarks, forcing the team into absurd heroics—like Fin diving into a shark’s maw with a chainsaw to free a swallowed Nova, emerging blood-soaked but triumphant.
Shot in 18 days on a $2 million budget, Sharknado leans into its low-rent CGI—rubbery sharks defy physics—and hammy acting, with Reid’s dazed delivery and Ziering’s earnest grit fueling its charm. Social media buzz, sparked by its July 11 premiere, turned it into a viral sensation, birthing five sequels. Critics panned its logic (Rotten Tomatoes: 78% for fun, not quality), but its self-aware lunacy—think Home Depot product placement and a school bus rescue—made it a cult hit. Sharknado is gleeful trash, a love letter to B-movie excess that dares you not to laugh.
