Sharknado 2: The Second One

Sharknado 2 is a rousing upgrade from middling shlock to high-quality schlock. [25 Jul/1 Aug 2014, p.108]

The dialogue is intentinonally bad. The CGI work is intentionally cheap. The plot is intentionally ludicrous. The shock tactics are intentionally schlocky. And all this bad adds up to one monstrously good time, particularly if experienced with a rowdy and ready group of friends.

Like a lot of junk food, Sharknado might taste good while you’re eating it--but even with Cheetos you have to know when to take your hand out of the bowl.

Sharknado 2 doesn’t need any jokes about jumping the shark. It knows you’re going to make one and it beats you to it, literally.

The good news is that The Second One often is worse (in a good way) and does boast at least one viral YouTube clip, starring the head of the Statue of Liberty. (Poor Lady Liberty.) But The Second One is also more predictable, silly and self-conscious of the legacy.... For "Sharknado" fans: B- For viewers with highly refined tastes--or any taste--and sharks: F+

Aside from a few clever moments (like an homage to “The Twilight Zone’s” “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” episode; or the challenge of finding appropriate weapons, thanks to New York’s gun--and hardware--laws), the creatives haven’t managed to bridge the gap between blood-spurting exploitation and winking genre parody.

Sharknado 2--a slightly better, more watchable movie than its predecessor. But let’s be clear here. As a movie, the original "Sharknado" made some PowerPoint presentations seem exciting.