Thrills and Kills: “Sharknado’s” 10 Year Anniversary

Jannette Emmerick

Cult classic “Sharknado” celebrated its 10 year anniversary with screenings in select theaters all over the country Aug. 15 and 16. The screening included a remastered anniversary edition advertised with never-before-seen thrills and kills. 

Originally released in July 2013, the film depicts— as the title suggests— a tornado with sharks. The film was originally released on TV, written by Thunder Levin, directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, and produced by major companies Syfy Films and The Asylum. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie earned $200,000 in the box office when given a single theatrical midnight showing upon its release.

In actuality, the shark-filled “tornado” is closer to a hurricane and the disaster itself was caused by a waterspout whipping up a frenzy of sharks. Needless to say, Sharknado captures a certain nuance that nods to the film’s comedy and self-awareness.

Aside from the gimmick, “Sharknado” also provides character arcs following a middle aged bar owner named Fin, his young worker named Nova and a few other characters including his wife and two children. Specifically, the movie manages to throw in some drama and personal connection with how Fin navigates and repairs his strained relationship with his daughter, son and separated wife.

Nova also, as the secondary main character, hates sharks and loves Fin. She’s truly the pinnacle of girl boss sentiment with her shotgunning and shark killing mojo. While rewatching, I completely forgot that she ends up with Fin’s son, to give her what she wanted in a way, after Fin rejected her so much for being too young for him. The son and Nova’s dynamic in particular is very silly, but fits the whole tone of the film.

Swept up in a disaster flick, the cast manages to survive, and later destroy the Sharknado with an explosive bomb to save the city.

The movie never takes itself too seriously at any time, even if melodramatic, after 10 years. The dialogue and story are as cheesy and edgy as ever. Which is apparent in the many bloody kill scenes where the humans and sharks alike are violently decimated by each other or the elements.

Plot aside, does the film still hold up 10 years later? Absolutely. As a cult classic, this film checks every box in the genre of corny shark movies like “Sharktopus” and the like. The CGI itself was low quality in its initial release, and now, it’s abysmal, but even this adds to the charm and nostalgia of the infamously memed movie.

From convenient plot devices to serendipitously surviving a shark-infested disaster, this film is all about absurdity. It’s been 10 years, and is still a great recommendation to those who enjoy corny movies, especially those wanting to watch a silly movie with friends.