"Piranha" (1978)

When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.

As it's a creature feature, I didn't expect much. What I got was a mixed bag. Some elements were surprisingly brilliant, like the relationship between the daughter and the camp counsellor, and the plan to distract the guard – which, in a sense, was ahead of its time. But there were also moments that were just plain unbearable, like the actual execution of said plan.

Plus, this movie came out in the wake of Jaws and the influence is undeniable, but the movie itself makes it clear that it's aware of this, even throwing in a Jaws arcade game at the beginning.

My rating: 45%

I won't bother reviewing the sequel, by the way, because there's honestly not much to say. The first movie at least has its moments, but the sequel flat-out sucks. The acting is awful, everything looks cheap, and you'd never guess that James Cameron would go on to become one of the greatest directors of all time.