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Sharknado (film series)

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Sharknado
Directed byAnthony C. Ferrante
Written byThunder Levin
Produced byDavid Michael Latt
Starring
Music by
  • Christopher Cano
  • Chris Ridenhour
Production
companies
Distributed bySyfy
Release dates
  • 1: July 11, 2013 (2013-07-11)
  • 2: July 30, 2014 (2014-07-30)
  • 3: July 22, 2015 (2015-07-22)
  • 4: July 31, 2016 (2016-07-31)
  • 5: August 6, 2017 (2017-08-06)
  • 6: August 19, 2018 (2018-08-19)
Running time
540 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Sharknado is a series of six American made-for-television science fiction action comedy horror disaster films released by Syfy between 2013 and 2018. It has since been expanded into video games and comics, including a spin-off film, Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness, that was released in 2015. The first two films received mixed to positive reviews from critics, while the others received negative reviews.

The series stars Ian Ziering as Fin Shepard and Tara Reid as April Wexler - a husband and wife who encounter "sharknadoes", tornadoes filled with sharks, wherever they go.

Films

Sharknado (2013)

Main article: Sharknado

A freak cyclone hits Los Angeles causing man-eating sharks to be scooped up in water spouts and flood the city with shark-infested seawater. Bar-owner and surfer Fin (Ian Ziering) sets out with his friends to rescue his estranged wife, April (Tara Reid), and their teenage daughter, Claudia, before the "sharknado" reaches them.[1]

Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014)

Main article: Sharknado 2: The Second One

While Fin and April are in New York City to promote April's book, How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters, about the Los Angeles sharknado, the city is hit by a severe storm causing new "sharknadoes" to emerge.

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

Main article: Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

Following the events of the previous film, Fin and April have remarried and are expecting another child. For his heroics in the "sharknado" battles in Los Angeles and New York, Fin is in Washington, D.C., to receive an award from the president. However, when he is there he encounters a new "sharknado" which begins to make its way down the "Feast Coast" to Florida.[2]

Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016)

Main article: Sharknado: The 4th Awakens

Sharknado 4 was confirmed to follow upon Sharknado 3's premiere.[3] Sharknado 3 concludes with a cliffhanger regarding whether or not April is killed by falling wreckage. An ad after the film promotes a Twitter campaign offering fans the chance to decide her fate with the hashtags "#AprilLives" or "#AprilDies", with the results revealed at the start of Sharknado 4, which first aired on Syfy on July 31, 2016.[4] Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Ryan Newman, and David Hasselhoff reprise their roles from previous films. New cast members include: Tommy Davidson as Aston Reynolds, playboy tech billionaire and Astro-X president; Cody Linley replacing Chuck Hittinger as Matt Shepard; Imani Hakim as Gabrielle, a soldier and Matt's wife; Gary Busey as Wilford Wexler, April's rich father; Cheryl Tiegs as Raye Shepard, Fin's mother; Masiela Lusha as Gemini, Fin's cousin.[5]

The title and poster of the film is a homage to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[6]

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017)

Main article: Sharknado 5: Global Swarming

A fifth Sharknado film was confirmed in October 2016, and was released on August 6, 2017.[7] The title was going to be Sharknado 5... Earth 0,[8] but on June 1, 2017, the title was unveiled to be Sharknado 5: Global Swarming with the tagline "Make America Bait Again", a reference to the slogan "Make America Great Again" by President Donald Trump.[9] Ian Ziering and Tara Reid reprised their roles as Fin Shepard and April Wexler.[10] Cassie Scerbo also reprised for this installment.[11] Filming occurred in more than 5 countries, including the UK, Australia and Bulgaria.[12] This storyline depicts Fin and his allies accidentally unleashing a new wave of sharknados when they deactivate an ancient device that was actually keeping the Sharknados in check, the subsequent storms escalating to the point that they devastate the planet, leaving only Fin alive, until he is met by a time-displaced version of his son Gil.

The Last Sharknado: It's About Time (2018)

Main article: The Last Sharknado: It's About Time

The Last Sharknado: It's About Time was released on August 19, 2018.[13] Tara Reid, Ian Ziering and Cassie Scerbo returned. A write-up in Bloody Disgusting in February 2018 said: "In his quest, Fin fights Nazis, dinosaurs, knights, and even takes a ride on Noah's Ark."[14] On March 28, 2018, Syfy confirmed the film would be the final installment of the series.[15] On May 25, the film's title was revealed by a released teaser trailer.[16] Vivica A. Fox, who had starred in Sharknado 2, reprises her role for the final installment.[17] With Fin the last survivor, he finds himself travelling through time to meet supposedly-deceased allies (pulled out of time by Gil at the moment before their deaths) seeking to identify and prevent the first of the modern-day Sharknados. After subduing potential Sharknados in Camelot, the War of Independence, and the Wild West, Fin is able to destroy the original Sharknado before it could escalate into the global catastrophes he has witnessed, creating a new timeline where Fin is still just the bar owner he was in the original film, surrounded by his extended family.

Spin-off films

Lavalantula (2015)

Main article: Lavalantula

Lavalantula is a spin-off of Sharknado, about fire spitting tarantulas causing havoc over Los Angeles, starring some of the cast from Police Academy. It features an appearance by Ian Ziering as Fin Shepard - tying the film into the Sharknado universe.[18]

2 Lava 2 Lantula (2016)

A sequel to Lavalantula called 2 Lava 2 Lantula premiered on Syfy on August 6, 2016. Some of the cast from the original film returned, including Steve Guttenberg, Marion Ramsey and Michael Winslow.[19]

Cast and crew

Cast

List indicator(s)
  • This table only includes characters which have appeared in more than one film in the series.
  • A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
  • A A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio
Characters Sharknado Sharknado 2:
The Second One 		Sharknado 3:
Oh Hell No! 		Sharknado:
The 4th Awakens 		Sharknado 5:
Global Swarming 		The Last Sharknado:
It's About Time
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Fin Shepard Ian Ziering
April Wexler Tara Reid
Claudia Shepard Aubrey Peeples   Ryan Newman   Ryan Newman
Nova Clarke Cassie Scerbo   Cassie Scerbo Cassie Scerbo
Matt Shepard Chuck Hittinger   Cody Linley Chuck Hittinger
George John Heard   John HeardA
Martin Brody   Mark McGrath   Mark McGrath
Skye   Vivica A. Fox   Vivica A. Fox
Gil Shepard   David Hasselhoff  
Gemini   Masiela Lusha
Gil Shepard Jr.   Christopher Shone and Nicholas Shone Billy Barratt
Dolph Lundgren (as Mature Gil) 		Brendan Petrizzo (as Hologram Gil)
M. Steven Felty (as Voice of Hologram Gil)
Matie Moncea (as Gil on Dinosaur)
Tiberiu Hansen (as Medieval Gil)
Chris Owen (as 30 year old Gil)
Bob Ellis (as Surfer Gil)

Crew

Occupation Sharknado Sharknado 2:
The Second One 		Sharknado 3:
Oh Hell No! 		Sharknado:
The 4th Awakens 		Sharknado 5:
Global Swarming 		The Last Sharknado:
It's About Time
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Director Anthony C. Ferrante
Producer David Michael Latt
Writer Thunder Levin Thunder Levin
Scotty Mullen
Editor William Boodell Ana Florit
Vashi Nedomansky 		Christopher Roth Ana Florit Ana Florit
Ryan Mitchelle 		Ryan Mitchelle
Cinematography Ben Demaree Ben Demaree
Laura Beth Love
Scott Wheeler 		Laura Beth Love Ryan Broomberg Pătru Păunescu
Composer Ramin Kousha Christopher Cano
Chris Ridenhour
Production
Company 		Syfy Films
The Asylum
Distributor Syfy

Reception

For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section on each film's article.

Box office performance

Film Release date U.S. viewers
(millions) 		18–49 rating Budget Ref(s)
Sharknado July 11, 2013 (2013-07-11) 1.37 — $2 million [20]
Sharknado 2: The Second One July 30, 2014 (2014-07-30) 3.87 1.6 $1.5–2 million [21][22]
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! July 22, 2015 (2015-07-22) 2.81 0.9 $2.4 million [23]
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens July 31, 2016 (2016-07-31) 2.77 0.8 $3 million [24]
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming August 6, 2017 (2017-08-06) 1.89 0.6 $5 million [25][26]
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time August 19, 2018 (2018-08-19) 1.42 0.3 $3 million [27]

Critical and public response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Sharknado 78% (18 reviews)[28] — (3 reviews)[29]
Sharknado 2: The Second One 61% (31 reviews)[30] 50 (17 reviews)[31]
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! 36% (33 reviews)[32] 53 (19 reviews)[33]
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens 14% (14 reviews)[34] 35 (7 reviews)[35]
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming 30% (10 reviews)[36] —
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time 27% (11 reviews)[37] 22 (5 reviews)[38]

Other media

Video game

Sharknado: The Video Game

Main article: Sharknado: The Video Game

Sharknado: The Video Game is a 2014 endless running video game developed by Other Ocean Interactive and published by Majesco Entertainment. It was based on Sharknado 2: The Second One and was released for iOS on July 25, 2014.[39] It was deleted from the App Store in 2017.[citation needed]

Book

How to Survive a Sharknado

How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters: Fight Back When Monsters and Mother Nature Attack is a book by Andrew Shaffer, a real-life version of the book-within-the-movie Sharknado 2: The Second One.[citation needed]

Comic books

Archie vs. Sharknado

Archie vs. Sharknado is a one-shot comic book simultaneously published by Archie Comics on July 22, 2015, as a tie-in to Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. It deals with Riverdale being hit by a storm of sharknadoes and Archie and the gang having to deal with them as they make their way down the "Feast Coast". The one-shot was written by series director Anthony C. Ferrante, with art by longtime Archie artist Dan Parent.[40] The comic book received an average score of 7.2/10 based on 15 critical reviews according to review aggregator Comic Book Roundup.[41]

Documentaries

Sharknado: Feeding Frenzy (2015)

Sharknado: Feeding Frenzy is a documentary about the making of the film series.[42][43]

Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness (2015)

The mockumentary tells the story of David Moore, the filmmaker who first dreamed of "sharks in a tornado" and brought on disaster by using real sharks. It was written and directed by Jeremy Wagener, and released on October 6, 2015, on video on demand.[44]

The Real Sharknado (2021)

During the 2021 Shark Week, Discovery Channel aired a special starring Ian Ziering and Tara Reid as themselves debunking many of the shark myths from the film series. It originally aired on July 14, 2021.[45]

References

  1. ^ Holmes, Linda (July 12, 2012). "'Sharknado' Dares To Ask: Is It Going To Rain Giant Man-Eating Sharks?". NPR. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  2. ^ Molly Freeman (October 10, 2014). "'Sharknado 3' to Take on the 'Feast Coast'". Screen Rant.
  3. ^ "Sharknado 4 confirmed by Syfy as third film premieres". BBC News. July 23, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  4. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (July 22, 2015). "'Sharknado 4' Announced: Director Anthony C. Ferrante Teases Details on Next Sequel". Variety. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  5. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (March 9, 2016). "Sharknado 4 Casts Gary Busey (as Tara Reid's Dad), Cheryl Tiegs, Four Others". tvline.com. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  6. ^ Cooper, Gael (May 4, 2016). "'Sharknado' turns to the shark side with Star Wars-style poster". CNET. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  7. ^ Gilyadov, Alex (April 7, 2017). "Syfy Sets Summer Premiere Dates for Sharknado 5, Dark Matter, Killjoys, Wynonna Earp and More". IGN. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  8. ^ "Sharknado 5 Gets a Title, Artwork, and Plot Synopsis - But Is the Earth Ready? - Dread Central". DreadCentral. October 24, 2016.
  9. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (June 1, 2017). "'Sharknado 5' Gets Topical Title, Adds Cast & Vows To "Make America Bait Again"". Deadline.
  10. ^ Foywonder (October 24, 2016). "Sharknado 5 Gets a Title, Artwork, and Plot Synopsis – But Is the Earth Ready?". Dread Central. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  11. ^ Gelman, Vlada (February 2, 2017). "TVLine Items: Sharknado 5 Is a Go, Fosters Star Joins This Is Us and More". TVLine. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  12. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (February 2, 2017). "'Sharknado 5' Takes Shark-Infested Storms Global". Deadline.
  13. ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 10, 2018). "Syfy Sets Summer Premiere Dates For 'Wynonna Earp', 'Killjoys' & Final 'Sharknado'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  14. ^ Squires, John (February 19, 2018). "'Sharknado 6' Will Be a Time Traveling Adventure; Art, Info and Date!". BloodyDisgusting.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  15. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 28, 2018). "'Sharknado' Franchise To End With Time-Traveling Sixth Installment". Deadline. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  16. ^ Russ Burlingame (May 25, 2018). "'Sharknado 6' Teaser Trailer Drops, Final Title Revealed". Comicbook.com.
  17. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 29, 2018). "'Sharknado' Franchise To End With Time-Traveling Sixth Installment". Deadline. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  18. ^ "Lavalantula". SyFy. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  19. ^ "Watch Ridiculous Trailer For Lavalantula Sequel 2 Lava 2 Lantula!". Ihorror. June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  20. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (July 12, 2013). "Syfy 'Sharknado' Attracts Average Of 1.369 Million Viewers – Mostly Journalists And Celebrities". Deadline. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  21. ^ Claire Suddath. "Sharknado 2: Syfy's Bid for B-Movie Domination - Businessweek". Businessweek.com.
  22. ^ Pennington, Gail (July 31, 2014). "'Sharknado 2' smashes ratings records". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  23. ^ "'Sharknado 3' Ratings Down From Last Year's 'Sharknado 2'". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  24. ^ Porter, Rick (August 2, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Sharknado 4' slips, 'Power' up week to week". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  25. ^ Porter, Rick (August 8, 2017). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Sharknado 5' lacks bite, 'Game of Thrones' hits total-viewer high". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  26. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (August 2, 2017). "Ian Ziering's Sharknado 5 paycheck is almost double what Gal Gadot made for Wonder Woman". Vox. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  27. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 21, 2018). "Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.19.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "Sharknado (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  29. ^ "Sharknado". Metacritic.
  30. ^ "Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  31. ^ "Sharknado 2: The Second One - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  32. ^ "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  33. ^ "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  34. ^ "Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  35. ^ "Sharknado: The 4th Awakens - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  36. ^ "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  37. ^ "The Last Sharknado: It's About Time (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  38. ^ "The Last Sharknado: It's About Time Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  39. ^ "Sharknado: The Video Game Announced". IGN. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  40. ^ "SHARKNADO HITS RIVERDALE THIS JULY IN ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO". archiecomics.com.
  41. ^ "Archie Vs Sharknado #1 Reviews". comicbookroundup.com. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  42. ^ "Sharknado: Feeding Frenzy". Rotten Tomatoes.
  43. ^ "DVD and Blu-ray Releases: July 21, 2015 - Dread Central". DreadCentral. July 21, 2015.
  44. ^ "SHARKNADO: HEART OF SHARKNESS". theasylum.cc. The Asylum. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  45. ^ "Ian Ziering on Working With 'Sharknado' Co-Star Tara Reid for a Real-Life Shark Adventure | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
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