'Sharknado': Syfy's original movie centers on... sharks in a tornado

'Sharknado,' a Syfy original movie, follows a community where the combination of sharks and foul weather mean tornadoes of sharks are flying through the air. 

In the portmanteau-titled Syfy original Sharknado, a freak hurricane slams the West coast, bringing thousands of man-eating sharks to Los Angeles’ beaches with it. The ensuing chaos caused by the never-before-seen environmental disaster is devastating enough, but when high-speed winds form a massive tornado that lifts the sea’s most feared animals into the air, an even deadlier force threatens to destroy the entire city.

This latest slice of Syfy B-movie cheese is directed by Anthony C. Ferrante and surprisingly, stars some recognizable names and faces, including Tara Reid (American Pie), Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills, 90210) and John Heard (Home Alone), along with lesser-known actors Alex Arleo (The Haunting of Whaley House) and Neil H. Berkow (Zombie Apocalypse).

If you’re asking yourself how a “Sharknado” could form in the first place, you’re probably approaching this movie the wrong way. Although it would be fun to listen to the scientific exposition behind this cataclysmic event, we probably won’t get much of it. But with this type of movie, the how and the why doesn’t matter as much as seeing flying flesh-eating beasts descend upon a small band of survivors. Even the poster begs audiences not to ask questions and simply enjoy the B-movie glory with the tagline under the title that reads: Enough said!

In the trailer, we get plenty of laugh-out-loud moments that show us Sharknado could end up being a ton of fun. First, there’s the often-used montage of survivors equipping themselves with weapons and tools and then we even get a glimpse of one character slicing a flying shark in half with a chainsaw. Of course, a shark disaster movie wouldn’t be complete without an homage to Jaws and we get one with the line: We’re gonna need a bigger chopper.

Daniel Johnson blogs at Screen Rant.