The actual attack sequences are fairly convincing, using rapid cuts, panicked thrashing, inserts of toothy fish picking at flesh, lots of blood, and frenzied sound effects.

Even Jaws director Steven Spielberg counts himself among the film's fans.

Fans of the recent retreads should check this out to cover their grounds.

Essentially, Piranha is the best example of how to do a B-movie knockoff.

Extremely gory Jaws rip-off is too much for kids.

[T]hat rarest of rarities: a rip-off that surpasses its inspiration.

It's played more for laughs and digs at America's war policy than for scares.

As the boozy mountain man trying to stop the military-grade fish, Bradford Dillman acts as if he'd swallowed Charlton Heston and is now constipated.

Dante's tongue-in-cheek, teeth-in-thigh debut hasn't lost its bite; it spawns new meaning with each new eco-disaster. It plays very well as a cautionary tale about the dangers of invasive alien species... And don't those fish spread like an oil spill?

... an energetic and inventive tongue-in-cheek thriller.

If you're looking for a senseless good time that goes a long way in terms of keeping you entertained, then this Piranha package may just be everything you've been hoping to sink your teeth into.

Dante and Sayles have a great deal of fun with the fact that their story of government created killer fish is completely ridiculous.

Effective and enjoyable on all counts, with plenty of campy laughs and in-jokes.

Of all the late '70s-early '80s Jaws knockoffs, none balanced tongue-in-cheek humor with out-and-out gore as deftly as Joe Dante's Piranha.

A great piece of B moviemaking. An absolute blast that's wickedly funny while still generating nail-biting suspense.

J em seu filme de estria, Dante exibia um senso de humor atpico - que, infelizmente, no envelheceu bem neste caso.

A fast-paced and nifty little thriller with some nice black-humored touches thrown in.

With more laughs than frights, it's tough not to have at least a little fun in all of its natural badness.