When it comes to TV movies that go balls-out with action and insanity, no one is flipping TVs over to Lifetime or Hallmark, since it's quite obvious the only real place to go is Syfy for the network's annual Sharknado release. This weekend marks the cameo-filled fifth entry in the popular series, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, and franchise director Anthony C. Ferrante has revealed his personal Top 10 in the disaster film genre. There are some excellent and surprising choices in this list, but try not to be surprised by #1.
10. The Abyss9. Piranha (1978)8. Earthquake7.. The Birds6.. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)5. Twister4. Independence Day3. Airplane!2. Titanic1. Jaws
Is there anyone in the world who could have guessed that Sharknado's grand helmer would choose those specific ten flicks as his favorites? Probably the same people who predicted that the series would turn Tara Reid into a cyborg who could resurrect someone using electrified sharks. But thanks to the good folks at Fandango, we now have a better idea of what Anthony C. Ferrante has been thinking about when bringing all the high-flying mayhem to his Sharknado films. If you're looking for more in-depth commentary about why the director thinks these particular movies are the best, head over to Fandango to get his insights. (In fact, you can even find all four previous Sharknado films on the streaming service FandangoNOW, with the flagship entry available for free all day for Friday, August 4.)
I think we can all understand why Jaws is on here, since it shares a lot in common with Sharknado. (Even if the "disaster" isn't as massive as it is in other choices.) In both films, at least one shark kills people. Both look like they were made for more money than their extremely modest budgets. Both movies had a beach in them. And, finally, both had starring roles from Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider. Wait, I might be off about that last one. In any case, there's a similar understanding in why other animal-attack movies like The Birds and Piranha are on here, as well as Twister.
Beyond Jaws and Twister, I think the choice that makes the most sense here is Airplane!, one of my favorite movies of all time. As Anthony C. Ferrante put it, it's all about how the filmmakers made sure all of the recognizable movie beats and plot points of the genre were worked in so that it succeeded independently as a disaster movie, and then layered the hilarious comedy moments on top of all that. And while many may not find direct comparisons between Ian Ziering and Robert Hays as leading men, no one can say the Sharknado films aren't adhering to the disaster-driven formula.
So remember, head to the Fandango link above to get more from director Anthony C. Ferrante about his list, and then jump over to FandangoNOW to watch Sharknado for free, because Friday. Sharknado 5: Global Swarming will make its globetrotting debut on Syfy on Sunday, August 6, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Check out what happened when the producers asked Donald Trump to be the Sharknado POTUS, and then head to our summer premiere schedule and our fall TV guide to see what else is raining down on the small screen soon.
