The Last Sharknado airs August 19th on Syfy.
By John Baker
Fin, April and a host of colorful characters are back for one more go in the Sharknado realm – this time with a time travel theme and plenty of blood, body parts and eye-rolling moments to satisfy everyone.
That’s what we’ve come to expect from the first five iterations of the Sharknado franchise. Offering number six arrives on Syfy come Sunday, and this time, it’s historical.
“Sharknado 6: The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time,” does more than its fair share of delivering nods to all sorts of pop culture references, as well as too many cameos to mention, and the fun little twist that is a time-traveling battle with the continuing menace of Sharknados.
It turns out, the devastation of shark-infested twisters has been with us since prehistoric times and when Fin uses time travel (thanks to son Gil) to try and stop the first Sharknado (and thereby preventing them all), he meets some old friends and the love in his life, April, in the mix. Twist! They didn’t all die but were rescued by Gil’s time travel acumen just in the nick of time. Together again, the crew battles Sharknados, and a fun assortment of allies and enemies, on their way through time in search of an elusive Gil.
One of the joyous things about the Sharknado series is that it not only requires us to suspend our disbelief and the boundaries of movie-making reality, but it entertains us while not taking itself all too seriously. We get to be in on the fun, and it’s our amusement at the goings on that have helped push the Sharknado franchise to its current glorious heights.
Let’s face it: there’s no middle ground in the Sharknado realm. You either hate it, or you just can’t believe how fortunate you are to be in a world that features Sharknado.
Once again Tara Reid and Ian Zeiring do their level best to fight the good fight and try to eliminate the threat of Sharknados from ever threatening the world again. Cassandra Scerbo shows up again as Nova Clarke and Vivica A. Fox (Skye) meets up with the gang in the Wild West.
As our shark battlers move from prehistoric battles to the Revolutionary War, to a showdown with Billy the Kid, a 1960’s beach party on into the 1990s and far, far beyond, the goal is the same – track down Gil and push back the Sharknado threat.
You want distant relatives? You got them. You want an army of mechanical Aprils? You bet. How about Dee Snider as a sheriff? Check. Gilbert Godfrey sighting? Sure. Each time zone the group rumbles through presents its own set of challenges, as well as special cameos by – well, you’ll have to keep a sharp eye out.
In the end, though, having a little faith in April (or is it robot April?) and Fin’s love for each other, as well as dedication to fighting the menace that is Sharknado, will ultimately pay off. After all, as much as Sharknado 6 is about slicing, dicing and blowing up the finned nemesis from the seas, Sharknado is also a love story.
No, seriously, it is. Don’t be like that.
Whether there will be another Sharknado movie is a question that keeps popping up on social media, and the truth is, there is no answer. Ziering’s final scene, with life, liberty and the pursuit of shark-free lives secured, offered up a beautiful little speech that would seem to spell the end of the series – or not. Time will tell.
Until then, fans of the series have another treat in store come Aug. 19. Fin, April and their friends will get to do what they do best – destroy Sharknados in its tracks.
I give Sharknado 6 a C+.
TV and City 