Probably one of the most ridiculously fun movies to film in Las Vegas, NV is Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens, a 2016 sci-fi “disaster comedy” made for TV and commissioned by the SyFy Channel.
It is the fourth installment in the Sharknado film series, following Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. The film was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante with Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, David Hasselhoff and Ryan Newman reprising their roles from the previous installments.
Though the film title, poster, and intro are a parody of the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it is not a mockbuster. By all accounts, it IS a B movie, but that’s the whole point of it. The studio behind the film, The Asylum, is in the business of creating low budget, direct-to-TV films; however, their films make millions of dollars.
Despite being a low budget, cheap laughs kind of franchise, the Sharknado series has a huge cult following with many people having viewing parties to celebrate the premiere of each new film.
The success of the franchise has not gone unnoticed and has a lot of big Hollywood names clamoring for a cameo role in the films. New people joining the cast for Sharknado 4 include Tommy Davidson, Masiela Lusha, Imani Hakim, Cheryl Tiegs, and Gary Busey.
Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens picks up with Fin (Ian Ziering), his family, and the cosmos being blissfully sharknado-free in the five years since the most recent attack, but now, sharks and tornadoes are being whipped up again, this time starting in Las Vegas.
Many scenes were actually filmed at Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower, which was also where the official film premiere was hosted.
In the film, tech mogul Aston Reynolds (Tommy Davidson) had built and was opening a shark-themed hotel in Las Vegas featuring a giant tank of sharks. After a sandstorm tornado developed, the tornado absorbed the water and sharks from Reynolds’ hotel, creating the first sharknado in five years.
Movie Trivia: When Fin and Gemini (Masiela Lusha) arrive in Las Vegas, they see a Chippendale’s dancer who asks Fin if he’d like to be a guest host at the club. This is a nod to Ziering’s real-life guest stint at Chippendale’s in Las Vegas.
The streets of Las Vegas flood, but Fin, Gemini, Gabrielle (Imani Hakim), and Matt (Cody Linley) work together to survive the storm until it heads back out into the desert. The sharknado does make its way east, but not before destroying the Hoover Dam along the way.
The film continues with the group in a comedic battle with the sharknado all the way across the country in an effort to stop the sharknado. You can watch the full trailer below.
Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens | Official Trailer
“Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens Official Trailer 1 (2016) – Tara Reid Movie” by Movieclips Trailers
Bonus Movie Trivia: When the group is on the pirate ship in Las Vegas, Fin calls out to one of the guys and says, “Hey, bud, do you know how to raise the sail?” The man to whom he says this to is David Faustino, the actor who played “Bud” on Married with Children (1987). Visit IMDB for more movie trivia!
While it won’t be winning any Oscars, the film is a lighthearted good time. If you enjoy parody comedies, then the Sharknado series is definitely worth checking out.