'Sharknado: The 4th Awakens' Recapped in 19 GIFs
Long, long ago — specifically 2013 — in a television landscape that feels very far away (after all, three years is an eternity in TV time) Syfy programmed a schlocky disaster movie called Sharknado as one of its goofy summertime creature features. What happened next surprised everyone, including the network. Thanks to its self-aware sense of humor, the game performance of square-jawed hero, Ian Ziering, and the completely off-the-wall premise (a tornado filled with sharks!) this one-off cheesefest launched Syfy’s answer to the Star Wars franchise.
So it’s only appropriate that the title of the fourth installment in the series riffs on the continuing adventures of Luke, Leia, Rey, and Kylo Ren. And Sharknado: The 4th Awakens does litter some smaller shout-outs to The Force Awakens amidst all the shark-inflicted mayhem in the form of lightsaber arms and three-pronged chainsaws modeled after Kylo’s preferred style of weapon. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sharknado’s craziness. In case you didn’t watch the movie live, here’s our recap of The 4th Awakens in 19 GIFs.
Related: Watch Ian Ziering Take Our ‘Sharknado’ Celebrity Cameo Quiz
Five years have passed since the comic (and tragic) events of Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! and during that time, sharknados have become a thing of the past, thanks to tornado-combating machinery developed by the tech company Astro-X and its Elon Musk-esque visionary leader, Aston Reynolds (Tommy Davidson). Meanwhile, over at tranquil April Acres, shark warrior Fin Shepard (Ziering) is trying to move on from the death of his wife, April (Tara Reid), for the benefit of their young son, Gil (played by twins Christopher and Nicholas Shone). At least lil’ Gil’s taking his mom’s absence in stride. Here he is sketching a family portrait and giving April a place of honor.
To shake himself out of his post-April funk, Fin allows his cousin Gemini (Masiela Lusha) to escort him to Las Vegas for Astro-X’s lavish party at the new themed hotel, Shark World… which, one imagines, shares special tourist discount packages — not to mention safety evacuation procedures — with Jurassic World. They’re driven through Sin City’s neon-soaked streets by Carrot Top, who apparently picks up extra scratch between comedy gigs as an Uber driver.
And because it’s Vegas, you can’t go anywhere without a Wayne Newton sighting. Bonus points for putting a lounge lizard spin on the Sharknado theme song.
While Fin is hobnobbing with Aston and the Astro-X bigwigs, his eldest son, Matt (Cody Linley) is getting hitched to girlfriend Gabby (Imani Hakim) in the skies above Vegas. And when you’re marrying the love of your life, it only makes sense to have a love expert like Dr. Drew pronouncing you man and wife.
We know, we know. Ten minutes in, and all you’re asking yourself is… where are the danged sharks! Well, it turns out that while Astro-X’s patented Asto-Pod pulse tech might be able to handle tornados, it’s useless against sandstorms. So the devastating desert wind sweeps through Vegas and frees the hungry sharks kept inside Shark World’s giant tanks. And these fish waste little time turning the hotel into a feeding ground. Fin and Gemini immediately leap into action, as does a team of Chippendale dancers, who show off some unique shark-fighting moves.
Related: ‘Sharknado’: How a Man Named Thunder Spawned Syfy’s Flying-Shark Phenomenon
Arr, mateys! The tidal wave of sharks unmoors a pirate ship that Fin and his crew clamber aboard, and proceed to swashbuckle like Blackbeard used to do back in the day.
Las Vegas’s shark-inflicted wounds are deep, but not fatal. With the city temporarily quiet, Fin hops a train home to Kansas. But then it runs smack into a swirling “boulder-nado” of sharks. And you know what that means. Sharks on a train! (So much cooler than snakes on a plane.) Watch as poor Jillian Barberie learns the dangers of booking a window seat.
You didn’t think April was really dead, did you? If you did, then you must have had your mind blown by her “surprise” re-appearance, this time as a fully-mechanized cyber shark warrior, complete with detachable hand that can become either a chainsaw or a lightsaber. This is the droid April you’re looking for.
Speaking of chainsaws, Fin finds a mobile version of his favorite weapon at a service station run by Dog the Bounty Hunter and the most recent Leatherface, Dan Yeager. That’s the perfect way to strike back at an oncoming “oil-nado.” (You’re keeping track of all these different ‘nados, right? Hang on — there’s more to come.)
If there’s a running theme to The 4th Awakens, it’s seeing beloved national monuments like the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon ripped to smithereens by man-made or shark-made weaponry. Well, even America’s lesser-known landmarks aren’t spared in the chaos. Take Cawker City, Kansas’s internationally renowned Biggest Ball of Twine, a 20,000 pound behemoth that gets knocked free of its moorings and goes rolling down the street, Raiders of the Lost Ark style while Fin speeds away behind the wheel of Christine… the car made famous by Stephen King. Poor Paul Shaffer isn’t so lucky, though! David Letterman’s former bandleader can’t avoid becoming roadkill. At least his surviving family will get letters from fans. Stacks and stacks of letters.
Remember that list of ‘nados we told you to keep? Well, it’s time to add “cow-nado” to the lineup. Take that, Twister!
The 4th Force is strong with Fin, now that he’s got his Kylo Ren-inspired chainsaw sword handy. Unfortunately, he’s too late to save Gabby, who dies so that lil’ Gil can live. Try not to hold that against your brother, Matt!
Houston, we have a problem: We have officially reached “nuclear-nado” status. And we’re going to need all our former Baywatch lifeguards to help out. Well, maybe just Alexandra Paul and Gena Lee Nolan. The duo watch in horror as their former boss, the Hoff, is gobbled up, and then spring away, only to be felled by a pair of irradiated sharks. Maybe they would have escaped if they hadn’t been running in slow-motion.
We always knew that Fin and April were superheroes. Now they’ve got the nuclear-nado combating outfits to prove it.
Allow Fin to demonstrate his suit’s shark slicing-and-dicing powers.
With the “nuclear-nado” downgraded to ordinary “sharknado” status, the Astro-X Astro Pods are able to do their job again. But sharks still gotta eat, as does other marine life. Here’s how the underwater food chain works in one handy GIF:
With most of his family eaten, lil’ Gil has to step up and prove himself a Shepard. Which he does by… carving into the bellies of multiple sharks? Some families have weird traditions.
You haven’t lived until you’ve seen two sharks used as defibrillators!
Sharknado 3 ended with a near-death. The 4th Awakens picks an unexpected return for its cliffhanger finale. Shark warrior Nova is back, and she seems to have brought the Eiffel Tower with her. Does this mean that Sharknado 5 is going to be called Sharkré Bleu?
Watch the highlight reel:
