Nerds That Geek Movie Review - 'Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens'

Written by Scott 'Sharky' Edwards

I have started to ask myself, what would the world be like without Sharknado? Boring, that’s what! Even though there seems to be a way to keep the Sharknadoes at bay, there are always ways that they can return and there is only one person that knows how to stop them, Fin Shepard. As Fin has become our favorite hero in this genre, he just wants to be a regular guy, but there is no stopping his hatred for these dreaded storms and he knows that nobody deserves to be caught in the middle of the Sharknado. So, without further ado, it is time to discuss the fourth installment of the series Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.

It has been five years since the last Sharknado has been active and the world is a better place for it. Being able to spend time with his family, Fin is one of the happiest guys alive and making the best with his time in Kansas. Heading to Las Vegas for a family function, Fin takes along his cousin Gemini for the ride and sees that she is a small-town girl looking to let loose. Arriving at the hotel, Fin gets a call from his son Matt who is about to skydive into history with his new wife Gabi, but little does the new couple know that there is a storm coming and it will change the world forever.

A dust storm is headed toward Las Vegas and the new weather technology that Astro-X has been able to provide cannot stop it. Tearing through Aston Reynolds’s new hotel/casino Shark World, a new breed of Sharknado has been unleashed. With no way to stop it, Fin is able to save as many people as he can, along with his son and new daughter in law. Knowing that the storm will not be able to be contained, Fin and his family must find a way back to Kansas to be with their youngest Lil Gil. With few options on how to get out of town, the train seems to be the easiest and best way to escape so Gemini, Matt, Gabi and Fin are ready to take the long way home, but the Sharknado will follow them at every step they take. 

Being kept in the dark about what is happening around the world, April is living with her father and has been upgraded to be able to handle anything that is thrown in her path. Not knowing that her family survived the last Sharknado, she is surprised to see Fin on the news and wants answers to why she did not know. Being able to save her father in law and daughter from a sharky fate, all things are becoming clear for April and she is ready to get her family back. Being able to see them again is all that she wants and when Aston is able to make that happen, the Shepard’s are ready to take on their next feat, to destroy the ever-evolving Sharknado that is taking the country by storm.

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Aston Reynolds believes that he has been able to change the world for the better, but when seeing that a Sharknado can appear from a dust storm, he knows that there is still work to do. Watching as the storm that destroyed Vegas has now set its sights on the Hoover Dam, Aston knows that he will have to be the hero and stop the flooding that could kill millions by blowing up the Grand Canyon. With more work to do, Aston tries to talk Fin into being his public face while he battles the new problems of the evolving Sharknadoes, but when Fin declines, Aston will have to take matters into his own hands. With a MECH program already in place, Aston thinks that it will cure all of the problems, but as the Sharknado continues to evolve, he knows that it is not the answer and wants to face the problem head on. While he may not be Fin Shepard, he can still stop the storms with his knowledge and will go down in history as the man that saved the country, at least he thinks so.

It is difficult to find the words to describe this most particular installment of Sharknado, so I will not even try. As most of the movies have been focused on the actual sharks, this one is more about the storm and how it is able to evolve with the elements around it. Evolving from a regular Sharknado into a Bouldernado, into an Oilnado, then a Firenado, a Hailnado, a Cownado, a Lavanado, a Lightningnado and finally a Nukenado, these storms are more than willing to adapt into whatever they need to survive, just as long as there are sharks in it. The destruction of Vegas was epic and nobody was safe in the town, not even in the casinos where they could have been seeking refuge from the storm outside, but were mostly just gambling away. There were however some good shark kills as the Vegas acts used their strengths against them, but my favorite had to be in Kansas when Fin smashes one to bits when hitting it against a tree.
 
With so many additional movie references in this one, it is easy to feel that Star Wars would have been the most quoted, but you actually get more from the classic story of The Wizard of Oz, being in Kansas and all. As always, this is a wonderful ride and while people still love sharks and what they can do when being sucked into a tornado, I am sure that the series will never come to an end, but it would be difficult to outdo the Nukenado with radioactive sharks exploding as they hit everything. Either way, the time has come for the latest Sharknado to grace us with its presence and while I’m a little disappointed Syfy didn’t go with my suggested title; The Sharkening, I’m still going to enjoy Global Swarming to the fullest! Stay Sharky!

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