‘Sharknado': A TV Movie Phenomenon (Video)

'What's a sharknado?', Erin asked seemingly out of the blue. 'It's in the top five in Google searches this morning.'

'Not 'a sharknado', I answered, 'Just 'Sharknado'. It's a movie this week on Syfy channel and the reviews are terrible.'

'Maybe,' she answered. 'But it's blowing up on Facebook and Twitter!'

Yep. 'Sharknado' a made for TV flick that debuted recently on Syfy has become a social media, even a ratings phenomenon.

The plot? Well, imagine a hurricane so strong that all the sharks in the ocean move into a single, shallow water bay trying to escape. Strong, circular winds over the water form a powerful funnel, sucking the sharks skyward into a, yes, tornado made up of sharks. Hundreds, no, thousands of the razor toothed creatures spinning at 200 miles per hour wreaking destruction over coastal America!

'Sharknado' stars Ian Ziering, Tara Reid and John Heard as the featured shark fighters and, not to give away too much, but ends in a showdown scene with Ziering, a chainsaw and the biggest, deadliest shark.

So, if you plan to take a look at 'Sharknado' in one of its many Syfy repeats, remember the words of famed critic Roger Ebert: 'A work of art must be approached critically on its own terms'. In other words, don't expect it to live up to the cinematic standards of 'Saving Private Ryan' or even 'Jaws'. Just decide whether or not it lives up to the standards of a movie that dares to call itself, 'Sharknado'.