Thanks to the alien dead, mosquitoes grow to alarming sizes, with an insatiable blood-thirst that puts any human being in their path in danger. A park is threatened as the swarm of mosquitoes, whose droning can be heard afar off, head straight towards them. Wiping out campers, who had pitched tents or were out fishing, a motley group of survivors, a meteorologist, Parks(Steve Dixon)notices strange readings on his Geiger counter and soon meets a couple, Megan(Rachel Loiselle)soon to be a park ranger and her lame boyfriend Ray(Tim Lovelace, handed a lot of goofy one-liners which only add to the fun)as they soon encounter the camping grounds covered in shriveled corpses, their blood drained dry. Hiding underneath a boat is cowardly Hendricks(Ron Asheton)who informs the group of what caused the slaughter. The four of them, take a RV from a deceased victim, hitting the road where they come across a duo of bumbling criminals, having lost a third member to the mosquitoes. Bankrobber Earl(Gunnar Hansen, Leatherface of Hooper's TCM), a grumbling, not-so-pleasant sort, and his inept brother Junior wish to commandeer the group's RV escalating into a brawl which soon has them all working as a collective when the mosquitoes attack the vehicle as Parks drives down the road. The film follows the group as the mosquitoes lead them to an abandoned farmhouse with special guests whose "epi-center" is in the basement.
Look, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I clearly expected this to be a 90's variant on the "giant insect" creature features from the 50's and was pleased with the result. There's a charm, to be sure, with a film of non-names and mosquitoes which often look like puppets guided by handlers with sticks just off-screen. The farm house stand-off, which I felt was a homage to Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, is particularly a treat where Hansen has an inspired moment with a certain log-cutting tool that sounds off as it rips apart constructed mosquitoes. There's a ton of emphasis on acting, but I didn't think the cast was nowhere near as horrendous as others. If anything, they were a likable, spirited brood I could easily root for. But, I can't, for the life of me, help but wonder what viewers expect when they start up a movie like this..you didn't know this was about giant created mosquitoes, made with quite a less-than-thrilling budget, attacking an unknown cast(..only a low budget and a title like "Mosquito" could afford)? I think, if anything, there's a joy and enthusiasm quite present as the film plays out, with some good and mediocre effects of the mosquitoes. I thought the director kept a solid pace, and the plot is what it is, and there's not a lick of pretension, which I especially found rewarding. I enjoyed how the mosquitoes would thrust into the bodies of victims with their proboscis, draining the blood and how they exploded when fired upon by guns while in flight. The house explosion at the end left me quite amused, particularly with how a central character cheats death thanks in part to a refrigerator. I also felt that what lies within the basement was a homage, of sorts, to ALIEN. There is plenty of silly dialogue, delivered straightly, that works beautifully within the hokey confines of this film. My favorite scene actually doesn't have the mosquitoes in it at all..our heroic meteorologist finds a camp site riddled with corpses left in the wake of a mosquito attack.
Look, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I clearly expected this to be a 90's variant on the "giant insect" creature features from the 50's and was pleased with the result. There's a charm, to be sure, with a film of non-names and mosquitoes which often look like puppets guided by handlers with sticks just off-screen. The farm house stand-off, which I felt was a homage to Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, is particularly a treat where Hansen has an inspired moment with a certain log-cutting tool that sounds off as it rips apart constructed mosquitoes. There's a ton of emphasis on acting, but I didn't think the cast was nowhere near as horrendous as others. If anything, they were a likable, spirited brood I could easily root for. But, I can't, for the life of me, help but wonder what viewers expect when they start up a movie like this..you didn't know this was about giant created mosquitoes, made with quite a less-than-thrilling budget, attacking an unknown cast(..only a low budget and a title like "Mosquito" could afford)? I think, if anything, there's a joy and enthusiasm quite present as the film plays out, with some good and mediocre effects of the mosquitoes. I thought the director kept a solid pace, and the plot is what it is, and there's not a lick of pretension, which I especially found rewarding. I enjoyed how the mosquitoes would thrust into the bodies of victims with their proboscis, draining the blood and how they exploded when fired upon by guns while in flight. The house explosion at the end left me quite amused, particularly with how a central character cheats death thanks in part to a refrigerator. I also felt that what lies within the basement was a homage, of sorts, to ALIEN. There is plenty of silly dialogue, delivered straightly, that works beautifully within the hokey confines of this film. My favorite scene actually doesn't have the mosquitoes in it at all..our heroic meteorologist finds a camp site riddled with corpses left in the wake of a mosquito attack.