Hell Swarm (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

3.3/10   

Director:

Tim Matheson

Writers (WGA):

Roderick Taylor (written by) &
Bruce A. Taylor (written by)

Release Date:

17 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

They look like us. They act like us. And they want us dead.

Plot:

An ex-convict teams with government agents to battle an advanced race bent on conquering Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Dead Children | Massacre | Killer Bee | Person On Fire | Childbirth

Cast

Boyd Kestner	...	Billy Sabbath
Kathryn Morris	...	Allie
Amanda Welles	...	Julia Sabbath
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jesse Borrego	...	Darrius
Jackson Burns	...	Philigim #2
Luci Christian	...	Cleo
Brady Coleman	...	Global Doctor
Greg Corner	...	Car crash survivor
Rick Damazio	...	Bodyguard
J.D. Evermore	...	George Bernard
James Faulkner	...	Albion (as James Reed Faulkner)
Joey Gibson	...	Jason
J.D. Hawkins	...	Levi King
Buddy Howard	...	Dead allien / protester
Stephanie King	...	Albion's Girl
Tim Matheson	...	Kirk Bluhdorn
Lynn Mathis	...	Nephilim Doctor
Bryan Lee McGlothin	...	S.W.A.T. Team Leader
Richard Nance	...	Sheriff Adler
E.J. Nolan	...	Donald
Marco Perella	...	Brad Dempsey
Yolanda Reyna	...	Anna
Steve Shearer	...	Detective Greer
LaTeace Towns-Cuellar	...	Connie (as LaTeace Towns)
Tommy Townsend	...	Warden

Also Known As:

MK Ultra (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

Germany:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | Germany:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Company:

Wilshire Court Productions

Foiled again!

Why do I keep buying these (admittedly, incredibly cheap) low-budget pseudo-sci fi movies? Because I hope that somewhere in the big pile of crud that is Hollywood (or whoever produces these things), a pearl or a gem will prove to exist. But does it ever? Actually, yes. But it is extremely rare.

This movie is yet another disappointment. In many ways it actually isn't bad. The characters act fairly believably, and except for the ending, which is something of a letdown (yes, *another* one of those), the basic plot isn't too terrible, all things considered. But, for one thing, the execution of the potentially interesting material is boring. Several plot elements are missing (like, what does the Nephilim themselves actually look like?), and the titular swarm hardly plays any role (well, it's the threat they have to stop, but it just isn't in the movie very much). The looks of the actors are somewhat generic; only Amanda Welles is an attractive exception. To be fair, the bad guy isn't that bad, either (I mean, he's *bad*, but he's not bad, IYKWIM!).

Note: The Nephilim are not aliens, but some Earth life form from ancient times that has re-awoken (or something). Also: Billy Sabbath isn't "brought back to life", as in awoken from the dead; he was simply drugged and then revived. There's no supernatural element.

Overall, it was better than I'd feared (though certainly not the gem I'd vainly hoped for), but not by enough to lift it out of the mire of tedium. One wonders why this movie exists, but at the same time I have to say it wasn't anywhere near laugh-out-loud terrible (though some people seem to think so). The worst thing was the ending, with a dull, dull car chase that didn't go anywhere. Also, the whole thing about Sabbath's son could have been handled far more poignantly.

I rate this movie 4 out of 10.