Venomous (2001) (V)

Director:

Fred Olen Ray

Writers:

Dan Golden (writer)
Sean McGinly (writer)

Release Date:

29 November 2001 (Germany)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Mutant snakes survived a terrorist attack on a government laboratory, and they now threaten the town of Santa Mira Springs...

Plot Keywords:

Snake | Virus | Physician | Epidemic | Maryland

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Treat Williams	...	Dr. David Henning
Mary Page Keller	...	Dr. Christine Edmonton Henning
Hannes Jaenicke	...	Dr. Eric Foreman
Catherine Dent	...	Susan Edmonton
Anthony John Denison	...	Maj. Gen. Thomas Sparks (as Tony Denison)
Geoffrey Pierson	...	Gen. Arthur Manchek (as Geoff Pierson)
Brian Poth	...	Billy Sanderson
Nicole Nieth	...	Cindy Sanderson
Christal Chacon	...	Nurse Josie Randall
Jim Storm	...	Sheriff Jack Crowley
Rick Hurst	...	Edgar Williams
Melissa J. Hayden	...	Katy
Marc McClure	...	Dr. Dutton
Andrew Stevens	...	Daniel Andrews
Chas. Allan	...	Orderly (as Chas Allan)

Also Known As:

Eclipse (USA) (working title)
Venom (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38202) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Singapore:PG

Company:

Phoenician Entertainment

Trivia:

Major Manchek in "Venomous" must be related to the general of the same name from "The Andromeda Strain" (1972), another virus thriller. Both movies also refer to "Directive 712", described in "Andromeda Strain" as the use of a nuclear detonation to prevent the spread of a virus.

Goofs:

Continuity: The woman who uses pepper spray on the guard goes down the hill in a different car. The headlights give it away.

Quotes:

General Tony Sparks: Not entirely original, I'm afraid.

Movie Connections:

Edited from Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990)

Plays like a made-for-TV movie, strictly AVERAGE

As you might be able to tell from my nickname, I am a snake NUT. So, viewing this movie was essential for me, no matter what the quality of the film was SUPPOSED to be. Going in with my eyes wide open, I was aware immediately of two things: 1. The movie is VERY low budget, and 2. The effects were, for the most part, very realistic.

While I can't say that the movie fails to entertain, it does have problems. The acting is average at best, the plot is predictable, and the style of filming is very much like a made-for-TV movie. Think of a Stephen King ABC Mini-Series, and that sums up the film's style.

That said, what the movie does right also impressive. There is no computer animation, and at no point do any of the slithering baddies of the film do anything "supernatural". The reptile action is very plausible, a refreshing change from other recent pictures like "Anaconda" and "Python". What the film also does right is not take itself too seriously. There is not a lot of over-acting, and no character in the film seems beyond belief. One thing I also appreciated was the fact that the snakes are treated as a menace, but not as villains.

Where "Venomous" fails most notably is its lack of ability to build suspense. There is one particular scene that stands out among the rest, but aside from that golden moment, little else is particularly chilling.

I have read reviews of this film that call it a copy of "Outbreak". While there are several similar elements, "Venomous" does stand well on its own. The running time is nearly an hour shorter between these two movies, and "Venomous" does a good job of character development. It also focuses more on the carriers of the virus than the virus itself.

"Venomous" also relies on stock footage more than once, perhaps to keep the overall budget down. I will be general here not to spoil any of the film's moments: There is one crash scene where the vehicle crashing is TOTALLY different from the one in the previous shot. Watch for it with your remote in hand, it is amusing that the film makers thought no one would notice.

My overall opinion? Rent before you buy, and only buy if you really like snakes.