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Mammoth (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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38 reviews in total

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31 out of 41 people found the following review useful:
2 thumbs and a big toe up, 27 April 2006
Author: Silicon Slick from College Station, Texas

I read the first review here after the original airing on April 21st 2006 and was flabbergasted at the negative response.

Having just rewatched it and then returning here to reread that review and those posted since, I can't help but feel that some people just don't appreciate fine cheese at its smelliness.

This is a great movie! I highly recommend it. As much as "Men in Black" was a spoof of the whole "extraterrestial on earth" genre, this is so much more as a spoof of that movie and so many more.

If you were looking for a serious sci-fi movie... then, sure, you can go along with the less than raving reviews by those who somehow thought the previews promised more.

If you need some good, if young (and at times runny, but always smelly), cheese that doesn't require much thought and/or attention-span and that will put a smile on your face then I'd have to recommend you switch to SciFi if this is on... don't waste any media recording it... I'm sure they'll be showing it again (and again).

Cheesy Script + Tom Skerritt + Sense of Humor = MAMMOTH.

Anyone who took MAMMOTH seriously = severely confused.

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19 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Better than Mansquito, 23 April 2006

Author: codeguyj from L.A.

Not a *good* movie exactly, but a significant improvement over most Sci-Fi Channel original movies. It had some humor, and the movie worked best when it was its silliest. The more serious scenes tended to just slow the movie down.

If you like Vincent Ventresca (Invisible Man), he does some decent work with a not too great script. There are some other good actors too, but they don't quite manage to rise above the script as much.

Unfortunately, the best that can be said about Mammoth is that it is an improvement for Sci-Fi Channel. Hopefully their original movies will continue to improve.

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15 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
C+/B movie that knows what it is, 28 April 2006

Author: geography_girl from United States

OK. It's made by the Sci-fi channel, one of the kings of B (ok too generous) C/D movie production. (Does anyone know if they ever made a good movie that wasn't a miniseries? Dune and Children of Dune were good. Does anyone actually expect Sci-fi to make a good made for TV movie that is not a miniseries?). The writers, director, and actors all know this and play to it. The movie is bad, but because everyone involved knows this, it actually becomes very funny at points. It even makes fun of some the classic horror movie clichés. The requisite couple having sex that dies early (everyone knows that the first people to have sex or get into their skibbies always dies) are two geriatric escapees from a nursing home. Realize what we all know, its bad, its meant to be bad, and enjoy, and revel in the badness.

(must have for B/C movie collectors)

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21 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Not that bad Sci-Fi Channel film, 22 April 2006
Author: slayrrr666 (slayrrr666@yahoo.com) from Los Angeles, Ca

"Mammoth" is a pretty decent Sci-Fi Creature feature.

**SPOILERS**

Dr. Frank Abernathy, (Vincent Ventresca) is beyond thrilled that his museum acquires a frozen Wooly Mammoth, especially when he pulls a strange blue object out of it. A few days later, a meteor shower strikes the town, including the museum, and the Mammoth mysteriously vanishes. It turns up a few days later at a rave, fully reanimated, threatening his daughter, Jack, (Summer Glau) and her boyfriend, Squirelly, (Cole Williams) as well as the others. Agent Powers, (Leila Arcieri) of a special task force, informs them that the meteor was actually a UFO that has reanimated the mammoth. They team up together to put it's rampage to a stop.

The Good News: This wasn't all that bad of a film. There's a pretty high body count in here, so there's some nice, gory deaths involved. Several are trampled, one gets the tusks swung onto them, and another is gored in the stomach. There is more involved, so the film has a pretty sizable gore factor. More potent, though, is it's strong humorous tones. There's a lot more humor on display in here than you may think. Frank is a pretty clumsy scientist, always holding onto doors longer than necessary, constantly forgets where he has left keys and other items, and gets flustered very quickly. The two sheriff's deputies have a couple great lines and scenes among them, with their clumsy bungling and goofy banter at the most inappropriate times. The whole exchange in the morgue is definitely worthy of a few laughs, and is the overall best scene in the film. Inappropriate sound effects, though, gives away the fact that this was all pretty much intentional, and it scores more than it misses. It does have the typical fast-pace to it, so something is always happening in here that will keep your attention.

The Bad News: As usual with the Sci-Fi Channel's works, the title creature is so obviously CGI that it loses the impact it could've had. Naturally, due to the size of it, this had to be done like that, but it still becomes immensely distracting seeing the CGI mammoth. It just looks way too fake to be scary at all, and can be spotted pretty easily. There was a couple moments of extreme lapses in logic. The creature is said to be a nearly twenty ton animal, yet is able to sneak up on people quite easily. The thunderous footsteps are also heard way too close to people and places that a creature of it's size normally wouldn't do.

The Final Verdict: A couple lapses in logic and a pretty fake title creature hold this one back, but all Sci-Fi features have that as well. It is a little more humorous than others, so if you love these films and have a present funny bone, give this one a chance. There's been worse ones they've put out before.

Rated UR/R: Violence and some Language

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17 out of 26 people found the following review useful:
Well, The Opening Credits Were Good..., 23 April 2006

Author: Clownbird from United States

I saw the last half of this movie on SciFi and then a few hours later, I saw the beginning when they replayed it. If I had seen it from the beginning, I would have been a lot more disappointed, because the opening sequence was amazing, and sadly, the rest of the film didn't quite measure up. But the opening? Great CGI effects giving way to traditional animation (of cave drawings) that gave us a taste of the backstory, with fun, appropriately theramin-heavy music - it could have been the opening to a theatrical film, it was just that good! I can tell what the director/writers/producers were going for with the rest of the film, with the over-the-top plot, characters, and humorous lines and references to classic 50s sci- fi schlock. But it just didn't quite come off. And for the hour that I saw of it, they could have benefited from a whole lot more mammoth, since that IS the title. Oh well. I bet the creators do better next time.

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19 out of 30 people found the following review useful:
A Lot of Fun!, 24 April 2006

Author: rball12 from United States

I watched this over the weekend and thought it was one of the best SCI-FI originals I've seen. Sure, it's all over the map story-wise, and the Mammoth isn't very scary or visually impressive, but I laughed quite a bit and enjoyed the performances. The main cast is top-notch and they seemed to have fun working together. I kept thinking that I'd like to see these characters return in another movie or a series. Most of the characters in these SCI-FI flicks are just one- dimensional monster snacks. Tim Cox also does a nice job directing. I remember his short film, "The Man With No Eyes," airing during the "Exposure" series that SCI-FI ran several years ago.

Overall, a nice little '50s B-Movie throwback. Since they canceled "Farscape," these licks are the only reason I watch SCI-FI anymore. Good to see them finally using good actors and good directors. Hope to see more of that.

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11 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
A Movie For 'Cheese' Lovers, 29 October 2007

Author: razorsharp2505-1 from United Kingdom

If you're looking for a movie to take your mind off life for an hour and a half, you could do a lot worse than Mammoth. OK, you could also do a lot better but this film doesn't pretend to be anything other than a low-budget cheesy horror.

In fact, part of the charm of Mammoth was that everyone had their tongue firmly in their cheek making this film, especially the delightfully nerdy scientist played by Vincent Ventresca. The special effects are naff in the extreme and the dialogue totally contrived but that just made me chuckle rather than roll my eyes in frustration.

I guess it depends how you like your genres. If you liked Snakes on a Plane, then you may well like it. Don't expect too much from it and you might be pleasantly entertained.

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11 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Surprisingly Good, 1 October 2008

Author: wsmith-26 from Ventura, California

I admit that SCI FI has set the bar mighty low when it comes to its original movies. So, I tuned in to Mammoth expecting more of the same. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed this movie.

Vincent Ventresca as Dr. Frank Abernathy is the main reason the movie works. He is sort of a cross between Bruce Campbell and the Absent Minded Professor, and brings a much needed dose of comedy to the story.

The Mammoth itself is an unimpressive, not scary, CGI mess. But Tim Cox wisely minimizes its screen time and leaves it to the actors to carry the movie, and they do a fine job.

The movie moves at a brisk enough pace that you are distracted from the lack of a strong story line. But, again, this movie is about fun, not scares. I recommend it.

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17 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
Not bad, but campy. . ., 23 April 2006

Author: erik-zane-imdb from United States

This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a great movie. I have long said SciFi Original is synonymous with "crap" when it comes to movies. They don't have a very good track record when it comes to movies, but I'm beginning to think that this one shows they know it.

The actors, mostly B-movie and TV types, with Summer Glau probably being the biggest name in it, aren't the worst actors SciFi has put in a movie. The writing actually has some quotable lines. The special effects are bad for modern era CGI, but we're talking about a low budget horror film. We've all seen them, and some of us actually enjoy them. So, if you like the corniness of so many horror films from the 50s and 60s, or maybe the camp of the Killer Tomatoes series or perhaps Tremors, you will actually enjoy this movie.

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10 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Mammoth filled me with mirth!, 4 May 2006

Author: imdb-13511 from United Kingdom

This is a very funny film and a great take-off of horror from the 50's and 60's. The plot twists and turns paying homage along the way to many films that the committed buff will recognise. Although kitch in nature is is actually very sophisticated. Hats off to Tim Cox!

A welcome departure from the usual staple of monster/gore that we are used to from this channel. In fact, Mammoth is more like a feature movie and I would love to see it on the big screen.

A top cast really lifts this film. Summer Glau, I could watch all day long and Tom Skerritt just brings pure class.

Oh and BTW, the mammoth is terrific...

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