Hyenas (2011)

Roving clans of shape-shifting human/hyena creatures prowl and hunt for human prey. They are hunted by one man seeking revenge for the death of his loved ones.

Director:

Eric Weston

Writer:

Eric Weston

Stars:

Maria Bertrand, Meshach Taylor, DaJuan Johnson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maria Bertrand	...	Ria Gannon
Meshach Taylor	...	Crazy Briggs
DaJuan Johnson	...	Cool
Jon Seminara	...	Herbert
Jim Morris	...	Gordon
Ron Bard	...	Max
Andrew T. Lee	...	CSI Technician
Rudolf Martin	...	Sheriff Manfred
Reginald James	...	Deputy Walters
Costas Mandylor	...	Gannon
Steele Justiss	...	Tank
John Bryant Davila	...	Doorman
Derrick Kosinski	...	Bobby
Maxie J. Santillan Jr.	...	Salazar
Joshua Alba	...	Marco

Storyline

Roving clans of shape-shifting human/hyena creatures prowl and hunt for human prey. They are hunted by one man seeking revenge for the death of his loved ones.

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Plot Keywords:

blonde | shower | panties | blue panties

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Taglines:

They hunt in packs and will eat you alive!

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence, language and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Entertainment Dome, Entertainment Lab

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Untie"
Written by Mike Plas and Tim Siner
Performed by Mike Plas and Tim Siner

User Reviews

Hyenas everywhere must be chuckling...

Well, at least they tried.

One of the better aspects of "Hyenas" was the fact that they took the traditional werewolf cast mold, broke it and replaced it with hyenas. A bold move, and it might actually have worked, had they the CGI on their side. This approach was a much needed one, just a shame it failed.

The story told in "Hyenas", well there were two stories actually, was pretty simple and easy to follow. The main story was the one with Gannon losing his family to the flesh-eating shape-shifting hyenas, then being sought out by Crazy Briggs, trained and then seeking revenge. That part of the story was actually decent enough. The other half of the story, the one with the two rivaling street gangs, well that was just unnecessary and very strained to look at. Those thugs came off nothing more than muppets trying to behave like street urchins. That part of the story should have stayed in the cutting room.

As for the CGI effects, well I am not much of a fan of cheesy effects, and "Hyenas" was one big cheese effect fest. From the glowing red eyes on the hyenas (as well as their hybrid and human forms) to the downright eyesore CGI animated hyenas running around. The movie truly did not have the effects on its side. And I think, if they actually had a bigger budget for the effects, the movie might actually just have proved much more cool and would have raised itself up from below mediocre value. And the actual shape-shifting scenes, well, you have to see that to believe it, and seriously, try not to laugh when you do.

The cast was a sorted bunch to say the least. I was a bit surprised to see Costas Mandylor (playing Gannon) in this movie. He went from the "SAW" movies to this? Alrighty then. But he did a good enough job in this movie, though he was better in "SAW". Joshua Alba (playing Marco) was actually one of the guys putting on one of the better performances. I am not much of a fan of Christa Campbell, but wow, this performance was bad.

"Hyenas" truly had potential, but it was hindered by its budget. The CGI effects really brought down the overall enjoyment of the movie. Plus some of the acting and dialogue also helped tripping the movie along the way. It is a shame, because it was refreshing to see hyenas take it on to the scene, trying to kick the werewolves from their pedestal. This movie could have worked out so well, but it wasn't just meant to be. I am rating this movie 3/10 because of the story and because it had potential, it was just hindered in its wake.