Most of the budget went on the effects, I think, and trust me, they aren't all that good.
I'm really trying to think of something positive to say about this movie, but I'm struggling. I've seen a lot worse than this. A lot worse! But this ends up being a nothing movie.
Why? Because you care NOTHING about the characters. They are beyond wooden. Styrofoam would be more apt. A collection of cliché-ridden stereotypes that would make an 80's blockbuster movie go red with embarrassment.
Patrick Muldoon plays the stat hero, out to save his family from the deadly arachnid menace. Except, half the time, he delivers his lines so badly, I wondered if he really knew what was going on.
Christa Campbell. Good God! That woman had just the worst role ever to play. Screaming, hysterical woman! There aren't many scenes where she isn't just blubbing at the camera and whining incessantly. Trouble is, none of it was convincing. Somebody check her into both over- and under actors anonymous!
Bill Hope. Clearly he had none, which is why he took on this part. Bungling military officer. Hasn't he played that somewhere before? Oh no, wait, that was a real film.
None of the characters are particularly likable, which means you don't care what happens them. If you don't care about the characters even a little bit, then you are in trouble.
Then there are the effects. I suppose they're not too bad. Again, I've seen far worse. But whoever decide to give the spiders fang-filled, comedy maws, needs a swift kick in the nutsack. They are beyond ridiculous, trust me. You can't take them seriously.
The science behind the spiders is ropey, to say the least, as it is throughout the movie in general. I don't expect too much in the way of realism in such movies, but a nod towards actual reality from time to time would be nice.
Along with the crazy monster mouths and the dodgy science, the spiders all seem to growl and whine and make all kinds of odd noises that make them comical, to say the least.
Whilst I'm on the subject of noises...
The score is at times extremely aggravating. Sometimes you get heroic, stirring music, but often you have to make do with jarring, discordant sounds that someone believed enhanced the film. News flash! It doesn't! It's just grating. At times, this jangling blends perfectly into the background sounds of the scene, leaving you wondering whether the noise is part of the score, or an environmental effect. Not good.
I'm not sure whether they wanted to make a comedy movie here, or a serious monster movie. It seems a little of both, but unfortunately, not enough of either to make the film work on any real level. I guess I should have expected the worst, given the rating here on IMDb, but I'm all for giving films a chance. Sadly, this one fell short of the mark.
My advice. Watch Eight-Legged Freaks. It actually knows what sort of movie it wants to be and manages it perfectly well. Spiders, by contrast, is a bit of a mess.
Not really worth the effort.
I'm really trying to think of something positive to say about this movie, but I'm struggling. I've seen a lot worse than this. A lot worse! But this ends up being a nothing movie.
Why? Because you care NOTHING about the characters. They are beyond wooden. Styrofoam would be more apt. A collection of cliché-ridden stereotypes that would make an 80's blockbuster movie go red with embarrassment.
Patrick Muldoon plays the stat hero, out to save his family from the deadly arachnid menace. Except, half the time, he delivers his lines so badly, I wondered if he really knew what was going on.
Christa Campbell. Good God! That woman had just the worst role ever to play. Screaming, hysterical woman! There aren't many scenes where she isn't just blubbing at the camera and whining incessantly. Trouble is, none of it was convincing. Somebody check her into both over- and under actors anonymous!
Bill Hope. Clearly he had none, which is why he took on this part. Bungling military officer. Hasn't he played that somewhere before? Oh no, wait, that was a real film.
None of the characters are particularly likable, which means you don't care what happens them. If you don't care about the characters even a little bit, then you are in trouble.
Then there are the effects. I suppose they're not too bad. Again, I've seen far worse. But whoever decide to give the spiders fang-filled, comedy maws, needs a swift kick in the nutsack. They are beyond ridiculous, trust me. You can't take them seriously.
The science behind the spiders is ropey, to say the least, as it is throughout the movie in general. I don't expect too much in the way of realism in such movies, but a nod towards actual reality from time to time would be nice.
Along with the crazy monster mouths and the dodgy science, the spiders all seem to growl and whine and make all kinds of odd noises that make them comical, to say the least.
Whilst I'm on the subject of noises...
The score is at times extremely aggravating. Sometimes you get heroic, stirring music, but often you have to make do with jarring, discordant sounds that someone believed enhanced the film. News flash! It doesn't! It's just grating. At times, this jangling blends perfectly into the background sounds of the scene, leaving you wondering whether the noise is part of the score, or an environmental effect. Not good.
I'm not sure whether they wanted to make a comedy movie here, or a serious monster movie. It seems a little of both, but unfortunately, not enough of either to make the film work on any real level. I guess I should have expected the worst, given the rating here on IMDb, but I'm all for giving films a chance. Sadly, this one fell short of the mark.
My advice. Watch Eight-Legged Freaks. It actually knows what sort of movie it wants to be and manages it perfectly well. Spiders, by contrast, is a bit of a mess.
Not really worth the effort.