Movie Review - Godzilla: Planet Of The Monsters

Godzilla:

Planet Of The Monsters

2017

The Cast

The Earth became a battleground when monsters of myth and legend began to surface.  The army was quick to dispatch them.  Though no sooner than one was killed another arose to take its place.  Until he arose... Godzilla.  No matter what the armies of the world could throw at him, he just kept coming.  Even the intervention of two alien species had no better luck at killing him.  His one single goal, to destroy all humankind.  Having only the option of escape, the remaining populace took to their ships and headed into space, searching for a new planet to call home.  With no new world in sight and supplies running low, they devise a plan to head home to Earth and destroy Godzilla.

This is a beautifully animated film.  The artwork is superb, but it's the colourisation that really adds a great depth and atmosphere to the movie.  The story is very Japanese in its origin as it constantly asks the one big question; you know the one about life, the universe, and everything?  Evidently, they don't agree with the answer of 42...  So there's a lot of angst and anxiety flowing through the whole story.  If you're suffering from depression, this may not be the film to watch right now.  However, when they return to terra firma, the action really heats up and the pace flies at a breakneck speed.  this is done so well, you should find yourself perched on the edge of your seat.  Another great thing is the soundtrack.  The full orchestration is rousing and motivating and is used superbly to create atmosphere and mood.  This is one all-around finely crafted film.

The characters are strong and have their own beliefs and way of acting on issues.  This is always a good thing as it adds interest for the audience.  Whether, it's the single-minded drive of Haruo Sakaki, to kill Godzilla and reclaim their heritage of Earth or his friend's manipulation of the council to get Sakaki released, so he can become a hero and gain power and acclimation, there are enough stories intertwined to keep it interesting.  The vocal talents do well with their roles, putting the right amount of emotion into their portrayals.  I have found that in most manga and anime there can be a tendency to go overboard, especially in the action or comedic scenes... things tend to get shouty.  Here, however, everything worked perfectly.

If you've not watched any manga before then I would recommend this as a good starting point.  I would also shout out to all manga and anime lovers to watch this flick.  I am looking forward to the following chapters.

I give this a monstrously huge 7.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Behemoth: The Sea Monster

Behemoth:  The Sea Monster

AKA:  The Giant Behemoth

1959 

The Cast

Now, let me tell you I could be a little biased here with my scoring. For this film lit the light of remembrance and melancholy within me.   As it took me back to my childhood.  There was a time when the good old BBC would play these movies on a Saturday afternoon:  On BBC2 while BBC1 had Grandstand.  I remember watching these Sci-Fi monster flicks with my Nan on cold and wet winter days, usually in front of a warm gas fire.  Those were good days.  So, I thank the makers of the film for giving me this memory.

What you have is a pretty bog-standard tale of nuclear radiation mutation... as was par for the course in the fifties.  Here though, not only does it mutate a creature to an enormous size, but apparently resurrects a long-dead dinosaur.  This then goes on the rampage through London.  Though what makes this a little better than the average film in this genre is the extra details.  We don't start in London but in a little fishing village in Cornwall where strange things have been occurring; a man being burned with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns, shoals of dead fish washing up on the beach, and strange lights under the surface of the sea.  This pulls the viewer in with the mystery.  There's also the brilliant usage of the radiation because if you get too close to the creature then you burn.  When we arrive at the rampage, the director uses parts of London not fully rebuilt after the war to create an atmosphere that works well.  Also, the large amount of extra's running from the monster is just right - not one or two people, but a hole streets worth of men and women.

The director is very good at his work.  He sets the pace of this film perfectly.  There's a small crescendo at the beginning when Marine Biologist Steve Karnes' is warning the government about the possible side effects of radiation on the oceans and their populace.  Then drops to a steadier pace with the mysterious happenings.  Building up slowly to the rampage at the climax.  Spot on perfect.

The special effects, for their time, are not quite as good as others.  However, they are passable.  It's nice the puppeteer changed out to a fully automated Behemoth for the later scenes as the fixed mouth version that attacked the ferry looked a little silly.  I have to admit I really loved the part where the Behemoth walks through the dockyards.  The part where he wrecks one crane by tearing it apart with his teeth and the other by simply walking through it is one of the better stop animation sequences I've seen.  I liked the fact the director filmed it from the position of the pavement, which had the effect of giving size to the creature.

This was a very enjoyable flick, to say the least.  The story and the filming were solid as too was the acting.  Everybody put their skills into making this a very watchable movie.  Not remembering the movie fully, I thought that the two main characters in the fishing village section Jean (Madison) and John (Turner) would be in the whole show, their acting is that good.  However, when we leave the village we never see them again.

If you've never caught a '50's sci-fi monster flick then this one would be a nice place to start.  And if you are a fan of the genre, then find a copy and watch this once more, it's worth it.

I give this a behemoth 7 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Mongolian Death Worm

Mongolian Death Worm

2010

Andrew Stevens Entertainment / Black Chrome Productions / Cinetel Films / RHI Entertainment / Sweet Tater :  SyFy / Eagle Films

6.5 / 10

Being a Tremors fan, of course, I was going to watch this movie and I'm glad I did as it turned out to be better than some of the Tremors sequels.  However, don't get me wrong this isn't a fantastic film, though I did find it entertaining.

The story isn't that original and the climax is as predictable as it can be, the writers, Neil Elman, Kevin Leeson, and Steven R Monroe (who also directs) doesn't give the audience anything new or any surprises along the way.  It's pretty average standard fayre for SyFy movies.

Monroe however, does a slightly better job of directing and goes for the rollercoaster effect which works well.  When the action starts he builds up the pace and the slows it down accordingly at other times.  The trouble is he's not too good at building up tension, anticipation, and excitement;  any of these would have made for a better film.

It's Sean Patrick Flanery as the wise-guy treasure hunter Daniel, and George Cheung, as the self-confident police officer, Timur, that make this film an enjoyable watch.  Their characters get the best lines and when they meet up you can tell theirs a chemistry between the pair as they work well off one another. The rest of the cast are also good and do a credible job with their characters and add strength to the story and film.

The CGI special effects for 2010 were pretty good, remember this is a TV movie so doesn't have the production of bigger budget movies.  One of the better aspects of the Death Worm were its teeth.  You definitely do not want a love bite from one of these.  

If you like Tremors or monster movies then you may like this, it's at least worth watching when it come on again, though I'd say I wouldn't spend money on buying it.

Movie Review - Mimic

Mimic

(1997)

Dimension Films / Miramax : Buena Vista International

7.5 / 10

Man's greatest enemy turns out to be the cockroach that carries a deadly virus which is devastating the American population.  Enter Entomologist Dr Susan Tyler who has genetically modified a group of insects to become the cockroach's  greatest enemy.

Years later when the pandemic has been averted, something else is starting to kill off the human race.  We are not top of the food chain.  Though the designed insects were sterile and were engineered to only live six months, nature found a way, as it always does, to set a new balance.

This is a very clever Sci-Fi monster movie that adds thrills and scares into the genetically altered mix.  There are plenty of animals in the world that disguises themselves so they can hide when being hunted... or when hunting.  So why not disguise themselves as humans?  The writers, Donald A Wollheim who wrote the original short story, Matthew Robins and Guillermo del Toro, do a great job of using this fact and making this feel realistic.

The realism is also in thanks to Rob Bottin who designed the creature and the character shop and other special effects maestros who brought them to life.  Though released in 1997 the effects are just as strong today twenty years on.  I believe this is the case due to them not relying on CGI.

Del Toro does a brilliant job of bringing the story to the screen and adding his own style and artistry.  He also brings the best out of his cast to make the characters believable, though, with the likes of Mira Sorvino, Giancarlo Giannini, Charles S Dutton, Josh Brolin, and F Murray Abraham, it couldn't have been too difficult.  For this type of film, this is a stellar cast.

Though it's not the best film Guillermo del Toro has created, it isn't his worst.  If you have yet to see this movie then I would say give it a try, especially if you like monster movies, science fiction, or horror.

Movie Review - Zoombies

Zoombies

(2016)

The Asylum : Amazon / The Asylum / Vendetta Films

4.5 / 10

I love bad movies and The Asylum makes some of the worst, just look at the Sharknado saga and the Z-Nation television series, which are both awesome.

Unfortunately, this film doesn't have the same coolness to it.  It should have because the story is sound.  Due to a couple of infected monkeys, the whole of a new zoo is infected with a virus that kills the diseased then reanimates them in a killing frenzy.  However, it's the acting and directing that make this film poor, luckily the tongue-in-cheek style of this film keeps it from failing.

Most of the acting is wooden, with the exception of Kim Neilsen who plays Dr Ellen Rodgers and LaLa Nester, as her daughter Thea, who is actually the best actress on the set.  The award for the best hammed-up over-acting award goes to Brianna Joy Chomer who turns Amber into a maniacal, self-centred hothead.  This character is so way over the top it's as annoying as hell and helps to spoil the movie.

It's a low budget affair so you expect the special effects to be poor, but on the whole, the CGI is passable I especially liked the attacking giraffes.   Though in the same scene the director holds too long on the cutaways of the actors who are being attacked and because there are no Giraffe's in the scene it makes the entire scene implausible.  Since I like bad movies, I loved the man in the gorilla suit.  Sweet.

If the acting were better and the direction tighter then this would have been a more enjoyable and pleasing movie.

If you love B-movie films and The Asylum then this is worth a watch, though not more than once.