Eye of the Beast: Maneater Series
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Movie Reviews of Eye of the Beast: Maneater Series
Movie Review: Pretty good movie!
Summary: 4 Stars
Not bad flick with above average special effects. Also James Van Der Beek is not bad to look at! Four stars...Movie Review: Alexandra Castillo is the reason to see this film...
Summary: 3 Stars
...particularly if you're casting a movie in Canada.
The movie itself is actually better than expected. No, it does not deliver on the promise made by the box art (which is great if you happen to have any fondness for the cheat art they used to use on Italian Jaws rip-offs in the eighties), so gore fans are bound to be disappointed, but some care has been taken in the writing of the two main characters, and Castillo's character even turns out to be a bit of mystery, which adds much needed intrigue to what would otherwise be a pretty straightforward (and probably actionable) remake of Peter Benchley's The Beast. But, pleasantly, this turns out to be a much more enjoyable film than the adaptation of that book, and a large part of the reason for that is down to the casting of an actress I'd never heard of before.
In one of the lead roles as the Metis fisheries officer, I was first struck by how realistically pretty Alexandra Castillo is -- and by pretty I mean attractive in a human kind of way, not at all the kind of plastic-surgery addicted anorexic horror we're used to seeing in these things. Which was the first surprise.
The second surprise was when she began interacting with the rest of the cast -- who range from okay to pretty bad -- and seemed ABSOLUTELY natural. It literally caused me to sit up and take notice of what I'd assumed was going to be a complete waste of time. James Vanderbeek, the second best actor in the cast, gives her more to work with, and the skill with which she handles her scenes with him is pretty remarkable. She managed to convince even when it meant fighting through the dialogue, which she had to do from time to time. (Though, to be honest, the script was much better than anyone renting this thing has any right to expect, and at no point does anyone say those -- I thought -- inevitable lines regarding the necessity of getting either a bigger boat and/or gun).
I don't know. Maybe there's a problem when you notice the acting -- maybe it should be an invisible art in film, and like the editing or the direction itself it fails if it draws attention to itself. Perversely, every time Ms. Castillo gave me the sense that I wasn't watching an actor, but a completely natural human being, it sort of drew me up short and popped me out of the story long enough to chuckle my pleasure at what she'd just pulled off with such ease. Except it probably wasn't easy, was it? Yes, the special effects in this thing were pathetic, even in comparison to that Peter Benchley's Beast thing, but this little film, with Ms. Castillo's help, proved to me yet again that the small pleasures of even one really good performance, and some obvious care in the writing of the script (which deserves applause even when it doesn't always work out), trump the hell out of a better giant squid in another lesser film.
Right about now I'd be asking myself if this reviewer isn't either related to Alexandra Castillo or wishing to be. No. But someone should congratulate her on her work, and someone else should put her in a better movie. Her five star performance earns this two star video three stars.
Movie Review: film is too dark
Summary: 3 Stars
story line is good but the film is mostly taped at night & it is way too dark.Movie Review: No need to take a sleeping pill tonight!
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie will probably zonk you right out, as it did to me several nights in a row as I tried to reach the end.
Please, don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad movie. As some of the other reviewers have said, the acting is actually pretty good, with "the Dawson" James Vanderbeek leading the way as a scientist brought in to discover what's causing all those pesky deaths and disappearances. While the scruffy look he wears does nothing to make his character look more legit(and it looks like he stole Richard Dreyfuss' beanie hat from the original Jaws) he does a fine job of acting the part. The woman who plays the sheriff in these parts also does a good job. Apparently she already believes in the lake monster, as it snatched up her daddy years ago and she now must convince the local fishermen. There is even a fairly interesting little sub-plot involving said fishermen, with the white locals and the aborigines (did I spell that right? Probably not) not liking or trusting each other.
Still awake? There in lies the problem for me. Out of everything I just wrote I mentioned the monster only once.
What you get of the monster is the occasional rubber tentacle (and sometimes a CGI one) snatching someone off of a pier or a boat, and that is it until the very end. For the finale, the head of the beast actually rises up in all of it's plastic and latex glory, the eye of the beast fully visible (hence the title), and then it just sinks away.
The thing I have never understood with a movie like this is why the creature gets such scant screen time. It wasn't a CGI creation, it was a prop actually produced and paid for with no limit on how much the filmakers used it. I realize that would have taken away from the final reveal of the creature, perhaps lessening the climax to a degree, but what good is a climax if no one is awake to see it.
Well, enough ranting. In conclusion, what I look for most in a movie about a giant creature is entertainment, not plot or character development. And while the two sides can certainly work well together (as it did in Jaws), the pacing and lack of action here brought me to snores. If a slow-building creature feature is your thing, then you will enjoy this. However, if your like me and are buying this hoping to see lots of good giant octo action, then steer way clear.
Movie Review: Beat Beast
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm a big fan of sea monster movies, and this one does have its entertaining moments. However, it's also a terrible film. Characters are, of course, two-dimensional, the dialogue is embarrassing, and it just never picks up any steam. We also get alternating shots of a rubbery tentacle flopping around on the decks of boats and the shabby-looking CGI monster the tentacles are attached to. I have the same problem with this movie that I have with all of the "Maneater" series movies I've seen so far: Where's the violence and gore? When you plug your movie with a DVD box that depicts creatures, animals, people, etc. slathered in blood, I expect to see some darn blood! Please, please, if you're a filmmaker and you're out there, and you're going to make a horror movie, please don't skimp on the grue! It's what we want! Don't you know that?!