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Mosquito by Gary Jones
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Gunnar Hansen (II), Rachel Loiselle, Ron Asheton, Steve Dixon, Tim Lovelace Director: Gary Jones DVD: Region Code 0 Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1 Running Time: 92 minutes DVD Release Date: 1999-09-07 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of MosquitoMovie Review: Mosquito Review from The Massie Twins Summary: 3 StarsDrenched in blood, guts, and giant bugs, Gary Jones's Mosquito is so close to being a great horror movie that it's truly depressing the film didn't take itself more seriously and the actors didn't take more lessons. The film opts for a high level of camp, but never drifts far enough into the clever comedy realm of Arachnophobia or Tremors to attain a more prestigious cult classic status.
When regular mosquitos begin drinking the blood of dead aliens from a downed spaceship they grow to gargantuan proportions and all hell breaks loose for the vacationers relaxing in the nearby campgrounds. Ray (Tim Lovelace) and his Park Ranger girlfriend Megan (Rachel Loiselle) band together with meteorologist Parks (Steve Dixon) and the nerdy Ranger Hendricks (Ron Asheton) to fend off both the mutated bugs and cantankerous criminals Junior (Mike Hard) and Earl (Gunnar Hansen in fine goofy form mocking his own Texas Chainsaw Massacre performance).
Mosquito wastes no time setting up an elaborate explanation for why giant mosquitos roam the grounds (although the reason chosen is likely better than the typical government chemical testing) and gets right into the action and carnage. Borrowing a few cues from Aliens and other imitable horror staples, Mosquito showcases enough impressive action sequences that it's a shame the movie didn't try a little harder to be serious. The threat of the monstrous mutant skeeters, coupled with their bloodthirsty method of feeding creates a tense mood by itself, but much of the hokey dialogue quickly substitutes suspense for eye-rolling laughs. The potential for amazing is there, but the direction the creators insist upon keeps Mosquito squarely in the territory of cheese.
Director Gary Jones got his start in makeup and special effects - and it shows. Impressively grotesque practical effects comprise the majority of the monster mosquitos and they look as real as ten-foot insects can. The gore has a classic early 90's feel and scenes of razor sharp proboscises to the chest and eyes provide some cringe-worthy moments. With such a fast introduction to the mayhem only a few bystander deaths are shown, but Jones makes good use of them, most notably in a tent ambush sequence that ably displays the film's overall tone. As his wife is being assaulted by a killer insect, a doltish camper continues to take swigs from his beer as he runs to her aid.
With such effort on practical mosquito effects throughout, it's disappointing to see poorly done green screen and a spattering of subpar stop-motion mixed in, but such shortcomings can be forgiven once the bloodsucking bugs return to their brand of fluid-draining in all their puppetry glory. The less-than-admirable acting (and the difficulty in obtaining a DVD of the film) will likely keep this forgotten killer insect classic from the casual horror enthusiast, but few of its genre came so close to cheesy perfection as Mosquito.
- Joel Massie
Summary of MosquitoMillions of years of evolution have just become mankind's worst nightmare. In the terrifying tradition of "Alien" and "Predator" comes "Mosquito," a spine tingling tale of an alien force that transforms tiny insects into monstrous mutants with a lust for human blood. Sci Fi master Andre Blay presents nature's most horrifying thriller! Get the Deep-Woods Off! It's a mosquito the size of a German shepherd, armed with a proboscis as big around as a carrot, which it jabs into various eye sockets, chests, thighs, and even butt-cheeks! When a UFO crashes into a swamp, swarms of these mutated, oversized bugs go out looking for victims. A hapless couple smacks one of the outsized insects (filled with what appears to be stewed tomatoes and cranberry sauce) with their car, disabling the auto and leaving them stranded. They soon hook up with a government scientist, run afoul of two half-wit militia types, commandeer an RV, and make a break for it. The uneasy allies eventually make it to a farmhouse where they board up the windows ? la Night of the Living Dead (or Assault on Precinct?13) to make a last stand against the marauding bloodsuckers. If it all sounds goofy, that's because it is. On the downside, the dialogue is rotten and the acting is all rather casual (except for the scientist, whose overacting makes up for the rest of the cast's slack performances). On the upside, there's no cheesy computer animation; it's all done with cheesy '60s-style miniatures and puppets instead. Horror fans will recognize Gunnar Hansen, Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface; he's even given a chance to do battle with the bloodthirsty bugs with his old weapon of choice, a 24-inch Homelite! Also, rock fans should notice Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton! Just don't take this big-bug saga too seriously (nobody involved does), keep an eye out for boom-mic shadows, shut down a few sections of your brain, and go with it. After all, this is the kind of movie that would have made it big on the drive-in circuit some 30?years ago. --Jerry Renshaw
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