Rating 15
Length 1h36
Release 29.6.2012
Director Ron Underwood
About A small town gradually becomes aware of a strange creature which picks off people one by one. But what is this creature, and where is it? At the same time, a seismologist is working in the area, she detects _tremors_. The creature lives underground, and can ‘pop up’ without warning. Trapped in their town, the town-folk have no escape.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Netflix and Amazon Prime
Trailer:
Trick
- Near the start, before you ever really know what’s going on (except you do because that stupid poster spoils it), Rhonda is ‘stalked’ by one of the graboids in typical creature feature fashion. Yep, we get monster eye candy. It’s effective when used well, however in this movie it’s god-damn stupid. Here’s why: those fucking creatures are blind and, even if they had sight, the thing is shown to be underground. Honestly, I can’t say I’ve ever noticed before, but today it really riled me up. For such a clever film, this is just dumb. Hell, it’s almost at odds with the rest of the movie. Once again, studio interference, allowed for this addition.
Treat
- This is such a clever, tightly plotted, enjoyable movie. Any who studies film should watch this whenever their university covers cause and effect. It’s so well planned that it’s an absolute joy to watch. Things that seem tiny have a massive impact later in the film. Just one example is that Earl and Val are arguing about what job they need to do that day and how Val needs to think ahead and consider which jobs will pay first, they end up in the store where the fridge is needing to be fixed. While Val goes to fix it, Earl reminds him of the conversation they had and they say they’ll get back to it. At first you might think this interaction is just about establishing the character dynamics, but an hour in that fridge comes back into play and really bites them in the ass; some of them literally.
- Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are the perfect double act. I adore Fred Ward in anything and everything he does. To have his older, wiser Everyman working alongside Bacon’s younger, more impulsive, partner is almost chalk and cheese. Almost like your buddy cops after they’ve learned to work together. It works.
- Paul Gross and Reba McEntire play their roles perfectly. So much so that it took me years to make the connection of Gross being Ted’s dad in HIMYM, or Reba as THE country singer. Not only do I love the gun obsession, I love the apocalypse preparedness of the couple.
- The dialogue is brilliant and quotable; you can see why it has become a cult classic. It doesn’t matter how you see this film: cheesy, silly, legitimate creature feature, it gives it all and entertains along the way.
Final Thoughts
For me, this film is up there with Jaws. I shit you not. The story is tight, the visuals are spot on and the characters have you rooting for them.
The Queens of Geekdom 