Sci-Fi Channel - Impingeing on my Eyeballs again.
Every now and again I find myself watching a monster movie of the week on the Sci-Fi channel. They all have a similar plot - a creature of some sort is unleashed and a motley group of characters are 1. trapped in the same general area with it; 2.have to band to together to figure out what's going on; and 3. destroy it, while having a few poignant deaths. Notable ones (meaning, in this case, films I remember) include Manticore, in which a Babylonian sorcerer unleashes a manticore onto American-occupied Iraq and Commander Choqote and his squad and some journalists have to defeat it and Reign of Gargoyles, which has Nazis (re)animate gargoyles in northern France, forcing down an American bomber crew who team up with the French Resistance to defeat them.
Anyway, I note in this vein Mammoth, which has as it's monster a Mammoth[1]. This was what first attracted me to the film; Mammoths aren't hoary overused monsters, so there's a chance that someone creative could have slipped some interesting ideas into the film. Anyway, the Mammoth becomes a monster as it's it's an alien-possessed soul-sucking zombie Mammoth. Which chases Summer Glau, who is sadly wasted in this film. With all respect to Ms Glau, who displays as much acting skill as the part of scientist's daughter being chased by a Mammoth allows, there are probably twenty actresses I can think of who could have done as good a job. The film didn't play to her strengths; it's as though she was included to increase the films appeal to Summer Glau fans[2].
But enough of the Sci-Fi channel's triumphs[3]; Tomorrow I will take a look at one of their failures.
[1] Paul did not finish watching Mammoth, but if you're familiar with the monster-movie genre I won't be spoiling it for you.
[2] Yes, the cast list was the second thing that attracted me to the film, and the only name I recognised was Summer Glau.
[3] Heh heh heh
Anyway, I note in this vein Mammoth, which has as it's monster a Mammoth[1]. This was what first attracted me to the film; Mammoths aren't hoary overused monsters, so there's a chance that someone creative could have slipped some interesting ideas into the film. Anyway, the Mammoth becomes a monster as it's it's an alien-possessed soul-sucking zombie Mammoth. Which chases Summer Glau, who is sadly wasted in this film. With all respect to Ms Glau, who displays as much acting skill as the part of scientist's daughter being chased by a Mammoth allows, there are probably twenty actresses I can think of who could have done as good a job. The film didn't play to her strengths; it's as though she was included to increase the films appeal to Summer Glau fans[2].
But enough of the Sci-Fi channel's triumphs[3]; Tomorrow I will take a look at one of their failures.
[1] Paul did not finish watching Mammoth, but if you're familiar with the monster-movie genre I won't be spoiling it for you.
[2] Yes, the cast list was the second thing that attracted me to the film, and the only name I recognised was Summer Glau.
[3] Heh heh heh
