23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Just a Frozen Elephant, March 25, 2008
This review is from: Mammoth (DVD)
There have been a lot of movies where a prehistoric beast is thawed/discovered/created just so it can go around killing people but this one is different and more original than most. After five years of study a frozen mammoth comes back to life after the museum is struck by a meteor. But if you payed attention to the wonderful dancing cave paintings in the credits, you will have a better understanding of the alien involvement in this event. Said mammoth goes on a rampage and sucks out people's life force (like the creature in Stephen King's Cat's Eye). Only the scientist studying it and his crazy family have any chance of stopping the beast. Add a couple of government agents to the mix and you have a pretty good movie.
Tom Skerritt is excellent as the UFO conspiracy believing patriarch of the dysfunctional family. The agents are well played as are most of the remaining recurring characters. As the film progresses we see that this story is bigger than just the events in the film. A pair of strange minor characters give a glimpse into the bigger picture. Even the ending is above normal for a prehistoric killer film. While not Jurassic Park this film has a unique take on the idea. The mammoth looks almost like a zombie due to its long freeze (now there's an idea). My only problem is a couple of scenes where the mammoth shows up out of nowhere suddenly but otherwise I had a real good time with this one. Check it out.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tongue-in-Cheek Gem, March 19, 2009
This review is from: Mammoth (DVD)
This tongue-in-cheek film is a gem. Filled with jokes poking fun at other sci-fi staples, characters, and themes, it also packs some surprise plot twists and moments. The actors were top notch and fun to watch. At points where it looks like the movie is going to drag, something always pops up to surprise and delight. If you want a serious horror film or don't like comedy mixed with your thrills, this isn't the movie for you. But if you enjoy a rollercoaster ride of great chills, unexpected moments, quirks, and laughs, this is a wonderful choice.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Forget the Elephant, September 18, 2010
This review is from: Mammoth (DVD)
When you think of a movie about mammoths, you might not think of flying saucers, reanimated corpses, or 1950s-style sensibilities. But then, you're not director Tim Cox.
It all starts with a little blue pill. No not THAT pill - this one can wake up an elephant. Ahem. Never mind.
Anyway, a mammoth discovered perfectly preserved in a hunk of ice at a museum in Blackwater, Louisiana. Dr. Frank Abernathy (Vincent Ventresca) has noted the little blue pill in scans of the ice that have been otherwise undetected by the scientific community and decides to take a sample - which sets off a homing device. A flying saucer fires a sphere from space through the beginning credits, which smashes right into the mammoth, reanimating it. From there the mammoth goes on a rampage, goring, smashing, and sucking the souls of its victims through its snout.
Yes, you read that right. The undead mammoth sucks up souls like one of those mastodon vacuums on the Flintstones. Your opinion of this feature hinges on whether or not you take Mammoth seriously - which is pretty hard to do when, at one point, Abernathy uses the blue pill to lure the mammoth and it rises up silently a second later.
Or the Evil Dead detour, in which every hand joke is crammed into a scene with an animated hand.
Or the Men in Black in-jokes where two government agents (Leila Arcieri and Marcus Lyle Brown) wear dark suits, carry ray guns, and cover up evidence of an alien invasion.
Or the direct references to Empire Strikes Back, War of the Worlds (original and remake), The Blob, and Night of the Living Dead.
Like all good monster movies, the heart of the film isn't about the monster at all. Somewhere between the in-jokes is a tale about a scientist, his estranged daughter (played by Summer Glau, a bit too old for the part but still lovely) and his estranged father (Tom Skerritt in a great comedic turn).
On its surface, this is just another monster movie entry. But the director decided to enjoy himself by making a 1950s monster movie homage, which is a different but related beast. If you're a fan of classic sci-fi, schlock horror, or Summer Glau, Mammoth's for you. Just don't expect much from the elephant.
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