Customer Reviews

High Plains Invaders (Maneater)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

High Plains Invaders is your run of the mill, made for cable movie. The synopsis provided by Amazon isn't exactly accurate though. The film takes place in 1892, and begins with train robber Sam Danville about to be executed by hanging. While described as an "honorable Indian-fighter" in the plot summary, Danville was actually guilty of robbing dozens of trains, his final robbery resulting in the death of passengers after a derailment.

Danville's hanging is interrupted by interstellar miners that resemble mechanical scorpions, referred to as "bugs" by the only people left in town. The movie takes a page from Tremors with respect to how the band of survivors deals with the deadly bugs.

The SyFy Channel film was shot in Romania, and stars James Marsters, better known as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The majority of the cast has worked almost entirely in television, and only Marsters demonstrates much screen presence. Certain elements of the film such as who gets a dose of karma, as well as the movie's conclusion, are a bit predictable.

Handgun aficionados and true Wild West fans might be a little disappointed with the director's abandonment of authenticity. Several characters carry double-action Smith & Wesson revolvers that hadn't even been invented by 1892. A number of revolvers used in the film (King Cobra, etc) aren't in sync with the time period, most of townsmen and bounty hunters alike would have been carrying a single-action Colt Peacemaker.

Overall, the film's concept itself is off the beaten path, which is why it makes for a halfway interesting movie. Watch the movie once and decide if owning the DVD is for you.

I love my icky bug, and this little film is no exception. It has a unique twist in that it takes place in the 1880's in Colorado. Having monsters running around in a cowboy town isn't done often so this was a refreshing change.

The CGI for the monsters was well done and the half mechanical/half biological icky bugs looked and acted great.

I liked the cast, especially the female bounty hunter (a German actress named Sanny van Heteren) and the main character, James Marsters.

My only beef is with the pitchblende, raw and/or supposedly refined. First off, just crushing it isn't refining it. Second, unless it was super-weak, it would've cooked the scientist, Jules Arning (played by Sebastian Knapp) to a crisp long before the icky bugs came to town, not to mention contaminating most if not all of the town. However, I don't watch these movies for science lessons and have no problem suspending my disbelief. As long as the ending makes at least half sense, I'm okay. In this case, a stick of dynamite plays the pivotal role in repelling the invaders. In a more modern version of this tale, the invaders would be eating dynamite for breakfast, but given the time period (and lack of technology), there was not much else they could have used against them.

There are other reality issues but not worth worrying about. From the scenery and some of the names of minor cast members and crew, I can assume this movie was filmed in Romania where production costs are much cheaper than here in the states.

Overall, a good Saturday evening icky bug. Highly recommended.

This MANEATERS entry has an interesting premise but doesn't live up to its potential. Set in 1890's Colorado, a small town is invaded by scorpion/spider like monsters who are from outer space and for some reason eat uranium.
James Marsters stars as a convicted killer who is spared the noose when the monsters attack and becomes the town's savior.
The effects are pretty good, but the movie never really takes off and the ending just happens without any real fanfare.
A good concept haphazardly executed.

I have a soft spot for genre science fiction. It seems to bring out the best in the writing teams who churn out typical sci-fi drek. Without the modern contrivances of typical monster movies, genre pieces can branch out and tweak our expectations. Sometimes, a change of setting is all you need to make a tired monster movie feel fresh.

If writers are liberated by the change of scenery, prop designers are not. Historical accuracy is thrown out the window in the interest of telling a good story. In High Plains Invaders, firearms - which are central to any Western - are woefully inaccurate.

For fans of monster movies, perhaps the most important element to get right is the monster. The High Plains Invaders are a doozy - steampunk-style aliens that combine elements of War of the Worlds-style saucers, scorpions, and crayfish. They are magnificently detailed in CGI and suitably bizarre enough to intimidate a bunch of pistol-wielding cowboys.

Speaking of cowboys, the invasion happens just as Sam Danville (James Marsters of Spike fame) is about to hang for an accidental murder. This criminal with a heart of gold has a love interest in nurse Abigail Pixley (Cindy Sampson), who watches helplessly as Danville is about to hang and then watches helplessly as he is nearly skewered by alien robobugs. Balancing out the damsel in distress is Rose Hilridge (Sanny Van Heteren), the prettiest and fastest gun in the West.

No amount of gunslinging will save our heroes. It turns out that the aliens are after uranium mined by Jules Arning (Sebastian Knapp). When a glittering spherical mothership descends to drop dozens of the alien bugs, the end results are destined to be explosive.

High Plains Invaders isn't fancy. The cowboys never seem to learn that firing on the bugs is pointless. The dialogue teeters between tedious and campy. And the double-crosses aren't all that much of a surprise.

But High Plains Invaders has really cool monsters, great special effects, and huge explosions. If you're a fan of monster movies, you'll like it. If you're a fan of Weird West shows like Wild, Wild West and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., you'll love it.

I'll be honest, I bought this because James Marsters was in a cowboys/aliens movie. It was a little weak but I guess that should be expected. Cheap special effects, so-so story. But ok to watch once.

"High Plains Invaders" is an enjoyable film that takes on the time honored theme of aliens and .... In this case, the town of Amaranth,Colorado is beset upon by U238 seeking monsters. Much like the Wild,Wild, West series the mix of old west and future aliens is entertaining, and moreso than the big budget behemoth that nearly killed the western genre most recently.

There is gunplay, science fiction, and even a little bit of escapism. Great sets, and even some reasonable acting takes place. The only name actor, James Marsters,turns in a good performance. The special effects work is reasonable, and makes the aliens 'realistic'. One complaint I have is that the guns clearly sound like SASS specials, no real guns in this one folks.

Don't waste your $ on the Daniel Craig/Dreamworks films, look for this one. It's easily worth the smaller budget!

Tim Lasiuta

I love me some maneater movies!!! Not the best of the series fur sure. But good none the less. Wish I had one em aer revolvers that held forty rounds I'd never use my semi-auto again! Lol, but made me laugh, so it was worth the buy.

This movie has some bad effects(Pistols sounded like cap guns), but WOW what a ride! The story was original! My husband amd I were on the edge of our seats, we HAD to see what would happen next. The bounty Hunter was the most original, (We really liked the charactor)I would say this movie is not for everyone, but if you love B-movies then this is your ticket

this movie is great it has
gore,creature violence,guns,
explosions.and the most important
thing a happy ending.no more bad
reviews please.

I like campy, silly movies, but most of all, I adore James Marsters and that's the only reason I purchased this DVD. I have all of his CDs to date along with other memoribilia so I added this to my collection. Is it a movie I will watch and enjoy over and over again - no. Plainly put, it's just not good in any way other than it has James Marsters. It's for my collection. But, for those who also like watching pure camp, you might enjoy it too!