Customer Reviews

Wyvern: Maneater Series

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wyvern: DVD Review

Grade: A

I waited for Wyvern to premiere for a while when it did on the Sci-Fi channel, (January 31, 2009-it was one of those Sci-Fi Saturday new movies) and recorded it and watched it the next day. The fact that it still sticks in my mind almost five months later is an incredible feat to me--I watch a ton of movies but rarely to I witness a gem like this one.

From the opening credits to the end credits, Wyvern has an energy to it that most horror movies don't have. It grabs you, and doesn't let go until the end. So after the movie had premiered on the Sci-Fi channel to good ratings (from what I hear, I'm not the only one that liked the movie better than typical Sci-Fi movies), I expected it to be immediately picked up for DVD, like other new releases had been. So I waited, and waited, and waited, and...waited some more. Finally it's here--and by the Maneater series, to my surprise.

The Maneater series, which includes such titles as Blood Monkey, In the Spider's Web, Shark Swarm, Eye of the Beast, Grizzly Rage, Maneater, Vipers, The Hive (Wide Screen Edition), and the soon-to-be-released Sea Beast, are normally hit-and-miss. For example, I absolutely hated Blood Monkey, but Vipers was pretty good, and Sea Beast ranks up among my favorite movies. I was glad to hear that Wyvern was getting a Maneater DVD release though--they come in nice slipcases, and run at cheap prices. (15 bucks for a new DVD isn't bad these days, considering that other new horror DVD's like My Bloody Valentine sell for about 30 bucks new.)

So now that I know Wyvern is basically getting the Sci-Fi channel deluxe DVD treatment, (the Maneater series are just about all made- for-the-Sci-Fi-channel movies that did well) I'm glad the Sci-Fi channel made the right choice for Wyvern, seeing as it is probably their best movie. (It also seems that they also had a bigger budget on this one!)

If you missed Wyvern on T.V., (it's a shame--I haven't seen re-runs on it, which is strange for a Sci-Fi channel movie) then here's the plot: A glacier melts, thawing out a prehistoric dragon that had been trapped in the ice. The dragon is hungry, and starts to feed on the residents of a near-by town...but not just for itself--this dragon's a mama. A trucker, a D.J., and a waitress, along with the survivors of the town, now try to stop the dragon, before it's babies hatch...The plot is a lot better than typical Sci-Fi fare, I can tell you that...

The acting is really good--great actually. For a movie like this you don't expect even decent acting, but the actors play their characters with enthusiasm, another rarity for the channel.

Yet another rarity would be the most shocking of them all--the CGI looks fantastic. The dragon lives and breathes, and packs a mean bite. It doesn't look like a video game reject, and is beautifully detailed--it looks as if they actually put money into designing the dragon. Have you ever heard the Sci-Fi channel do that?

In the end the dragon looks real, the actors act real, and the plot sounds great--so what are you waiting for--a dragon to come and eat you? Wyvern packs the most fun into its running time, and I got to say, the most fun into a Sci-Fi movie in, well, ever!

Just recently I'd re-watched a movie I thought was a good version of the usual Sci-Fi Channel formula, even more recently I've seen a creature feature with a storyline that surpasses that formula completely! I think the best I could do to summarize the feel of this movie is to say that if other Sci-Fi Channel movies were originally novels the channel had dumbed down to make adaptations of, Wyvern would be a faithful adaptation

UPDATE: Okay, now I have a good movie comparison. I'd say it's less like the average Sci-Fi Channel movie than it is like Lake Placid or maybe Tremors. Slower pace, charismatic oddball characters etc.

Comparatively, I think the CGI is better than the flying creatures from Tremors 3 and possibly a bit worse than Lake Placid though I'm not overly familiar with that one. Needless to say its better than what you'd expect from a TV movie.

So the title creature... its actually pretty good. The wyvern's anatomy is pretty good( I've had the misfortune of seeing some movies with silly-looking dragons recently, two of which had the heads of species of reptiles that just looked out of place).

Also we get gore effects in which the blood actually behaves like blood (not common for this channel) and when vehicles are damaged it looks a lot better than the obvious CGI model tumbling cars we normally get in low-budget, er... everything.

A lot of the characters have unusual quirks. They also react a lot more realistically to seeing people killed than the characters of most Sci-Fi Channel movies... or for that matter, most modern horror movies (let's face it; in most horror movies, even if people care before a character dies, they forget pretty quickly when that character dies)

Most importantly, though, this movie is very story-based and a lot of the deaths take place offscreen. If your idea of a good horror movie involves seeing lots of people slaughtered onscreen, I think you'd enjoy it a lot less.

I watched this movie on the SyFy channel and recorded it. It was soooo good!!! Loved the the characters, story line and especially the monster. It was great looking!! Unfortunately, when I deleted my cooking episodes, I accidently deleted this movie!! BUMMER...
They show their movies several times, but haven't shown this one since. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE DVD!!!! You gotta see this one!!

A good little movie. Good acting , interesting story based on ancient folk lore , good direction , good camera work , and special visual effects.

I really enjoyed "Wyvern". Sure it seems like just another throw-away creature feature, but what I really enjoyed about the film, is it never tries to be more than that.

"Wyvern" begin in the sleepy little Alaskan town Beaver Mills. The town is preparing for the Summer Solstice where the sun will remain in the sky 24 hours a day. And just in time to enjoy the party, a dragon-like creature known as a Wyvern is freed from its ice prison in a nearby glacier. The Wyvern is hungry and its only food supply turns out to be the local residents of Beaver Mills.

If you are looking for a deep story or character development, or even great special effects, you will probably want to choose another film. "Wyvern" is about on par with the SyFy Channel made-for-TV movies like "Frankenfish" or "Dinocroc vs. Supergator". But "Wyvern" features a beautiful setting deep in Alaska, and a top notch cast full of B-movie regulars like Barry Corbin("Critters 2", "Solo") and Don S. Davis ("Omen IV", "Needful Things").

So if you are looking for a movie to pop on after a long day, something where you can turn off your brain and enjoy some mindless monster mania fun, "Wyvern" will be just what you're looking for.

Campy entertainment. Ghost stories around the campfire type of entertainment. Not up to the modern special effects, but the story, and the dialog, make it worth watching, at least once.

this is the best maneater series
ever.it has gore,creature violence,
explosions,action.and the most
important thing a happy ending.
so keep doing good reviews ok.

I love B Monster Movies, i thought this movies script was pretty entertaining, the acting was good for this kind of movie and actually the animation of the creature, like in Sand Serpents was pretty damn impressive

The First Man Eater Series movie i saw was Vipers and that sucked, BUT this one is definitely a must have for B Monster Movie Enthusiasts!!

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!

Notes of a few of many flaws. I'm not expecting much from a movie like this, but a flaw is a flaw, especially if it's something that is a bit too obvious.

1. Why was the nest on the ground and not high up somewhere or at least protected in a hard to reach cave? Not to mention the nest looks lame.

2. They were surprised to find out there were eggs at the nest, but wait, that's why it would build a nest in the first place, so shouldn't they have already expected something like that? It's like a DUH moment.

3. Scene where main guy runs out of building to save the doctor, who was obviously a bait and the trap was acknowledged by everyone currently there. Yet, he runs out, without any clear plan, and a guy who is healthy enough to run somewhat...sacrifices his life to save the doctor who is basically almost dead anyway. Nice trade *frowns*. The doctor dies btw. I'm guessing his role was to reveal information on the eggs, but man that's sorta wack.

4. Scene where the fat woman cop (no offense but she was fat or would you sensitive people prefer if I call her big boned?) got snatched by the wyvern. So the wyvern dives down to snatch her, so he would fly over the people that are watching, yet as they scream, they continue to stare ahead of them ground level instead of a shadowy outline of the dragon flying over them, carrying the heavy load?

5. The main character guy just didn't fit too well with the waitress. I'm sorry, he looks like her dad.


I'm a bit confused as to the mentality and taste of the people that gave this anywhere above a 3 star. I guess you really can't believe reviews on here, it's best to watch yourself.

The movie was predictable and typical from beginning to end and please do not throw in excuses like "low budget", "small film" etc to try to justify anything. A bad film with a boring plot and an even more boring ending is A BAD FILM PERIOD.

It's basically a goofy movie.....no serious attention or attempt was put into it and you can tell. It's just there for a few grin and then deleted/thrown away/returned/refunded/exchanged whatever and never seen again.

Good side is that the Wyvern has been decently created graphic wise, but nothing phenomenal. It looks believable, but something in the tv series Hercules.

This DVD was actually a gift for someone else who has enjoyed other movies in the ManEater Collections. I did watch it and its a your typical prehistoric animal being re-awakened & consuming everything living in its path.