Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Schlock fans might enjoy., November 19, 2002
I was in a schlocky mood last night, so I decided to catch Arachnid, which had a premise that sounded like schlocky fun. Well, I was about right. The movie's never really suspenseful or exciting, but it has enough icky moments and man vs. spider action to make it a watchable timewaster.The story is about as silly as you'd expect, with a stealth fighter crashing into a spaceship, which crashlands on a small island. We actually get a brief glimpse at an alien that flickers in and out of transparency. Then it's killed by a giant spider. What the movie never makes clear is the spider's origin. Was it mutated by the spacecraft crash somehow, or was it on board the ship and was freed by the crash? Anyway, an expedition is formed to investigate a virus that came from that island. As a precaution, lots of guns are brought along, and you can sort of guess what happens from there. I've always had a soft spot for horror films set on desolated jungle islands (Zombie, anyone?), so it's natural my curiosity would get the best of me with this film eventually. Arachnid was about on par with my expectations; basically, the story, acting, and direction are mostly second-rate, but the movie is sometimes enjoyable if you're in the right B-movie mood. And to director Jack Sholder's credit, he does try to use the island setting to as much of his advantage as possible. The action scenes are pretty standard, which is a little surprising considering this is helmed by the man who gave us The Hidden, which had some fine action sequences. There's a lot of running around, getting stuck in webbing, and a few gun battles, but nothing spectacular by a long shot. The effects are surprisingly not bad for a straight-to-video release. The giant spider is somewhat convincing, even if it only makes basic movements. Most of the effects appear animatronic, and I don't really recall much in the way of the CGI, barring the opening, of course. The performances are nothing very notable, with Alex Reid coming off extremely annoying as the cocky pilot. Looking at the way she's dressed, it's obvious the filmmakers were aiming for some Tomb Raider parallels. Personally, I would have switched lead roles between her and Neus Asensi, who delivers a much better performance, and it doesn't hurt that she's hot, as well. Probably the only other actor worthy of note is Rasil Isyanov as a spider expert. Arachnid is pretty much by-the-book. You know what you're getting if you actually decide to watch it, so to be disappointed by anything less would be rather foolish. Hey, the movie turned out to be slightly better (or a better way to put it would be more enjoyable) than I thought it would be.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cheese filled fun!, August 28, 2005
Once again I find myself in the unenviable position of having to write a review about a creature gone amok movie. Well, not really "unenviable" since I covertly enjoy watching filmmakers try, and ultimately fail, to replicate the success of Spielberg's "Jaws" some thirty years after that movie arrived on theater screens. Show me a DVD case with a picture of a shark, spider, insect, snake, or assorted other beastie looming large over a gaggle of frightened humans and I'm there with bells on. Really. I can't seem to get enough of these cheesy films. I don't even bother reading the plot synopsis anymore; it's straight to the checkout line with membership card in hand followed by a rapid retreat to the homestead for a quick viewing. Of course, these films don't scare me anymore. In fact, I doubt that they ever did. I watch them in order to laugh myself silly at the onscreen shenanigans, the cardboard cutout yet archetypical characters, and generous heapings of gore. So here we go again, if you're willing to ride along with me, as I attempt to put together a coherent review of Jack Sholder's 2001 movie "Arachnid." Thanks for coming along!
"Arachnid" opens with an extraterrestrial event, namely some mysterious craft hovering out over the ocean examining wildlife or something. The craft is tricked out in some sort of camouflage so mere earthlings can't see it, but the pilot of a stealth plane runs into it anyway and both vehicles promptly crash on a remote island. Both pilots survive long enough to fall prey to some sort of gigantic spider beastie. The end. O.k., not really. Then the movie moves ahead some time to an airfield where the sister of the aforementioned pilot, a chick named Mercer (Alex Reid), learns from local doctors that some downright sinister shenanigans are unfolding on a nearby island. One thing leads to another--or something like that--and soon a team of disparate souls heads off to the island to launch an investigation. Mercer agrees to fly the plane (she wants to find her brother), and she's joined by a military guy named Valentine (Chris Potter), Dr. Samuel Leon (Jose Sancho), his sidekick Susana (Neus Asensi), a spider scientist named Henry Capri (Ravil Issyanov), Bear (Rocqueford Allen), and a bunch of other cannon fodder types. Sure enough, Mercer's plane crashes on the same island we saw in the introduction. Who cares how they get there, though, as long as the killing starts. Unfortunately, we have to wait awhile.
All these dolts start trooping around the jungle looking for a native village. Sholder and company toss in a bunch of false scares, like Mercer's leg caught in a hole, to keep our spirits up until the sauce starts to flow. Fortunately, disaster strikes when one of Valentine's compatriots falls prey to some sort of tick that burrows its way deep into his body. Ouch! It's only the beginning, however, as our cast of characters soon learn that the whole island is crawling with unpleasant things. Take the tick, for example. Once the group finds the native village--deserted, predictably enough--the little beastie decides to dig its way out of this poor schlep's body. From here on out the deaths come fast and furious. The spider shows up and wreaks bloody havoc on several members of the group, spinning these huge, sticky webs drenched in some sort of nerve killing agent. "Arachnid" rapidly devolves into a series of shoot 'em up encounters with the nasty things on the island as the diminishing band of survivors tries to survive. The spider itself makes a last stand in a cave in a series of scenes so cheesy as to defy description. It's fun!
And it really is a lot of fun, despite the number of flaws displayed for all to see. I liked most of the characters, surprisingly, especially the spider scientist. Here's a guy remarkably devoted to his scientific endeavors, so much so that he records a running commentary concerning his own unfortunate demise. A Nobel winner in the making! The gore in "Arachnid" works, too. That tick scene is definitely gross and head and shoulders above a lot of what you'll see in flicks like this one. Just as there is good here, however, there is also bad. Special effects, especially CGI effects, are tough to carry off with a low budget, and nowhere is this more apparent than in "Arachnid." The opening scenes involving the extraterrestrial craft reek of cheese, as do the situations with the spider in the cave. It's so obvious--painfully, avert your eyes to avoid the shame obvious--that they just laid an image of the spider over the film and left it at that. Oh well. Everyone associated with the film must have known this sucker wasn't going to pull in big bucks at the theater (if it had a theatrical run). They probably relied on people like me to rent it for a night. Who cares where the money comes from as long as it's green, right?
Extras consist of a trailer, production notes, and a photo gallery. A commentary track would actually be a nice addition considering that the director, Jack Sholder, has quite the reputation in the horror/science fiction field for lensing "The Hidden." How he went from that picture to stuff like "Arachnid" is, unfortunately, not that rare of an occurrence in Tinseltown. The answer comes in two parts: a guy's gotta eat, and it's far better to direct schlock like this film than it is to go out and find a real job. Anyway, you'll watch "Arachnid" if you're a creature feature lover like me. If not, you won't. Simple, isn't it?
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
ALONG CAME A SPIDER..., June 24, 2002
This is simply a bad movie. This creature feature genre of film has been better done by others. This one is almost painful to watch. Each minute of running time seems like hours. The premise is simple. Aliens from another planet land on a remote island. One manages to infect some of the insects on the island with its DNA, causing them to mutate in some unknown way. The island's native population starts to die off. Concerned doctors fly to the island, accompanied by some guerilla soldiers, to check up on the health of the natives, only to crash land on the island and find that they are too late to help its inhabitants. Moreover, an electro-magnetic field blankets the island, cutting off communication with the outside world. It then becomes a struggle for survival, as all become prey for the giant killer spiders, as well as other mutated insects, that dot the island. This is a film with the screenplay from hell. Poorly plotted with sub plots that defy logic, much of the film consists of the various disposable characters doing something stupid, which results in their getting killed in some noxious way. The cheesy, stilted dialogue is third rate, as is the acting and special effects. Quite frankly, I do not know whether the actors will survive the release of this film. They must now be in South America undergoing plastic surgery, so as to avoid affiliation with this film and get a fresh start. The director must be claiming demonic possession as the sole reason for having done this film. There can be no other explanation. If you want a creature feature with some pizazz, as well as laughs, see the low budget flick, "Empire of the Ants", starring Joan Collins.
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