WARNING: THIS FILM IS NOT A CLASSIC!!
From the sublime (Bradbury, Spielberg, etc.) to the ridiculous (but with a bit of fun)...
Written and Directed by Gregory Gieras.
Starring... no one in particular; a couple of the leads have worked in previous films, but for several, this is their first starring role.
Judged strictly from the storyline, this film is certainly nothing to rave about. Seven twenty-somethings (acting as if they were fifteen-somethings) with lotsa money take go on a spelunking/caving batchelor party in India of all places. The cave has been used as a toxic waste dump by Indian officials, and the chemicals have caused one type of cave critter -- centipede -- to mutate and grown huge (did you ever see a critter flick where the critter mutates and grows smaller?). After a lengthy introduction of the characters where we learn that the future groom and one of the girls was, ahem, an item in their past lives; that one of the crew is a sadsack wimp with a back problem who is a target of derision by other "pals." Viewers never do learn where all these children came together in the first place, but it doesn't really make any difference. This is a standard bug-eats-'em one-by-one storyline with marginal special effects.
And yet...
Sometimes these low-budget critter flicks actually possess a bit of charm that overcomes the bad acting, poor script, and cheesy effects. One notable example of a direct-to-video critter flick that entertained me waaaayyy beyond expectations was Arachnid (2001), directed by Jack "The Hidden" Sholder. Centipede is not that good, but... it is the first combination critter/Bollywood flick I've come across, and the Indian cast members were unique, funny, and totally in character (when I could understand what they were saying). This film was shot entirely in Hyderabad, India, using American actors as leads, and Indian actors as supporting characters. As I watched the film, I hoped that was the case, and that it wasn't just another cynical low-budget critter flick that picked India as the location cover for Bronson Canyon. For some strange reason, I was well and truly pleased that Bollywood could produce a cheesy monster movie. And for that reason alone, I had more fun with this picture than I thought.
No, it ain't great art. But it's no gorefest replete with nudity and profanity; body count is fairly low, and the deaths-by-centipede occur in the dark without mouths gushing blood. No sex, but the two young ladies look very fine. One f-bomb in the entire film; given the adolescent and antagonistic nature of all the "friends," I would have expected more.
... Reed
From the sublime (Bradbury, Spielberg, etc.) to the ridiculous (but with a bit of fun)...
Written and Directed by Gregory Gieras.
Starring... no one in particular; a couple of the leads have worked in previous films, but for several, this is their first starring role.
Judged strictly from the storyline, this film is certainly nothing to rave about. Seven twenty-somethings (acting as if they were fifteen-somethings) with lotsa money take go on a spelunking/caving batchelor party in India of all places. The cave has been used as a toxic waste dump by Indian officials, and the chemicals have caused one type of cave critter -- centipede -- to mutate and grown huge (did you ever see a critter flick where the critter mutates and grows smaller?). After a lengthy introduction of the characters where we learn that the future groom and one of the girls was, ahem, an item in their past lives; that one of the crew is a sadsack wimp with a back problem who is a target of derision by other "pals." Viewers never do learn where all these children came together in the first place, but it doesn't really make any difference. This is a standard bug-eats-'em one-by-one storyline with marginal special effects.
And yet...
Sometimes these low-budget critter flicks actually possess a bit of charm that overcomes the bad acting, poor script, and cheesy effects. One notable example of a direct-to-video critter flick that entertained me waaaayyy beyond expectations was Arachnid (2001), directed by Jack "The Hidden" Sholder. Centipede is not that good, but... it is the first combination critter/Bollywood flick I've come across, and the Indian cast members were unique, funny, and totally in character (when I could understand what they were saying). This film was shot entirely in Hyderabad, India, using American actors as leads, and Indian actors as supporting characters. As I watched the film, I hoped that was the case, and that it wasn't just another cynical low-budget critter flick that picked India as the location cover for Bronson Canyon. For some strange reason, I was well and truly pleased that Bollywood could produce a cheesy monster movie. And for that reason alone, I had more fun with this picture than I thought.
No, it ain't great art. But it's no gorefest replete with nudity and profanity; body count is fairly low, and the deaths-by-centipede occur in the dark without mouths gushing blood. No sex, but the two young ladies look very fine. One f-bomb in the entire film; given the adolescent and antagonistic nature of all the "friends," I would have expected more.
... Reed
