Food of the Gods II (1989)

Absolutely brilliant

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Lots of human error adds up to one colossal mess in this follow-up (rather than true sequel) to the 1976 film adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The Food of the Gods". A growth hormone, initially used on produce, is injected into one rat, and the effects spread to other rats, which all develop a taste for human flesh after they become giants. The monstrous rodents then terrorize a college campus.Almost all of the human characters are stupid beyond belief, so ones' instincts will be to side with the rats and enjoy watching these people become rat chow. Written by Richard Bennett & E. Kim Brewster, and directed by Damian Lee, "Food of the Gods II" is so uproariously idiotic that you have to believe that these filmmakers were definitely going for tongue in cheek. The dialogue is dumb, the characters are insipid, and the movie utterly devoid of anything resembling suspense. But the good news is that this is quite violent and gory, and people will laugh in appreciation and approval at the hideous demises on display. The music by Dennis Haines & Stephen W. Parsons is pretty absurd at times, adding to the comical feel.Among the highlights: a subplot about a giant kid (Sean Mitchell), a memorable nightmare sequence, and the riotous climax where the rats run amok during the grand opening of the colleges' brand spanking new sports complex, disrupting some synchronized swimming.Paul Coufos ("The Lost Empire", "Chopping Mall"), who somewhat resembles Jeff Fahey, makes the mistake of taking himself too seriously, while at least some of the others here know they're performing in utter schlock and deliver goofy performances (like that priceless janitor Zeke (David Koyle)). And the lovely Lisa Schrage, the villainess of "Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II", is on hand to play the leading lady. Prominent Canadian actors Colin Fox ("Daylight") and Jackie Burroughs ("The Dead Zone") are among the supporting cast.Quite entertaining, provided that you know what to expect and enjoy this sort of thing to begin with.Seven out of 10.

A undeniably cheap, offbeat and trashy unrelated sequel to Bert I. Gordon's (Mr B.I.G) original 1976 film of H.G Wells 'The Food of the Gods' (which I haven't seen) sees a growth hormone accidentally transform a horde of rats into giant man-eating rodents that feed there way through a college campus. Those who love b-grade madness, gooey FX (with a splendid, if pointless melting scene) and graphically cheesy gore will have a field day. The fanatical rat attacks are unpleasant… that you'll find them irksome or laughable. While quite wonky (boom mike appearing at times and there's a scene where you can clearly see the FX dude in the corner of picture doing his thing), it was still better made than you would think. The script while serious, does take time out to add many tongue-in-cheek and blackly humorous distractions (which sometimes feels off-balanced) and this perfectly makes light of the situation. Still it's filled with stupidity and we end up with an abrupt open-ending (I'm sure a sequel was in mind) of a sub-plot (involving a young boy being injected with the growth hormone and College Professor Neil Hamilton being asked to help find a cure to stop the uncontrollable growth by use of experiments) that starts of proceedings, and is the main reason for the rat mayhem to occur and when it centres back on this angle, it glazes over it despite probably being more interesting than the rat chaos. Damien Lee's conventional direction remains assured and snappy enough. The electronic score while one-note is moodily pitched amongst a fitting campus setting and the soundtrack has a spunky embrace. Performances are largely forgettable, but in the end acceptable from the likes of Paul Coufos, Colin Fox, Karen Hines, Frank Pellegrino, Robert Kennedy, Michael Copeman and the beautiful Lisa Schrage with her piercing blue eyes. Also you got Jackie Borroughs showing up as the ill-fated professor. I found it fun the first time I watched it, and it's the same on this occasion.

~Spoiler~When I found out that there was a sequel made to The Food of the Gods some 13 years later, I thought it was one of those cases where someone had made a movie about giant rats and coincidentally owned the rights to use the title. But, believe it or not, Gnaw: Food of the Gods II actually stays pretty true to its goofy predecessor. If you remember the ending of the original, the possibility of giant children was threatened. Well, fear not, Gnaw delivers on the giant children promise; well, one giant child anyway. The important thing is that it's the best giant child actor of all time. It's not the dialogue the kid gets to say so much that made me laugh out loud, but the way he delivers it. Seriously some of the best line delivery ever. The scientists trying to find a cure for the child accidentally use lab rats which grow out of control and start feeding on students and faculty around a privately owned college campus. Another funny thing is in the scene involving the creation of the titular food where the music wholeheartedly rips off the Trioxin theme from Return of the Living Dead...but with a crappy synthesizer. The film also has one of the most hysterical and bizarre sex scenes that doesn't feature Rudy Ray Moore. It's just one of those things that must be seen. The film is bad, but like the original it made me giggle and kept me entertained. It's probably the best movie about giant rats who terrorize a synchronized swimming event only to be brutally gunned down by the police in a scene that rivals the sheer intensity of the finale to Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. Okay, just kidding about The Wild Bunch.

This movie stinks but I'd like to bring up a scene that comes to mind. The climactic set piece involves giant rats terrorizing a synchronized swimming display commemorating the grand opening of the college swimming pool (that was a mouthful!). The rats come out, people start freaking out and all hell breaks loose. At some point, an armed guard (or a cop, I can't remember) loses his gun and one of the spectators picks it up and starts firing blindly into the crowd, trying to hit the rats but hitting people instead. This scene stands out because it leaves you slack-jawed with disbelief at just how ridiculous this movie can get. The rest of the movie itself is just plain stupid. I don't recommend this movie but I wont give it a complete zero. Rating 1/2* out of *****.