Flu Bird Horror (2008)

disgusting, overrated, pointless

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

"Flu Birds", which aired on TV in 2008 as "Flu Bird Horror", is a low-budget creature-on-the-loose flick about mutant reptilian birds wreaking havoc on a group of juvenile delinquents lost deep in the forest. The birds spread a hideous disease to the people they bite or scratch. The Feds quarantine the hospital that an afflicted hunter is brought to and decide to airstrike the birds, whether the teens are still in the area or not. Meanwhile a ranger and a doctor desperately search for the kids."Flu Birds" combines the delinquents-on-the-run aspect of "The Warriors" with the flying-reptile angle of "Gargoyles" and the skin-eating disease element of "Cabin Fever".Most reviewers tear the film apart. Are their low-ratings and heavy criticisms legitimate or simply a knee-jerk result of these modern Sci-Fi TV flicks being such easy targets? Although some of their criticisms is valid I say "Flu Birds" delivers both as a wild creatures-run-amok flick and as a fascinating human interest tale.As far as the former goes, the reptilian birds are quite effective, in ways reminiscent of the gargoyles in 1972's excellent TV flick "Gargoyles" (the DVD cover completely misrepresents the creatures). One reviewer lambasted the scenes where the birds attack a jeep and helicopter as "inept filmmaking," but I thought they were effectively done. Where's the beef? The sequences depicting the skin-eating disease are well done as well; in fact, the disease is scarier than the birds. Also, there's lots of gore for those who care.In addition to this, the film has a good babes-on-the-run factor with Rebekah Kochan as Lola leading the way. She prances around with denim shorts the entire movie and she's quite pleasing to the eye. But don't get me wrong, the various women in the film do more than just flee in terror -- they lead, they fight, and a couple are doctors.Also, although there's a decidedly comic-book vibe to the proceedings and a few humorous moments, the filmmakers and cast all take the material seriously and evade the rut of camp (with the possible exception of Porky), even though there are some scenes with dubious acting, which is to be expected in low-budget fare like this.Other pluses include the great opening/ending score, as well as spectacular Romanian locations, particularly during the opening credits; post-production was done in Louisiana.However, it's in the realm of human interest that "Flu Birds" scores its highest points.At it's core the movie addresses the conflict of self interest vs. group interest, as another viewer pointed out. The Feds are depicted as ruthless in their drive to extinguish the threat of the birds and the disease they spread. Anyone who gets in the way must simply be destroyed. And who can blame 'em since they are trying to save millions at the cost of a mere handful? The whole is greater than the one, as they say.The teens, all delinquent loners from dysfunctional families, are just starting to learn the importance of sacrifice of the self or the few for the greater good of the many. In fact, the film starts out with them on retreat from juvenile jail to learn the importance of community and the team concept.Johnson, the lead teen played by Jonathon Trent, is reminiscent of James Remar's Ajax in "The Warriors". Although he initially comes off uber-obnoxious and uncaring the viewer can't help but sense something good underneath the surface, not to mention his passion and courage to survive. He possesses a wild, dangerous air and this naturally attracts the blond hottie. It also attracts the allegiance of the other two main guys in the group, Derrick and Gordon (aka 'Hip Hop'), despite the fact that Johnson is extremely tough on both at times. The reason he's tough on them is because it's a life or death situation. And even though the other leader of the group, Eva (Sarah Butler), loathes his seemingly uncaring, selfish nature she's willing to work with him to survive. She also has an epiphany about Johnson at the end. (Sarah Butler, by the way, also plays the lead in the 2010 remake of the infamous "I Spit On Your Grave").The teens face no less than three episodes that present the possibility of sacrifice -- in a tunnel, in a hunter's house in the woods and, lastly, in the tunnel again. In the initial episode the group votes on whether or not to sacrifice the disease-ridden Porky as a diversion for the birds so the rest can escape. Johnson argues that Porky is as good as dead already since he's clearly dying from the disease, but Porky objects. I guess Porky would rather suffer a slow, agonizing death in the lonely darkness of the cave than die a relatively quick death as a diversion so his fellow delinquents might have a chance at surviving. Regardless, notice how the members attitudes contrast Porky's in the two subsequent episodes. It's an interesting study and reveals the teens' positive growth in the crisis.FINAL WORD: Yes, "Flu Birds" has a laughable title and a ridiculous premise, but don't 95% of these Grade-B creature features? Yes, there's some questionable acting and the film has a comic-booky vibe. Regardless, "Flu Birds" entertains and delivers in all the requisite areas as a nature-runs-amok flick, but it's greatness emerges in its study of human nature and self vs. group dynamics.If you can look beneath the Grade-B trappings. "Flu Birds", like "Sasquatch Mountain" (which is better), possesses depth even while it successfully entertains and is therefore worthy of your time and respect.The movie runs 89 minutes.GRADE: B

Charles De Montesquieu once proclaimed - "To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them." Unfortunately - although this contributed to the overall greatness of the film - Johnson was unable to fully grasp this seed of knowledge as the film progressed, leading to the quintessential conflict that truly drove the movie home: self vs group interest. However, before examining the answer, we must first evaluate the question...Are these motivations mutually exclusive, and can an individual's incentive be the same as the groups? The typical response is no; however, after viewing this awesome movie in its entirety, it evidently is not always the case. While Johnson tried to control the group and constantly struggled for power, Ava was trying to survive, and she kept the good of the group - with the obvious exemption of Porky - and its survival as the main focus.Now with this knowledge in your arsenal, re-evaluate the movie under this new light. Johnson did his best to fend off the terrifying birds {side note: the general animation and craftsmanship that went into the creating of these fearsome creatures truly was top notch. My entire family went into shell shock as we first laid eyes on these creatures from hell, and it took almost 10 sessions of therapy before I could get a hold of my new found fear.} and his actions portray a selfless man trying to help others. Once this fundamental pillar of the movie is understood, it even further elevates the rest of the film towards greatness.Hence, it was not a mistake that the teenagers were in fact juveniles, nor was the doctor getting killed a mistake. Many scenes also further lead to the notion that while intentions may very well be good, actions on the other hand clearly are not. The representation of the federal government as being the problem, not the answer, is typically found when looking back over the great movies of the decades, and obviously this movie was no exception. While the juveniles self sacrifice for the good of the group, the feds ruthlessly kill...While the script was capable of allowing a classic, it took the fine actors to achieve this feat. The acting was, frankly speaking, splendid. Everyone did their part, facial expressions spoke to the audience, and little nuances and expressions helped guide the audience through what is often times difficult messages to decode. The casting selection was dead on, and every camera angle was perfect. This was a great film, and I am sure that it will be remembered over the ages. I know that I will never forget it, and the wisdom that is now permanently with me.

Pteriodactl like creatures(..called mutated birds carrying scales), carrying H5N1 viruses that leave those infected with horrifying skin diseases, lead a full assault on juvie kids on a camping trip and their counselor, while also attacking two hunters, killing one while another is rescued by Garrett(Lance Guest;The Last Starfighter), a park ranger who operates within a 200 mile reserve. Dr. Jacqueline Hale(..television veteran, Clare Carey), a former flame of Garrett's, discovers that her patient, the hunter attacked, with a large gash on his neck she stitches, is carrying a variant on the Avian flu which renders the victims infected doomed. This virus is caught through the blood stream and a possible pandemic could arise if the birds carrying it aren't destroyed. Enter a government response team who quarantine the hospital which contains the infected victim and those within it besides Garrett and Hale who hop in his jeep and seek after the teenagers caught somewhere in the middle of the reserve, their counselor dead after being ripped apart by the predatory birds. Soon a SWAT team, along with biological agents are sent in to find the birds resulting in a massacre. Meanwhile, we follow the teens as they combat the birds and each other, hoping to stay alive long enough for Garrett to find them.While the CGI and prosthetic work for the birds is pathetic, there's some pretty potent gore involved in this "animals attack" movie, particularly the icky skin diseases that evolve after those harmed by the birds become infected. The most gory moments in the movie show victims being torn into by the birds, gaping, bloody flesh wounds as those attacked scream out in horror. The birds themselves aren't the least bit convincing which might result in unintentional giggles. The plot arrangement for the kids being pursued is similar to the killer bear movie, "Grizzly Park", where juveniles, a group of kids who have broken the law, are given a chance to unify in a cause, learning to work together in an environment as a means of reform. These kids, except maybe the brave, good-hearted, and ultimately resourceful Ava(Sarah Butler), are a loathsome group, particularly Johnson(Jonathon Trent), who is a selfish punk, sacrificing those(..including two who are attacked by the birds, leaving them to die as a means to distract the winged monster while he can get away)that would get in the way of his survival. Johnson has an ugly soul and he barks orders, always threatening those around him with hostile intent if they do not obey him. The decision to make him into a hero my journey's end is laughable when one considers his many despicable acts during the course of the film. Good decision to make Butler the central heroine, because she has a morality and strength that is needed when you look at the others she stuck with. The poor fat kid named Porky has quite a ghastly fate and how he's dealt with so that the others can escape leaves quite a bad taste. I'm not sure this is a ringing endorsement, but Flu Bird Horror(..just the title has me chuckling)could be one of Leigh Scott's better movies! Flu Bird Horror is typical Sci-fi channel fare I'm sure will be making it's rounds for some time to come.

A film about giant birds that become infected with a deadly virus that turns them into vicious killers, that attacks a group of juveniles who try their best to fend of the birds.If you check out a DVD called flu birds and you read the synopsis, and expect to see a work of art, than its better you stick to mainstream titles because this film is not a work of art, it is a Sci-Fi channel original movie directed by Leigh Scott, known for directing a few films for Asylum, and basically I thought this movie was a lot of fun, I could sit back and just chill while I watched a bunch of people being chased by bird flu carrier pigeons on steroids, and the scene in the beginning with the hunters being attacked by the birds and the one guy runs off instead of trying to shoot the birds, I actually saw a similar thing in a movie about a killer bear, and it got better ratings, plus I can name a few other films that have better ratings that sucked way more than this.Overall, like I said on my comment I posted on Transmorphers, there's different standards between mainstream and low budget, straight to DVD and in this case made for Sci-Fi channel movies.