Monster! (1999)

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Well, it's easy to describe this movie. What Wes Craven's SCREAM was to the slasher-movies, MONSTER! is to monster-movies in general. It's an enjoyable spoof that first explains the rules of the genre and than plays with them. M. Emmet Walsh plays Lloyd Reeves, a local movie-hero who has starred in one too many monster-movie. He gets released from the hospital and his son is there to take care of him for a while. But at that same time teenagers begin to disappear and turn up dead. Lloyd is convinced that a monster is terrorizing the town. A monster which returns every three years. Could that be true, or is Lloyd finally losing it himself? M. Emmet Walsh is a lot of fun as the determined Lloyd Reeves, who constantly refers to his legendary film rolls in monster-movies. It's also fun to see almost everything he predicts, come true (because he knows the rules of the genre). The rest of the cast is decent but rather forgettable. The film moves at a fairly fast pace and is as well a parody on as a homage to the entire monster-genre. The monster, which we do get to see near the end, is a bit silly and made out of pretty bad CGI (think Playstation 1 graphics). But it didn't bother me at all, 'cause this is a spoof after all. And a fun one it is.So, you can easily program this movie as the first of a triple-feature monster-movie night, to lighten up the audience. But you can also watch it on a rainy Sunday afternoon with the kids, since there's no nudity or real violence in it. You can pop open a beer and poor in some hot choco-milk for the kids and than enjoy this silly monster-spoof.

If you want to have some real fun this is just the movie for you. Forget all the stuff you have come to expect in "monster" movies. This was just meant to entertain and that it does. I laughed and laughed (I'm laughing now, thinking about it again.) Go back to the innocent ages from a time that has past and relive a parody of what used to be. The story is great. It has all the right stuff at the right time. The town hero has a job to do and does it well while everyone else thinks he is crazy. It has action, adventure, heart warming family interaction, and romance. While you can usually guess what is coming next, you really can't wait and will end up on the edge of your seat rooting for the good guys or the monster depending on your mind set. Best move I've seen in a long time.

Interesting Sci-Fi/horror flick. A fading veteran of B-movies(M.Emmet Walsh)is signed out of the looney ward by his grandson(Tobias Mehler)who just arrived in town. Grandpa insists that the small town will feel the wrath of a monster's resurgence...just like in the movies. Plenty of gore, but the special effects are lacking. The monster is menacing and strikes fear just with its size...just like in the movies. Also in the cast are: Angela Keep, Bianca Nacson and James Russell. Not a total waste. Season the popcorn with Tabasco and enjoy.

I caught the second half of this film on the SciFi Channel. Bianca Nacson (Susan) seemed to be kissing her boyfriend goodbye in every other scene, and having fun. M. Emmet Walsh knew just the mood to hit for this kind of parody and kept things rolling to the end.Cool car, too. Glad the CGI monster didn't scratch it up.