Skeeter (1993)

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Drake is a greedy mining magnate (Robinson) turning the sleepy rural town of Clear Sky into a prospect, lining the pockets of corrupt local officials in the bargain, until water poisoning results in over-sized mosquitoes sucking the lifeblood out of the locals. Local deputy and part time metal sculptor (Youngs) isn't on Drake's payroll and decides to engage the services of a chemist (Sanderson) to ascertain the cause of the pollution. Naturally, Drake and his cronies try to hinder the process, until finally the mutated "skeeters" become the common nemesis.Despite its disjointed, pedestrian pace, the vast array of familiar faces and corny set-ups are almost redeemable qualities in this otherwise meandering mish-mash. There's some nice photography and amusing dialogue, and the effects aren't so bad they're unwatchable, but continuity is the chief concern, with so many scenes of limited relevance that characters are reduced to cameo appearances (recognizable faces like Pollard, Putch & Flower are virtually bit parts). The primitive tension between goodbye girl Griffith and her former companion Youngs manages to simmer to a gentle boil for one, romantic interlude in the sheds – by candlelight of course. It's one of the hallmarks of the weakly conceived storyline, or its interpretation, that the mood can switch so frequently from scene to scene as it does in this film. In some passages, it seems almost as if the "skeeters" are a sub plot such is their lack of relevance; in reality, the film carries so much peripheral baggage, it can't successfully meld them cohesively. Lots of location work, stunts and pyrotechnics to show off some semblance of a movie budget, but the connective tissue is so malnourished, it's barely alive.So while the cast is attractive (see Trainor & Edwards in all too brief roles), capable (Napier particularly) and with some exceptions sincere in the performances, the fatal lack of connectivity or momentum consigns this one to trash-video status. Not to be avoided at all costs, but don't expect much in return.

At the opening of the film we see a crew storing waste canisters in an old mining compound. We later find that it stores some sort of polluted, toxic substance that increases the size of mosquitoes who frequented it and will threaten the remaining citizens of a sleepy desert community of Clear Sky(I'm guessing in Arizona or New Mexico). Besides the threat of mosquitoes is a land developer named Drake(Jay Robinson)who is paving the way for a future suburbia settlement. Drake wishes for farmers around him to give up their lands, one of those being Clay Crosby(John Goff)whose wife has recently passed and livestock are mysteriously dying off. His daughter, Sarah(Tracy Griffith)returns for the funeral and strikes up a past relationship with Deputy Roy Boone(Jim Youngs, all mullet and muscle..but little real acting skill other than standing tall and stiff)who sees that something's not right in Clear Sky. He calls in geologist Gordon(William Sanderson)to check the water around the area and he soon discovers that what is killing not only the livestock but citizens as well is polluted water. Yet, when he informs his findings to his superior it falls on deaf ears..his superior is in Drake's hip pocket so reporting such an environmental disaster will seemingly prove difficult. What's even worse is Roy's superior, Sheriff Ernie Buckle(Charles Napier)is aware of Drake's crooked ways but turns a blind eye to all his underhanded activities. The polluted water that is killing the livestock and poisoning the citizens was carefully hidden only to Drake and Ernie and somehow Roy must find a way to make things right. Roy will have trouble on his hands as Drake has hired goons who will attempt to take his life.A lot of plot does convolute what is essentially a B-movie creature feature. Some characters are kind of left hanging such as Michael J Pollard's weirdo Hopper, a collector who has this make-shift museum and feeds blood to his pet mutant mosquito. What we kind of forget about is that he has a live one that ISN'T dead. Then we never really get a resolution to villainous Drake, though it is quite clear he might face ruin if those who stand in his way such as Roy and Sarah aren't silenced. Thankfully, Roy has a loyal partner, a Native American named Hank(the reliable Eloy Casados)who sticks by him. The bugs themselves are a bit of a let-down, but expected as such with the low-budget I'm sure the filmmakers were saddled with. The story, though, plays the silly premise almost completely straight and the story about the citizens losing their community slowly to death and change is really sad. The location of the desert around the plot assists the film in my opinion. I'm a fan of "mutant bug" films so I cut this exercise some slack. If you like these sci-fi/horror creature features which came out in the early 90's during the made-for-video boom then this should be a treat. George "Buck" Flower has an amusing cameo as a mosquito victim.

When first told that we would be watching "Skeeter" for our nightly movie-fest, my first reaction was "Oh great, Not another lame low budget horror flick that stars some no name actor and some other leading lady with big breasts and well you know how it goes". Sorry not going to happen with this film my friend! Skeeter had me on the edge of my seat. I was horrified to think that this could really happen. Our government is hauling things up and down our highways every day that could easily morph your average mosquito or scorpion into a huge, human devouring beast. I think Skeeter should be used as an example and shown throughout the world, that if we dont start to take care of our environment, were going to have huge skeeters flying about sucking our life force. Bottom line, if you want to be scared to death, watch this movie.

WARNING: You cannot possibly receive enjoyment from watching this movie! I'm not a very picky viewer and I can usually find enjoyment in the worst of movies, but this movie was atrocious! I cannot find I single good quality about this movie. It's either a horrible attempt at a good movie or a B Horror Movie that went horribly awry. Either way, it's a waste of time and money.