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Killer Rats
Killer Rats (2003)
A truly bad film
10 November 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I'm trying to think of something good to say about Rats, but it's very difficult. Okay, Ron Perlman wasn't too bad but he was underused to a criminal extent and I wonder why he even appeared in this dreck.

The special effects wouldn't have looked convincing in the 80's so for a movie released in 2003 they're almost unbearable. The acting isn't good either, but it's mostly the abysmal story that drags this movie down to 2 stars.

------------spoiler ahead-------------------

It suffers from a barely comprehensible plot line that includes a man who has a telepathic link to rats due to being bitten by one as a child and the much-used 'secret scientific experiments' that resulted in the smart and oversize rats. The rats in Princess Bride were just as big but looked 100 times as real and were used for a comic effect; in Rats they are only funny unintentionally.

This isn't even worth watching for free on cable, although it is fairly gory so if that's something you enjoy then there's something for you at least.
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The Keep
The Keep (1983)
Worst adaptation of a book EVER!
6 August 2003
I actually had somewhat fond memories of this show from it's 1983 release in theaters, so when it was shown tonight on a movie channel I was excited to see it. I really enjoyed F. Paul Wilson's inter-related series of horror novels, of which this is the first, and I'd looked for the movie online and for sale used. Now I wonder why.

It's only resemblance to the movie is the titular Keep, character names and setting and one or two plot points. The book is superior to this dreck in every concievable way and the saddest thing is that it made certain they'll never film the rest of this series of books. The acting was roundly bad, the audio was inaudible so I had to use sub-titles and even then it didn't make much sense. The effects weren't too bad considering the year it was made but they're nothing by today's standards.

All in all, not worth the price of a free viewing.
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Intensity
Intensity (1997 TV Movie)
Good performances in a good adaptation
9 September 2002
Warning: Spoilers
The book Intensity was a gripping Koontz novel and the movie manages to capture the pathos of Chyna and her struggle against the evil serial killer Edgler. It isn't too graphic but it is too intense for younger kids, as Edgler is scarier (to me at least) than most similar characters. Molly Parker's performance as Chyna is very good but John McGinley is excellent as the very dangerous and cunning killer. The girl who plays Ariel is very cute and manages to be endearing in spite of having almost no lines at all.

After trying to track Edgler for so long, the cop is killed off immediately upon meeting his prey, which I found as frustrating in the book as it is in the movie. It leaves it up to Chyna to save herself and Ariel, but why put so much effort into a character who will ultimately mean nothing to resolving the plot. This ranks up there with Servants of the Twilight as an adaptation, but I didn't like it as much as Phantoms.
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The Puppet Masters
The Puppet Masters (1994)
10/10
Excellent adaptation of a great book!
3 October 2001
I strongly disagree with many of the other reviews of this film. It is a very faithful adaptation (given Hollywood's history of adapting for the screen), and one of my favorite movies. It is not entirely faithful, i.e. Operation Bareback (which I would have enjoyed) was forgone, probably due to the mass nudity that it would entail. The love interest, the storyline and the characters were very close to the novel. Some criticize it as a ripoff of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but the novel actually pre-dates that work, so who copied from whom? The scope of the movie was scaled back and little mention was made of landings and conflicts in other countries, but this may be due to editing exigencies. The aliens are suitably creepy as my wife will agree, as she still refuses to watch it again, and it manages without the gore of many similar movies, although it is rather violent.

Compared to another recent Heinlein adaptation, Starship Troopers, this film was much truer to the author's original work and is a thrilling and thoughtful treat. Sadly, it looks like no sequel will be forthcoming to carry the battle to the moons of Saturn.
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Bless the Child
Bless the Child (2000)
10/10
A great movie
23 October 2000
I can't believe the overall rating for this flick is so low. This was a great movie that worked on every level, acting, script, dialogue, fx, pacing, action...

Definitely the best apocalyptic movie I've seen in years. At least several times better that End of Days (sorry Arnold, I'm still a fan, though).
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