Reviews

I don't even know where to start with this one. It's a terrible film on so many levels, rather tedious in its execution, but you somehow don't want to take your eyes off it. This is low-budget cheese for fans of that type of stuff.

I knew I was in for a treat when the opening credits roll through. You basically see a handful or less of male names in the credits, but about 25 women's names. Some of them were along the lines of "Syn Devil". I was starting to think this was actually a porn. As it turns out, I guess a lot of these women actually do porn for their day jobs.

This takes place in the future, where evidently the only humans alive are those who are female, skanky, and have massive breasts. Is this "the future" or is this "heaven"? I'll let you decide.

Anyway, you got a robot psycho who goes on a killing spree. All these women get hacked up in various gory ways. The gore itself is pretty cheesy, but passable for a laugh. On the psycho's tail is a robot detective and his buddy.

A massive robot sword fight takes place, and I"m pretty sure it's the greatest thing I've ever witnessed. You gotta see it to believe it.

I applaud the camera man in this film. I've never seen a movie where there are so many pointless shots of the outside of buildings. I think one building in particular has about 20 shots of it. Seems like every time somebody is talking, the camera MUST show the building they are in, haha.

I don't know what else I can say. If you'd read this far, you'd probably already made up your mind whether or not you'll want to watch this one. Just be prepared for a lot of cheese, a lot of boobs, a lot of retarded-looking robot puppets, an excellent swordfight, and a lot of amateur looking gore.

There is really nothing out there like this one. Check it out!

I'm giving it 2 stars for the SFX.

In a nutshell, this film is horrible. I know there's plenty of fan boys that are up in arms that the critics "don't know a good movie" and whatnot. The reality is that this really isn't a good movie. It would be a gigantic stretch to even call this "film" tolerable.

It's 2.5 hours of explosions, screaming, and running. In between that, you have HORRENDOUS "comic relief" that would only tickle the funny bone of a 10yr old. Plot? Who cares. The point is to see robots fighting each other right? There is no plot, only an ending to set up another sequel. Even a 1-900 # psychic could see that coming.

If you like shaky cameras, horrible dialog, 150 minutes of plot holes, fight scenes where you can't make out who's hitting who, elementary school jokes, no appealing characters, hugely annoying characters, and wasting money...then this is the film for you! There is absolutely no excuse as to why this film is 2 and a half hours. I wouldn't have been so hard on it if it was 90 minutes. It would still be a terrible wretched piece of cinema, but at least it wouldn't have taken up the majority of my Saturday afternoon.

I decided to purchase the film before seeing it. It was a "blind buy". was it worth it? Yes. That's not to say that the film isn't without it's faults however.

The story (like many people have already said) is somewhat confusing. I'm not going to go into the basic plot of the film, because you can look that up yourself...lol. I'll tell you that the plot IS interesting though, if maybe a tad to complex for it's own good.

I'm just going to point out what i liked and didn't like, so that you'll be able to make a decision on whether or not the film would be worth your time.

The effects were OK. This is obviously a low budget flick. That being said, there were only a couple really cheesy effects. Of course, the main gimmick is the whole "heads with spider legs" thing, and that's pulled off pretty well for the most part. I gotta say, they do look pretty creepy and some of them shoot large tongues out their mouths (reminded me of Uzumaki to a certain degree).

The film doesn't really know if it's serious or slapstick. Now by slapstick, i don't mean there's scenes like you'd see in "the naked gun" or movies of that type however. One of the main characters runs around with quirky inventions made of household items. he carries a can of aerosol spray that evidently the goblins don't like. There's a lot of tongue in cheek events and scenes in this one...but there's some good horror elements as well.

in fact, there's actually quite a few scenes that gave me goosebumps. there was also 2 or 3 moments where i actually jumped a little bit. it's just too bad that it seems like the last 3/4's of the film loses the "horror edge" and makes the film seem like a bad Japanese Indiana Jones ripoff in comparison to what we see earlier in the film.

Oh yeah, there's some pretty violent scenes in this as well. so if you aren't a fan of gore and blood...then this might turn you off. however, the violence isn't "shocking" or anything that would upset the squeamish.

The premise is interesting, but i honestly think this would have been a much better flick if it was straight horror...and dropped the goofy comedic tone found in many scenes. Overall though, it's a pretty fun ride...and there's really not much out there that has the feel the film has. I'm a big time horror fan, and it floats my boat and was worth the blind purchase.

RATING: 7/10

Much better than i expected. I first saw this film on one of those boring rainy days where you end up sitting in front of the TV channel surfing. i stopped while this was on. needless to say, i watched the whole thing and totally enjoyed it.

it's very funny at times, and the plot is hilarious! some of the comedy is slapstick and some of it isn't...but it's all good. give it a rent and you won't be disappointed. i just picked up the DVD for 9.99 and i'm glad i did.

yeahhhhhhhhhhh yeah yeah!

(sorry, i need ten lines before i could post a comment)

I loved this flick. I love everything (almost everything) about it. This is an action film, and the action is almost non-stop...which is a good thing. This is a van damme movie, seeing as how his movies are not good (from a critic's standpoint), then it should make that up somehow correct? it does. the action scenes dealing with both fancy martial arts moves and gun-play are VERY well done. John Woo's directorial efforts turn out a winner of an action film.

Lance Henricksen is also great as the "bad guy". Very well done Lance, great portrayal.

RATING: 8.5/10

wow. this is an "action movie" with Van Damme that is based on a FIGHTING GAME for home video game consoles.

Sounds like it could be pretty cool huh? wrong. where's the action anyways? there's a couple of fight scenes in the film, but nothing is even close to impressive.

Isn't the reason WE (van damme fans) watch films like this for the fighting? So much potential, but the film would rather wallow around in the cheesiest plot line ever...as opposed to giving fans a lot of kick ass fight scenes.

The film attempts to throw a bunch of the popular video game characters into the film, if only to have them in there and nothing else. It was a tremendous letdown to see the character "Vega" turn into such a wimp. Vega didn't even do much fighting either...very disappointing.

The bright spots are Raul Julia's character, "M Bison". Although, its a sad film for such a great actor to leave on (RIP). There's also some humorous moments (intentionally) that made me chuckle, but those moments also took away from the film at the same time.

CLIFF NOTES: hardly any real action, mostly some cheesy gun battles. when the fight scenes did happen, they weren't anything impressive...especially since most of them DIDN'T have van damme in them. The film gets stuck in trying to make a plot and throw as many characters from the popular video game into the mix. This doesn't even seem like a van damme movie, now that i think about it. where's the van damme fightings?!?!?!?! RATING: 3/10

I heard many bad reviews on this film, but i decided to "blind buy" it on DVD anyways (only five bucks).

The story is cheesy, but different than the usual van damme fare. The setting was great, and some of the locations that the makers shot at were amazing to see. The action was great as well, and there were plenty of fight scenes to keep us van damme fans satisfied. after all, the fight scenes are what van damme fans are looking for in the first place, right? the fighting was well done, and van damme gives you all the classic kicks you can think of. For a DTV van damme action flick, you can do MUCH worse. I put in the movie expecting nothing, but after it ended, i had a smile.

RATING: 7/10

My rating isn't based on the very high critics' views, but is based on the fact that this is yet another seagal action flick.

I had no expectations when i made a "blind buy" purchase on DVD. I of course expected some martial arts work by seagal, but that's something that should be expected in any of his films (much like one would expect lots of killing in a Friday the 13th horror film).

The action scenes were well done, but i found myself enjoying everything else the movie had even more. this may sound odd, as seagal movies typically don't offer anything more than some fight scenes and a paper thin plot.

The characters and the setting were what really made me want to watch. It's a seagal film, but it takes place in a small country town. the soundtrack is county and the whole film screams "country" (until the fight scenes kick in). Something new and fresh, and i admire that.

As a whole, the film was much better than expected because it's different than a lot of action films that take place in the city and whatnot. this film had heart, and even though seagal can't act with emotion too well, you can still notice that this film is better than average for what it is.

RATING: 7/10

Everything about the movie screams "average". i believe that the only reason the film manages to stay average and doesn't dip into "sub-par" is because of the cast.

Snipes isn't intense enough, and you never really feel his emotions that he REALLY wants to get "the bad guys". Hopper doesn't seem evil enough to be a bad guy. Hopper's sidekick in the film is the most "evil", and even he isn't really THAT much of a bad guy, but is more or less duped into doing Hopper's work for him.

The film is a typical revenger flick. Snipe's partner in the force is killed and Snipes of course trys to bring whoever did it down. There's no intensity though, as the film moves slowly and there really isn't much action.

The plot twists aren't here...as there aren't any. this is a typical bare bones cop movie, but without any gun play or raw emotions to make it any more exciting than the usual fair. The big name cast saves this flick...saves it from being horrible, and makes it only average and watchable, but nothing more.

RATING: 4.5/10

First off...i cannot describe how OFFENDED I am. This movie was such a terrible letdown, that it makes Freddy VS Jason seem like Star Wars (allthough Freddy VS Jason really wasn't a bad movie for what it was).

Lets see, you take two of the top sci-fi creatures EVER and put them together to fight? Sounds awesome huh? That's where the phrase, "sounds too good to be true" comes into play.

I simply don't understand how by mixing two sci-fi legends (aliens and predators) which span from a total of 6 R-Rated films ends up with the result being a PG-13 Rated kiddie fest full of CG and unintentional comedy.

Alien, Aliens, Predator, and Predator 2 were great sci-fi/action type films. I never enjoyed the last two Alien films though, but 4 for 6 isn't bad at all when you're talking about sci-fi movies.

After readin in Fangoria (Paul Andersen interview), i got pretty excited hearing all the ideas. Paul was talking about decapitations, chest bursting, lots of goo and blood. When the film hits theaters it becomes a watered down kids movie? NOT COOL for the fans.

The lack of quality blood/gore isn't the only problem here either. We've been watching Predator go toe to toe against marines and Arnold along with drug lords in LA. He shows NO MERCY. All of the sudden in AVP, we get a predator with a "soft spot" in his heart for a female human and they "save the day" together....awww, isn't that cute? SOMEBODY SHOOT ME.

CLASSIC.........bad movie. It does all the things that critics would laugh at and more. It has bad acting, and a lame story. However, it's a lot of fun for those of you that enjoy lazy afternoon cheeseball films (such as myself).

The best scene has to be the slow motion shot of Chuck Norris emerging from the swamp water with a rifle letting rounds off and keeping a "stone face"...hahahaha.

Oh wow, how i love this movie. You really cannot argue a movie's credibility with a powerhouse lead actor such as Chuck Norris.

RATING: 8/10 - Because it's an entertaining bad movie...great for those times when you're bored out of your mind on a rainy day.

Kick ass movie. Starts off fast and has a great opening scene (very original and well done opening scene by the way). It's what horror movies are supposed to be...fun. Chopping Mall is one helluva fun flick to sit back and enjoy.

Does it have great acting? NO. Does it have a great plot? NO. Does it have great special effects? NO. Does it have killer robots? YES. Does it have a well done exploding head scene? YES. Does it have boobies? YES.

...If you're the type of person that cares about the last group of those questions, then this is the film for you. It's a very cheesy (but watchable) horror flick that never gets boring.

Recommended for horror fans.

RATING: 7/10

Pros: -Security robots saying lines like "have a nice day" after they kill -Awesome exploding head scene -Takes place in a shopping mall which is always a neat idea -Boobies -Classic 80's "teens" (played by 20 something adults) -Fast pace that doesn't let up

Cons: -Cheesy (this could be a Pro as well) -Not enough blood/gore for me -Plot holes -Script -Average acting

This is one of my alltime favorites of the horror genre! A great movie to watch.

What i like about this movie is the underlying drug related messages throughout. It's like watching requiem for a dream almost in that drug-related sense.

I don't need to tell much about the plot, since i'm sure many have already explained it.

I am a hardcore horror fan through and through, and i will just say that this movie rocks. It's got a great and interesting story, some awesome gore scenes and some hilarious comedy as well. It's not scary, but it is a gory, funny, bizarre, and original movie that isn't even close to being like anything else out there...you gotta see it to believe it.

10 out of 10 (based on a horror fan's review)

I really love this flick. It's cheesy, full of gore, has comedy (some intentional, and some unintentional), and cool low budget monster effects.

In other words, it's fun. horror movies are supposed to be fun. they are supposed to entertain us horror fans. this movie is very entertaining.

Made with a shoestring budget, it uses it's budget quite well and at least it wasn't "shot on video" (technique using a camcorder to make films).

The gore is kickin. You get peeled off skin, decapitations, bites, limbs chewed off, and more.

It is a unique film, and a great standout scene includes the monster's "babys" (they look like mean tadpoles with teeth) attack an old folk's home. totally funny stuff seeing a retirement home go into chaos.

If i were an actual film critic, i'd score this movie 4 out of 10. I'm not a film critic though, i'm a hardcore horror fan. Therefore, i'm giving this film a 9 out of 10. It's really one of my favorites because it's just no frills fun...and a great watch with your buddies when you're bored and want to kick back some beers.

NOTE: SPECIAL EDITION DVD RELEASE on October 26th by Synapse video. First time ever on DVD!

9 out of 10 (based soley on horror merits)

First off, I will tell you all that I'm a hardcore horror film fanatic. I've seen hundreds of horror movies all throughout my 21 years on this Earth. I've seen mainstream horror, indi horror, Italian horror, Spanish horror, big budget and no budget horror, OOP (out of print) horror, etc.

One must approach a horror film in a different manner than most movies. First ask yourself, what is the main goal of a horror movie?

-to scare you -to entertain you -to creep you out -often times to make you laugh -to make you have a good time

...A horror movie is like a roller-coaster. You get "on board" pretty much knowing what to expect. You pay a few bucks, take your ride and then toss those memories aside after you get your kicks out of it.

Horror films are (for the most part) the roller-coaster ride.

Films such as Star Wars, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, and even Requiem For A Dream are to be viewed in a much different light than the horror film.

Those above mentioned films stand out because of numerous things. Whether it's the amazing story and imagination that went into Star Wars, the gritty realistic historically accurate war scenes of Saving Private Ryan, or the powerful and gripping acting in Requiem For A Dream. These types of movies are equivalent to taking a vacation at the Six Flags Theme park or Disneyworld.

Horror is the cheap quick thrill/entertainment of the roller-coaster. "Epic" (in their own ways) type films are the entire family vacation to that exspensive theme park. When you leave, you will remember those events for a long time, and there was just so much to do and see. Horror is not that. Horror is...

...well, horror.

That being said, I must say that The Grudge is a great horror film. What makes me take notice to a "good" or "great" horror film are the things that make it stand out. Hollywood seems to have lost the grasp on horror over the last 10 years, spitting out "another teen slasher w/out any smarts".

While those "slasher" type horror flicks can be fun, they ultimately leave you disappointed by cardboard stories/characters and instead rely on blood/boobies (that's not a bad thing for some people's opinions).

This is what makes the Grudge a great horror flick. The blood/gore is only there for impact on certain scenes. It is there to heighten the intensity and creepiness. There isn't much blood, and only a single gory element (no i won't say what it is)...but that's not the point of THIS type of horror movie. The blood/gore was used tastefully and not overdone, but at the same time, not underdone.

The story is also what makes The Grudge a great horror flick. It is a unique spin on the traditional "haunted house" tale that us fat lazy Americans are so used to seeing. "House on Haunted Hill", "The Haunting", "13 Ghosts", etc....catch my drift?

What makes this "haunted house" tale so interesting is that it's done in a unique way. People come and go into the house as they please, they aren't "trapped" inside or anything. Some people die, and some people don't. It makes it more realistic because while it IS a haunted house, it only appears as a normal house (I guess that's what the average home in Japan looks like). There's no hokey and stereotypical:cobwebs, creaking doors, mysterious moving objects, etc. in the usual haunted house/ghost story flicks.

The entire story is done in a series of short tales, each focusing on a character/group of characters. All the stories tie into each other throughout the film...leaving us sometimes confused. Think of how the different stories in the film, "Pulp Fiction" tie together to tell the entire movie, and that's somewhat the same direction the Grudge is aiming at (although definitely not as detailed/integrated).

I like that this makes The Grudge stand out from the "standard" horror film. In fact, I can't recall off the top of my head about another horror film using this same technique. While not a new technique, it does make for a much more interesting film.

Horror movies either aim to be scary or just fun. This one aims to be scary. A "fun" horror flick would be along the lines of Cabin Fever (meant to be a fun entertaining ride for the audience, concentrating on that and not on the scares)...

...and SCARY this is. Although i cannot say in fact what film is "scary" because that is a matter of opinion, but in my opinion...it is scary. I'm not going to have nightmares or anything, but yes, the film is creepy, atmospheric and scary. This is a GOOD THING. If you thought The Ring was scary, I consider this film to outdo the Ring on scares by 2 times at least.

I just mentioned how creepy the film is. Why is it creepy? It's creepy because of the atmosphere. The house is pretty much a normal house, and the scares rely on the ghosts. I like that. Most horror movies try to rely on the setting too much for the scares and don't concentrate on the actual "horror goods". This film throws in a couple of really unique and creepy ghosts that certainly do their job, and do it well.

So what's bad about this movie? What didn't I like you ask? A few things actually. Some of it doesn't seem to make too much sense plot wise. I also think that the film needs more blood/gore (although it's certainly good without it). I think a disturbingly creepy film like this would use the extra blood/gore in a much more effective way than the typical horror movie. You'll get what i'm talking about when you see the scene with Yoko (after she returns from the house).

I think the characters could have been a little bit more interesting. Although this is horror, and horror films tend to have cardboard cutout characters, a big budget and ambitious film like this could have been even more effective with better characters.

All in all, this film does what horror films are meant to do. It is scary, creepy, atmospheric, filmed in a unique way, and most importantly...original.

Some people say this is "like the Ring"...and I must argue. Both films are remakes of their same titled original Asian films, but that's really the only thing similar. The female ghost in The Grudge sorta looks like "Samara" from The Ring as well, but not like most people make it out to be.

Don't let the critics stop you from watching this movie. It's worth the money in my opinion. Just go in knowing it's a horror movie, and not Hollywood's attempt to cash in at this year's Oscars and you'll end up leaving with a smile on your face.

8 out of 10 rating

CLIFF NOTES: This is a horror movie, not an attempt at an "epic" film. It has plot holes, some confusing scenes and somewhat "dry" characters. It does have scares, atmosphere, creepiness, and some unique direction/cinematography. It is a fun movie, one to take your girl to. If you enjoy horror movies, i simply cannot see how you wouldn't like this film. Enjoy.