Average customer rating:
- Cheese filled fun!
- It's Trying To Reproduce!
- The greatest movie ever...
- "Such a peculiar mutation has never been on record."
- COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE
|
Arachnid
Starring:
Chris Potter ,
Alex Reid (III) ,
José Sancho ,
Neus Asensi , and
Ravil Isyanov
Director:
Jack Sholder
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 General
| Horror
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Spain
| By Country
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Sholder, Jack
| ( S )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All Lions Gate Titles
| Lions Gate Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Spain
| European Cinema
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Horror
| By Genre
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $7.49
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
All Deals
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Kids & Family
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Horror
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
( A )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
Arachnia
-
Spiders
-
Spiders: Breeding Ground
-
SnakeMan
-
Attack of the Sabretooth
ASIN: B00005UWAC
Release Date: 2002-03-26 |
Customer Reviews:
Cheese filled fun!.......2005-08-29
Once again I find myself in the unenviable position of having to write a review about a creature gone amok movie. Well, not really "unenviable" since I covertly enjoy watching filmmakers try, and ultimately fail, to replicate the success of Spielberg's "Jaws" some thirty years after that movie arrived on theater screens. Show me a DVD case with a picture of a shark, spider, insect, snake, or assorted other beastie looming large over a gaggle of frightened humans and I'm there with bells on. Really. I can't seem to get enough of these cheesy films. I don't even bother reading the plot synopsis anymore; it's straight to the checkout line with membership card in hand followed by a rapid retreat to the homestead for a quick viewing. Of course, these films don't scare me anymore. In fact, I doubt that they ever did. I watch them in order to laugh myself silly at the onscreen shenanigans, the cardboard cutout yet archetypical characters, and generous heapings of gore. So here we go again, if you're willing to ride along with me, as I attempt to put together a coherent review of Jack Sholder's 2001 movie "Arachnid." Thanks for coming along!
"Arachnid" opens with an extraterrestrial event, namely some mysterious craft hovering out over the ocean examining wildlife or something. The craft is tricked out in some sort of camouflage so mere earthlings can't see it, but the pilot of a stealth plane runs into it anyway and both vehicles promptly crash on a remote island. Both pilots survive long enough to fall prey to some sort of gigantic spider beastie. The end. O.k., not really. Then the movie moves ahead some time to an airfield where the sister of the aforementioned pilot, a chick named Mercer (Alex Reid), learns from local doctors that some downright sinister shenanigans are unfolding on a nearby island. One thing leads to another--or something like that--and soon a team of disparate souls heads off to the island to launch an investigation. Mercer agrees to fly the plane (she wants to find her brother), and she's joined by a military guy named Valentine (Chris Potter), Dr. Samuel Leon (Jose Sancho), his sidekick Susana (Neus Asensi), a spider scientist named Henry Capri (Ravil Issyanov), Bear (Rocqueford Allen), and a bunch of other cannon fodder types. Sure enough, Mercer's plane crashes on the same island we saw in the introduction. Who cares how they get there, though, as long as the killing starts. Unfortunately, we have to wait awhile.
All these dolts start trooping around the jungle looking for a native village. Sholder and company toss in a bunch of false scares, like Mercer's leg caught in a hole, to keep our spirits up until the sauce starts to flow. Fortunately, disaster strikes when one of Valentine's compatriots falls prey to some sort of tick that burrows its way deep into his body. Ouch! It's only the beginning, however, as our cast of characters soon learn that the whole island is crawling with unpleasant things. Take the tick, for example. Once the group finds the native village--deserted, predictably enough--the little beastie decides to dig its way out of this poor schlep's body. From here on out the deaths come fast and furious. The spider shows up and wreaks bloody havoc on several members of the group, spinning these huge, sticky webs drenched in some sort of nerve killing agent. "Arachnid" rapidly devolves into a series of shoot 'em up encounters with the nasty things on the island as the diminishing band of survivors tries to survive. The spider itself makes a last stand in a cave in a series of scenes so cheesy as to defy description. It's fun!
And it really is a lot of fun, despite the number of flaws displayed for all to see. I liked most of the characters, surprisingly, especially the spider scientist. Here's a guy remarkably devoted to his scientific endeavors, so much so that he records a running commentary concerning his own unfortunate demise. A Nobel winner in the making! The gore in "Arachnid" works, too. That tick scene is definitely gross and head and shoulders above a lot of what you'll see in flicks like this one. Just as there is good here, however, there is also bad. Special effects, especially CGI effects, are tough to carry off with a low budget, and nowhere is this more apparent than in "Arachnid." The opening scenes involving the extraterrestrial craft reek of cheese, as do the situations with the spider in the cave. It's so obvious--painfully, avert your eyes to avoid the shame obvious--that they just laid an image of the spider over the film and left it at that. Oh well. Everyone associated with the film must have known this sucker wasn't going to pull in big bucks at the theater (if it had a theatrical run). They probably relied on people like me to rent it for a night. Who cares where the money comes from as long as it's green, right?
Extras consist of a trailer, production notes, and a photo gallery. A commentary track would actually be a nice addition considering that the director, Jack Sholder, has quite the reputation in the horror/science fiction field for lensing "The Hidden." How he went from that picture to stuff like "Arachnid" is, unfortunately, not that rare of an occurrence in Tinseltown. The answer comes in two parts: a guy's gotta eat, and it's far better to direct schlock like this film than it is to go out and find a real job. Anyway, you'll watch "Arachnid" if you're a creature feature lover like me. If not, you won't. Simple, isn't it?
It's Trying To Reproduce!.......2005-06-14
A pilot flying a test plane crashes into a cloaked spacecraft. He survives and lands on a small island where he meets the survivor of the other craft. But the otherworldly survivor meets an untimely end due to a large spider-like creature. It continues to grow and spawn hellish offspring that are not viable.
Later, a medical team is sent to the same island. The pilot is the sister of the first pilot. She is hoping to find out what happened to her brother. The team crashes when the plane's instruments fail. Only the pilot's skill keeps them alive. But once on the island they have to confront the creature and its deadly offspring.
Who will survive and how is not completely clear at the start and there are plenty of gruesome surprises. The effects are quite good and the pacing of the story moves exceptionally well. Fans of giant spider movies should get a real kick out of this one. The addition of the alien influence was a nice twist that added some interesting, and gruesome, additions to the non-standard plot.
All in all this is quite a good monster flick with an interesting cast of characters that are more than the usual one-dimensional cutouts these types of movies usually have. Check it out.
The greatest movie ever..........2005-06-11
... Was The Godfather, but this might be the next best... or maybe third... yeah. Lets go with that.
This movie was so sweet that I almost crapped my pants! It was just that amazing! The giant spider looked so real! It totally beats the spider from Lord of the Rings.
The actors were incredible, and I loved the story. I could watch it over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again!
If you haven't seen it, then do so. In fact buy it, because it is a delight. It will not disappoint anyone. It's like looking into the face of God and seeing him smile back at you and saying, "You are my most wonderous creation."
"Such a peculiar mutation has never been on record.".......2005-01-08
For as much trouble as I went through to watch Arachnid (2001), I really can't say it was worth it...let me explain...I ordered the DVD from Amazon a few weeks ago, and finally got around to watching it, only to discover the encoding was all messed up. I notified Amazon, and they promptly sent a replacement (free of charge), which I received last night...at least the customer service was good...if not the movie itself...the film, directed by Jack Sholder, who showed promise way back with his 1987 film The Hidden, but has yet to impress me with any subsequent releases, stars Chris Potter (whom I had a hard time placing, until I remembered he starred, along with David Carradine, in the short lived TV show Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. Also appearing in the film is Alex Reid, in her first feature role, Ravil Issyanov (he also appeared in the wretched 2000 film Octopus), and a handful of Hispanic actors I didn't recognize (the film was produced in Mexico and Spain). One of the main reason I was interested in seeing this movie was due to the fact Brian Yunza (Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III, Dagon) is listed as a producer, and his work is usually entertaining.
As the film begins, we witness a CGI (computer generated image) stealth fighter zipping along, intercepting a worse looking CGI flying object, to which they collide, both crashing into the South American jungle. What this has to do with the rest of the film isn't revealed for a while, and then when it is, it's pretty vague. Anyway, this leads into a plot about an expedition into the jungle to aid and investigate a remote village suffering from odd and deadly ailments received from bites from unknown sources. Handling the security for the team is Valentine (Potter), an ex-marine, now more or less mercenary for hire. The group contracts a local pilot named Mercer (played by Reid, who, incidentally, looks a lot like 80's teen pop star Tiffany), and she seems more than willing to take the job, and we find out later she had her reasons. The group flies, and then crashes (good piloting, Mercer) to the area in question, and while there are no natives about, they are most certainly not alone (you're never alone in the jungle, but in this case there's all kinds of creepy mutations running around). Soon the team, who were on a mission of mercy and discovery, find themselves in a struggle to survive, and being picked off one by one by the very thing they came to investigate. What's the true nature of the hideous menace that's over taken the jungle? I'll give you a hint...it's big, hairy, has eight legs, and likes to spin webs...
Arachnid was an okay film, despite some huge flaws, two of the largest being the plot and the dialogue. The film was written by Mark Sevi, a person who seems to specialize in capitalizing off the ideas of others as most of his prior work consists of rotten sequels to so-so films, including Ghoulies IV (1994), Class of 1999 II: The Substitute (1994), Dream a Little Dream 2 (1995) and so on...the plot has little direction (seriously, it's all over the place, and is full of vagaries as to annoy without end), and the dialogue is pretty much the pits, creating some really insipid characters (one of them, a native guide, is actually named Toe Boy...might as well have called him Toe Jam), wasting the talents of some of the actors involved. Potter, as the character Mercer, does alright, as do many of the actors here (the Spanish actor who played the older doctor had an accent so thick I rarely understood what he was saying, but it didn't really matter as his character was presented as such a jerkhole you know he's going to get kakked), but their characters are pathetic. Seriously, I wouldn't hire Mercer to lead a Girl Scout troop...he had absolutely no control over the team he was supposed to be in charge of, and they would often wander off, for whatever reason, allowing for various killings to take place. Also, how in the heck are you going to run out of ammunition after going through one clip? Packing lightly is usually a good thing, but if you're going to bother bringing some heavy ordinance, at least pack a few extra clips moron. My favorite bad scene is when he's firing on a creature, runs of out of ammo, picks up a machete and charges the giant beast, running right into the line of fire of the others in his party. This guy wouldn't have lasted a minute in the real military...the weakest performance was by Reid (clad similarly to Angelina Jolie's character from the film Tomb Raider), especially during her `emotional' scenes...but since this was her first film, I'm willing to cut her some slack (I would have been willing to cut her a whole lot more if she popped her top). There's no nekkidness, but lots of sweaty cleavage. The special effects were actually decent, especially that large, eight-legged beastie. There's a bit more gore than I would have thought (gratuitous puking, exploding eyeballs), but it's limited to a few sequences, so if you're a fan of that sort of thing, you may find your patience rewarded. All in all the film suffers from a weak and predictable (can you guess all the characters who won't make it to the end of the film? I did...) plot, and inherently lame dialog, but features passable acting, and decent special effects. It's worth a look if you like bug films, but you'd be better off checking out Spiders (2000), or Eight Legged Freaks (2002) first.
The wide screen picture (1.85:1) looks from Lions Gate Entertainment looks good, with decent Dolby Digital 5.0 audio. Special features include trailers for this film, and two others including Risk (2000), and Spiders (2000).
Cookieman108
COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE.......2003-11-08
Poor Jack Sholder. He directs one of the finest sci-fi films of recent years (THE HIDDEN) and now he goes straight to video in this laughably scary movie. You have to credit Chris Potter (Valentine) and Alex Reid (Mercer)--at least they spoke English. Sholder manages to stage the spider sequences effectively but everything else is derivative nonsense. For a movie of this kind, the special effects are passable, but there should have been more spider contact. And of course, the ending smells for a sequel? Didn't I read somewhere that there is an Arachnid 2? Oh, well, for a ninety minutes of frivolous popcorn fun, settle for this 50's B movie.
Description
In high school, whenever a teacher put on an educational film, it seemed it was just an excuse for him to take a day off from teaching. No one ever paid much attention to the movies themselves. This collection of educational films about the lives of insects and spiders, makes you wish you had paid more attention. All of the clips contain interesting information and are very well shot.
Who knew that there are more than 100,000 types of spiders, for example? Or understands exactly how bees relate to their queen and make honey? You won't be disinterested to learn that only girl mosquitoes bite you or to find out exactly how a housefly lives its life. Like all titles from A2ZCDS, the films themselves are in great shape and you won't be bugged by missing frames or scratchy footage.
Customer Reviews:
Good Vintage Footage.......2006-07-21
I enjoyed this collection of educational films from the 1950s about the life of insects and spiders. It's all told from a very rasonable point of view way, so it never becomes confusing. I'm glad that they assume you don't have much of a background and explain things clearly. The images of the bugs are very well shot and I learned a lot from these films.
Like The Discovery Channel.......2006-05-03
I'll admit it, I'm a fan of Animal Planet types shows. I'm sort of a geek when it comes to learning about the different types of critters. that live in the land and the sea.
I watch Discovery Channell all the time and look around for new documentaries. This one did not disappoint. The footage is older than I expected, but seriously, the life of bugs and spiders has not really changed that much over the years.
There were a whole bunch of science geek movies - the best one is about spiders and their life cycle - with enough naration to explain what was going on.
I liked the sheer amount of footage on here.
Fascinating.......2006-04-25
With this DVD you get what you would expect. This is a collection of vintage bug footage.
I really, really liked it.
It made me realize that there is a whole universe at our feet that we rarely pay attention to - unless it is to squash a spider.
The films give you a ton of information about insects - and let you know why they help, rather than hurt our environment.
It's a good disk.
Product Description
With a spooky soundtrack lurking behind its close-up footage of the small creatures, this vintage arachnid video shows the amazing web weaving feats of spiders. This DVD contains some of the best classic spider footage around! Table Of Contents: (1) Spider Engineers (1956) - A visually stunning film showcasing the awesome engineering skill of some of the 100,000 different species of spiders! 16 Minutes
Product Description
PACK 2:
-Flowers, Plants & Trees
-Birds & Rodents
-Lifeforms, Animals & Oddities
-Mammals
-Animals & Arachnids
-Prehistoric Animals & Reptiles
Average customer rating:
|
Animals & Arachnids/ Prehistoric Animals
Manufacturer: Tell ME Why Sales Co.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
( A )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Educational
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
ASIN: B00018WN24
Release Date: 2004-12-21 |
Average customer rating:
|
The Children's DVD Encyclopedia! - Tell Me Why (10 Pack) Electricity & Electric Safety/Gems, Metals & Minerals/Computers, Internet/Customs & Superstitions, Sports & Games/Americana, Beginnings/Fish, Shellfish & Underwater Life, Insects/Animals & Arachnids, Prehistoric Animals & Reptiles/Flowers, Plants & Trees, Birds & Rodents/Lifeforms, Animals & Oddities, Mammals/A Healthy Body, Medicine
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Child Safety & First Aid
| Parenting & Childcare
| Special Interests
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
ASIN: B000F2FHHO |
Product Description
Lifeforms, Animals & Oddities - Mammals Flowers, Plants & Trees - Birds & Rodent Fish, Shellfish & Underwater Life - Insects A Healthy Body - Medecine Customs & Superstitions - Sports & Games mals
Americana - Beginnings Space, Earth & Atmosphere - Gems, Metals & Minerals Computers - The Internet How Things Work - Electricity & Electric Safety Animals & Arachnids - Prehistoric Animals & Reptiles Running Time for Each Episode: 30 Min Total Running Time: 600 Min
Average customer rating:
|
Animals and Arachnids
Manufacturer: Tell ME Why Sales Co.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
( A )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Educational
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
ASIN: B0009S4IWO
Release Date: 2005-06-21 |
Customer Reviews:
Cheese filled fun!.......2005-08-29
Once again I find myself in the unenviable position of having to write a review about a creature gone amok movie. Well, not really "unenviable" since I covertly enjoy watching filmmakers try, and ultimately fail, to replicate the success of Spielberg's "Jaws" some thirty years after that movie arrived on theater screens. Show me a DVD case with a picture of a shark, spider, insect, snake, or assorted other beastie looming large over a gaggle of frightened humans and I'm there with bells on. Really. I can't seem to get enough of these cheesy films. I don't even bother reading the plot synopsis anymore; it's straight to the checkout line with membership card in hand followed by a rapid retreat to the homestead for a quick viewing. Of course, these films don't scare me anymore. In fact, I doubt that they ever did. I watch them in order to laugh myself silly at the onscreen shenanigans, the cardboard cutout yet archetypical characters, and generous heapings of gore. So here we go again, if you're willing to ride along with me, as I attempt to put together a coherent review of Jack Sholder's 2001 movie "Arachnid." Thanks for coming along!
"Arachnid" opens with an extraterrestrial event, namely some mysterious craft hovering out over the ocean examining wildlife or something. The craft is tricked out in some sort of camouflage so mere earthlings can't see it, but the pilot of a stealth plane runs into it anyway and both vehicles promptly crash on a remote island. Both pilots survive long enough to fall prey to some sort of gigantic spider beastie. The end. O.k., not really. Then the movie moves ahead some time to an airfield where the sister of the aforementioned pilot, a chick named Mercer (Alex Reid), learns from local doctors that some downright sinister shenanigans are unfolding on a nearby island. One thing leads to another--or something like that--and soon a team of disparate souls heads off to the island to launch an investigation. Mercer agrees to fly the plane (she wants to find her brother), and she's joined by a military guy named Valentine (Chris Potter), Dr. Samuel Leon (Jose Sancho), his sidekick Susana (Neus Asensi), a spider scientist named Henry Capri (Ravil Issyanov), Bear (Rocqueford Allen), and a bunch of other cannon fodder types. Sure enough, Mercer's plane crashes on the same island we saw in the introduction. Who cares how they get there, though, as long as the killing starts. Unfortunately, we have to wait awhile.
All these dolts start trooping around the jungle looking for a native village. Sholder and company toss in a bunch of false scares, like Mercer's leg caught in a hole, to keep our spirits up until the sauce starts to flow. Fortunately, disaster strikes when one of Valentine's compatriots falls prey to some sort of tick that burrows its way deep into his body. Ouch! It's only the beginning, however, as our cast of characters soon learn that the whole island is crawling with unpleasant things. Take the tick, for example. Once the group finds the native village--deserted, predictably enough--the little beastie decides to dig its way out of this poor schlep's body. From here on out the deaths come fast and furious. The spider shows up and wreaks bloody havoc on several members of the group, spinning these huge, sticky webs drenched in some sort of nerve killing agent. "Arachnid" rapidly devolves into a series of shoot 'em up encounters with the nasty things on the island as the diminishing band of survivors tries to survive. The spider itself makes a last stand in a cave in a series of scenes so cheesy as to defy description. It's fun!
And it really is a lot of fun, despite the number of flaws displayed for all to see. I liked most of the characters, surprisingly, especially the spider scientist. Here's a guy remarkably devoted to his scientific endeavors, so much so that he records a running commentary concerning his own unfortunate demise. A Nobel winner in the making! The gore in "Arachnid" works, too. That tick scene is definitely gross and head and shoulders above a lot of what you'll see in flicks like this one. Just as there is good here, however, there is also bad. Special effects, especially CGI effects, are tough to carry off with a low budget, and nowhere is this more apparent than in "Arachnid." The opening scenes involving the extraterrestrial craft reek of cheese, as do the situations with the spider in the cave. It's so obvious--painfully, avert your eyes to avoid the shame obvious--that they just laid an image of the spider over the film and left it at that. Oh well. Everyone associated with the film must have known this sucker wasn't going to pull in big bucks at the theater (if it had a theatrical run). They probably relied on people like me to rent it for a night. Who cares where the money comes from as long as it's green, right?
Extras consist of a trailer, production notes, and a photo gallery. A commentary track would actually be a nice addition considering that the director, Jack Sholder, has quite the reputation in the horror/science fiction field for lensing "The Hidden." How he went from that picture to stuff like "Arachnid" is, unfortunately, not that rare of an occurrence in Tinseltown. The answer comes in two parts: a guy's gotta eat, and it's far better to direct schlock like this film than it is to go out and find a real job. Anyway, you'll watch "Arachnid" if you're a creature feature lover like me. If not, you won't. Simple, isn't it?
It's Trying To Reproduce!.......2005-06-14
A pilot flying a test plane crashes into a cloaked spacecraft. He survives and lands on a small island where he meets the survivor of the other craft. But the otherworldly survivor meets an untimely end due to a large spider-like creature. It continues to grow and spawn hellish offspring that are not viable.
Later, a medical team is sent to the same island. The pilot is the sister of the first pilot. She is hoping to find out what happened to her brother. The team crashes when the plane's instruments fail. Only the pilot's skill keeps them alive. But once on the island they have to confront the creature and its deadly offspring.
Who will survive and how is not completely clear at the start and there are plenty of gruesome surprises. The effects are quite good and the pacing of the story moves exceptionally well. Fans of giant spider movies should get a real kick out of this one. The addition of the alien influence was a nice twist that added some interesting, and gruesome, additions to the non-standard plot.
All in all this is quite a good monster flick with an interesting cast of characters that are more than the usual one-dimensional cutouts these types of movies usually have. Check it out.
The greatest movie ever..........2005-06-11
... Was The Godfather, but this might be the next best... or maybe third... yeah. Lets go with that.
This movie was so sweet that I almost crapped my pants! It was just that amazing! The giant spider looked so real! It totally beats the spider from Lord of the Rings.
The actors were incredible, and I loved the story. I could watch it over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again!
If you haven't seen it, then do so. In fact buy it, because it is a delight. It will not disappoint anyone. It's like looking into the face of God and seeing him smile back at you and saying, "You are my most wonderous creation."
"Such a peculiar mutation has never been on record.".......2005-01-08
For as much trouble as I went through to watch Arachnid (2001), I really can't say it was worth it...let me explain...I ordered the DVD from Amazon a few weeks ago, and finally got around to watching it, only to discover the encoding was all messed up. I notified Amazon, and they promptly sent a replacement (free of charge), which I received last night...at least the customer service was good...if not the movie itself...the film, directed by Jack Sholder, who showed promise way back with his 1987 film The Hidden, but has yet to impress me with any subsequent releases, stars Chris Potter (whom I had a hard time placing, until I remembered he starred, along with David Carradine, in the short lived TV show Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. Also appearing in the film is Alex Reid, in her first feature role, Ravil Issyanov (he also appeared in the wretched 2000 film Octopus), and a handful of Hispanic actors I didn't recognize (the film was produced in Mexico and Spain). One of the main reason I was interested in seeing this movie was due to the fact Brian Yunza (Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III, Dagon) is listed as a producer, and his work is usually entertaining.
As the film begins, we witness a CGI (computer generated image) stealth fighter zipping along, intercepting a worse looking CGI flying object, to which they collide, both crashing into the South American jungle. What this has to do with the rest of the film isn't revealed for a while, and then when it is, it's pretty vague. Anyway, this leads into a plot about an expedition into the jungle to aid and investigate a remote village suffering from odd and deadly ailments received from bites from unknown sources. Handling the security for the team is Valentine (Potter), an ex-marine, now more or less mercenary for hire. The group contracts a local pilot named Mercer (played by Reid, who, incidentally, looks a lot like 80's teen pop star Tiffany), and she seems more than willing to take the job, and we find out later she had her reasons. The group flies, and then crashes (good piloting, Mercer) to the area in question, and while there are no natives about, they are most certainly not alone (you're never alone in the jungle, but in this case there's all kinds of creepy mutations running around). Soon the team, who were on a mission of mercy and discovery, find themselves in a struggle to survive, and being picked off one by one by the very thing they came to investigate. What's the true nature of the hideous menace that's over taken the jungle? I'll give you a hint...it's big, hairy, has eight legs, and likes to spin webs...
Arachnid was an okay film, despite some huge flaws, two of the largest being the plot and the dialogue. The film was written by Mark Sevi, a person who seems to specialize in capitalizing off the ideas of others as most of his prior work consists of rotten sequels to so-so films, including Ghoulies IV (1994), Class of 1999 II: The Substitute (1994), Dream a Little Dream 2 (1995) and so on...the plot has little direction (seriously, it's all over the place, and is full of vagaries as to annoy without end), and the dialogue is pretty much the pits, creating some really insipid characters (one of them, a native guide, is actually named Toe Boy...might as well have called him Toe Jam), wasting the talents of some of the actors involved. Potter, as the character Mercer, does alright, as do many of the actors here (the Spanish actor who played the older doctor had an accent so thick I rarely understood what he was saying, but it didn't really matter as his character was presented as such a jerkhole you know he's going to get kakked), but their characters are pathetic. Seriously, I wouldn't hire Mercer to lead a Girl Scout troop...he had absolutely no control over the team he was supposed to be in charge of, and they would often wander off, for whatever reason, allowing for various killings to take place. Also, how in the heck are you going to run out of ammunition after going through one clip? Packing lightly is usually a good thing, but if you're going to bother bringing some heavy ordinance, at least pack a few extra clips moron. My favorite bad scene is when he's firing on a creature, runs of out of ammo, picks up a machete and charges the giant beast, running right into the line of fire of the others in his party. This guy wouldn't have lasted a minute in the real military...the weakest performance was by Reid (clad similarly to Angelina Jolie's character from the film Tomb Raider), especially during her `emotional' scenes...but since this was her first film, I'm willing to cut her some slack (I would have been willing to cut her a whole lot more if she popped her top). There's no nekkidness, but lots of sweaty cleavage. The special effects were actually decent, especially that large, eight-legged beastie. There's a bit more gore than I would have thought (gratuitous puking, exploding eyeballs), but it's limited to a few sequences, so if you're a fan of that sort of thing, you may find your patience rewarded. All in all the film suffers from a weak and predictable (can you guess all the characters who won't make it to the end of the film? I did...) plot, and inherently lame dialog, but features passable acting, and decent special effects. It's worth a look if you like bug films, but you'd be better off checking out Spiders (2000), or Eight Legged Freaks (2002) first.
The wide screen picture (1.85:1) looks from Lions Gate Entertainment looks good, with decent Dolby Digital 5.0 audio. Special features include trailers for this film, and two others including Risk (2000), and Spiders (2000).
Cookieman108
COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE.......2003-11-08
Poor Jack Sholder. He directs one of the finest sci-fi films of recent years (THE HIDDEN) and now he goes straight to video in this laughably scary movie. You have to credit Chris Potter (Valentine) and Alex Reid (Mercer)--at least they spoke English. Sholder manages to stage the spider sequences effectively but everything else is derivative nonsense. For a movie of this kind, the special effects are passable, but there should have been more spider contact. And of course, the ending smells for a sequel? Didn't I read somewhere that there is an Arachnid 2? Oh, well, for a ninety minutes of frivolous popcorn fun, settle for this 50's B movie.
Average customer rating:
|
Arachnid (Amazon) - PAL DVD
Manufacturer: CP Digital
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Genres
| DVD
| Video
| Action & Adventure
| African American Cinema
| Animation
| Anime & Manga
| Art House & International
| Classics
| Comedy
| Cult Movies
| Documentary
| Drama
| Educational
| Fitness & Yoga
| Gay & Lesbian
| Horror
| Kids & Family
| Military & War
| Music Video & Concerts
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Mystery & Suspense
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Special Interests
| Sports
| Television
| Westerns
ASIN: B0007MAH8Q |
Product Description
This is PAL DVD (EUROPEAN TV VIDEO STANDARD), without region coding, officially released in Russia by studio "CP DIGITAL". Available soundtracks: original ENGLISH and RUSSIAN (voice-over). Available subtitles: optional (removable) RUSSIAN. CUSTOMERS FROM NORTH AMERICA and JAPAN: Please, make sure your DVD player supports PAL DVDS (Europe, Australia, and Asia) before bidding; otherwise you can watch PAL DVDS on computer with DVD-ROM.
Customer Reviews:
ALONG CAME A SPIDER..........2006-05-27
This is simply a bad movie. This creature feature genre of film has been better done by others. This one is almost painful to watch. Each minute of running time seems like hours.
The premise is simple. Aliens from another planet land on a remote island. One manages to infect some of the insects on the island with its DNA, causing them to mutate in some unknown way. The island's native population starts to die off. Concerned doctors fly to the island, accompanied by some guerilla soldiers, to check up on the health of the natives, only to crash land on the island and find that they are too late to help its inhabitants.
Moreover, an electro-magnetic field blankets the island, cutting off communication with the outside world. It then becomes a struggle for survival, as all become prey for the giant killer spiders, as well as other mutated insects, that dot the island.
This is a film with the screenplay from hell. Poorly plotted with sub plots that defy logic, much of the film consists of the various disposable characters doing something stupid, which results in their getting killed in some noxious way. The cheesy, stilted dialogue is third rate, as is the acting and special effects.
Quite frankly, I do not know whether the actors will survive the release of this film. They must now be in South America undergoing plastic surgery, so as to avoid affiliation with this film and get a fresh start. The director must be claiming demonic possession as the sole reason for having done this film. There can be no other explanation.
If you want a creature feature with some pizazz, as well as laughs, see the low budget flick, "Empire of the Ants", starring Joan Collins.
DVD:
- Bad Taste
- Beauties & Beasts Box (Night of the Bloody Apes/ Feast of Flesh / Mighty Gorga / One Million AC/DC / The Beast that Killed Women / The Monster of Camp Sunshine) (Something Weird)
- Beneath Loch Ness
- Blood Creature/Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory
- Blood Gnome
- Blood Mania
- Bloodmoon
- Bram Stoker's The Mummy
- Bucket of Blood/Attack of the Giant Leeches
- Cartoon Crazy's Spooky Toons
DVD
DVD
