Film Review: INDIGENOUS (2014)

I generally love a good monster movie and even when it’s a clichéd premise in which tourists go into a house, forest, place, etc. that they shouldn’t have (and were warned against) and encounter a creature that picks them off one by one for no real good reason other than they stepped into the wrong place at the wrong time, I can still generally enjoy and be entertained.  This is the entire premise of Indigenous (2014) which finds some Americans in Panama on vacation to enjoy the beach and sun but when a local legend peaks their curiosity to a forbidden waterfall they set out into the jungle to see for themselves. 

It’s not long before their guide is abducted by something from the jungle leaving the Americans without a way out.  Lost and alone they soon discover that their paradise has turned to a nightmare as they are hunted one by one by something in the dark that can hide behind every shadow and every fallen tree.

The film is extremely well done with a very capable cast but unfortunately there is nothing original or interesting in the film which is problem considering how much work went into pulling off a production which such high production values.  The third act does take some interesting and original turns especially when it wants to be relevant to our growing obsession with social media but I kind of wished that it had more of these types of ideas earlier in the first two-thirds of the film, which is a by-the-numbers monster film.

The makeup FX are pretty good but unfortunately don’t do much for crafting a satisfactory monster which is too human-like especially when it could’ve been something more special considering the exotic location.  Overall, the film is entertaining but not one you’ll bother to remember in the long run.

Film Review: MOSQUITO (1995)

Strange things can happen in a giant monster film of which the Gunnar Hansen starring film Mosquito (1995) is but one.  An alien craft crash lands in the swarp and a horde of mosquitos feast on the alien body that has fallen out of the craft.  Feasting on alien blood causes the mosquitoes to grow enormous and their appetites along with it as they kill everything in their paths.  Earl (Hansen), his brother Junior and cousin Rex (Mike Hard and Kenny Mugwump, respectfully) are bank robbers who find themselves trapped between freedom and the killer mosquitos.  If Earl and his partners want to survive the night they’ll have to team up with a couple of young forest rangers who have also managed to find themselves on the dinner menu. 

This is a classic big bug movie in which a lot of people die and the practical makeup effects outnumber the CGI ones.  This is a very old school style of film and with Hansen at the helm I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Now, the giant mosquitoes are never convincing but boy is the movie fun in a retro ‘90s creature feature kind of way.

I also enjoy this film more than I probably should because I’m a fan of Hansen’s and as usual he always seems to have a fun time regardless of the overall quality of the film.  The film is the debut feature from director Gary Jones who would go on to other giant creature features Spiders (2000) and Crocodile 2: Death Swamp (2002).  Neither of those are nearly as fun as this one.