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"Sea Beast" is a surprisingly enjoyable, if slightly flawed Sci-Fi Channel Creature Feature.
**SPOILERS**
Following a string of accidents, fisherman Will, (Corin Nemec) and his crew Danny, (Brent Strait) and Drew, (Brandon Jay McLaren) are becoming concerned about the disappearing fish population in the area, which puzzles Arden, (Camille Sullivan) the local biologist. When a couple of locals are attacked and found ripped to pieces, his story about a vicious sea creature being responsible is laughed off in favor of more traditional suspects. After more are attacked, and the creature is positively identified as a carnivorous reptilian sea creature that lived on the ocean bottom, which is now attacking the population. Realizing their girlfriends Carly, (Miriam McDonald) and Erin, (Christie Lang) are trapped with the creatures, they race to find a way of stopping the deadly creatures.
The Good News: This here was a slightly above-average creature feature with some good stuff going for it. One of the best is that the creature looks rather cool and has a great appearance to it. From the humanoid shape, large claws and ferocious teeth within an imposing and unique- looking face, it creates a rather nice-looking creature that manages to work quite well. It's behavior techniques, from the acidic, paralyzing spit that renders victims immobile and the rather cool way it manages to blend into the surroundings to sneak up nearly invisibly on potential victims also makes some scenes a rather fun time. That it also has the fun and interesting concept of the children makes for some rather good times when they get loose is more to enjoy about the creature. It's rather enjoyable to see them attacking, as they get some of the film's best moments in their two big attacks in the beach attack and an all-out assault on the house in the middle of the forest. The beach attack is rather nice with it's slow-burning emphasis coming from the creatures slowly encroaching on the fallen victims, who suffer from a rather debilitating injury that keeps them there waiting for the attack is a great scene, and it's violent outcome is a good tapper to the affair. The real good scene, though, is the attack on the shack as there's just absolutely no flaws anywhere in the scene. From the different tactics used by the creatures to the defensive methods being just as good and utilizing some interesting props to the claustrophobic setting and the inventive finale that has a lot of good to it. Other big action scenes, from the attack on the militia in the woods where it really lets loose on the different manners of attack is a real joy, and it's first attack on the couple in the woods is a fun site as well that definitely deserves it's enjoyment. The finale, though, is the film's best part, as it's a full-on action-packed scene that features so much good stuff that it's hard to fit it all in, with a creepy setting, inventive action, lots of momentum and a sense of fun packed into it. The last plus here is the film's gore, which, when it actually comes, isn't bad, with lots of devoured remains and aftermath, a throat ripped out, a foot stuck in a bear-trap, a multitude of spears through the body and a nice decapitation, not exactly superb but enough to satisfy. These here are the film's good points.
The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot of stuff wrong with this one, but it did have some flaws to it. One of the bigger areas here is the fact that, like just about all Sci-Fi Channel films, the creature here is atrociously rendered in CGI. This here is standard stuff for these kinds of films, and it's par-for-the-course when it comes to looking terrible, which is made all the more obvious because the look of it is so great that to be able to see it rendered so badly is a huge disservice. It could've been rather cool to see it not rendered in CGI, and the badly- done attempt actually in the film isn't anything spectacular. The creature here also has another big flaw about it, the fact that absolutely nothing is known about it. Absolutely nothing here is given about the creature, from what it is beyond some kind of amphibian that lived at the ocean-bottom to it's species to why it's able to adapt to the conditions on the surface and its back-story at all. None of that is given, it's all a complete blank and something about, especially with the biologist on-board, would've been really helpful. The last factor holding this one down is the fact that this one has a couple of really pitiful kills at the beginning, mostly off-screen stuff that doesn't help the gore count at all. Once it gets going, they get better, but so much off-screen stuff really does a number at the time, and combined with the creature flaws, amount to the film's flaws.
The Final Verdict: While not that perfect and featuring a couple of flaws, this is still a very above-average Sci-Fi Channel creature feature. Give it a shot if that's interesting or if you find these kinds of films enjoyable, though those who haven't enjoyed other Sci-Fi Channel entries should heed caution.
score 10/10
mr_pivac1985 19 December 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2355278/ |
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28-2-2021 11:14:11