The Asylum continues it's dominance of the B-Movie franchise with their wide ranging array of mockbusters, horror & action flicks, sex comedies, and of course the veritable monster clash bonanzas. By now Fans will be familiar with the latter, in which deadly man eating creatures of gargantuan size battle it out for supremacy whilst the human race looks on in the hopes of not ending up as the next course. The Asylum has already produced some of the most popular titles in this genre and with it's latest offering having premiered on the UK's SyFy channel on Sunday 3rd July 2011.
Nature's Deadliest Killers
Environmental scientist and activist, Dr Nikki Reily (Deborah Gibson), along with her assistants, break into a compound and steal a collection of pythons which they then release into the swampland of the Florida Everglades. This unexpectedly results in the pythons growing to such a size that they threaten the alligator population as well the residents and visitors to the area. In an effort to quell their destructive antics, park ranger Terry O'Hara (Tiffany) declares open season on snakes inviting every trigger happy hunters to kill as many of the pythons as possible. When the hunt results in numerous deaths, along with Terry's boyfriend Justin (Carey Van Dyke), she vows revenge.
An opportunity presents itself courtesy of Terry's deputy Angie (Kathryn Joosten) whose grandson works for geneticist Dr Diego Ortiz (A. Martinez) working on a formula to increase muscle size and strength. Angie uses her relationship with her grandson to acquire the drugs to be fed to the alligators so that they might grow in size and be better able to defend themselves against the marauding pythons. Naturally Dr Reily is unhappy about this, and goes to confront Terry but when both alligators and pythons prove to be more of a threat to the population than each other they team up with Ortiz to stop the giant reptiles and destroy the thousands of eggs the creatures have hatched.
Fun and Fights in the Everglades
The most obvious mistake when sitting down to watch this movie would be to take it seriously. Mega Python vs Gatoroid is a lampoon of itself from start to finish, with all the cliches of the genre thrown in, including a title more reminiscent of a UFC pay per view event. The plot falls deep into the relms of the ridiculous in every respect yet given the theme it is hardly surprising. The script by Naomi Selfman plays up to the ridiculousness rather than masking it with some comedic moments (mostly involving the creatures devouring their human prey) whilst the actors utter the very basic dialogue with straight faces, moving from one scene to another with a genuine sense of urgency.
In addition to the humour, Mega Python boasts some above average production values. With Hollywood veteran Mary Lambert , the whole film has a more slick professional feel, with seamless edits and a real sense of pace. Lambert has clearly taken advantage of the Florida locations as the setting, a far cry from the disused buildings and obvious studio back lots of previous Asylum productions . The effects rise just above bargain basement CGI with both pythons and alligators looking very much the giant monsters they should be, and the pythons look particularly menacing. The film is certainly action packed with plenty of helicopter flights, speed boats, car chases and explosions, as well as the obligatory social gathering that turns into an all you can eat buffet for the reptiles.
Mega Python also boasts, rather loosely, an interesting troupe of players of for this schlock monster movie. Kathryn Joosten takes time out from her regular stint as Karen McCluskey in the hit TV series Desperate Housewives to play park ranger deputy Angie. Joosten is excellent in such a limited role, playing it straight with her delivery as deadpan as her expressions, and bringing much needed class to the proceedings. Another TV veteran A. Martinez also takes his very basic character of the ethical scientist Dr Ortiz and with equal straight delivery turns in an above average performance that could have been phoned in. Auxiliary and relatively forgettable characters come and go, including an amusing cameo by ex-monkee Mickey Dolenz, but ultimately the focus of the film lies with it's two human stars.
Former 80's popstars and Asylum alumni Deborah Gibson (Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus) and Tffany (Mega Piranha) have plenty to do since they are also credited as co-producers, and each contribute a song as part of the soundtrack. Yet in their roles as each others nemesis Gibson and Tiffany have immense fun, shouting and hurling insults and even indulge in an embarrassing cat fight, before joining forces to be the heroines of the hour. However as the principle players they are given the worse lines and in some cringeworthy moments quote lyrics from each others songs. They are also unconvincing in their roles, giving seemingly one dimensional performances.
Monster Fun
An absence of strong leads, a ridiculous plot and some hit and miss production values might seem like a deterrent, however like all Asylum productions, Mega Python vs Gatoroid is all about the fun. As always B- movie productions such as this will appeal to their core fan base, whilst those expecting a multi million dollar Hollywood extravaganza might be disappointed. Yet this is worth a look as the Asylum have demonstrated an uncanny knack of blending monster action with tongue in cheek self mockery all in the name of entertainment.
Ramon Youseph - An English Graduate with Honours, Ramon lives and works in Bristol, a city in the South West of England, where he juggles a full time job ...
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