KomodoCobra

Komodo vs. Cobra (2005)

You know I do dig those cheesy Sci-Fi channel movies with the giant snakes and lizards. So when I heard there was going to be a movie that had both of them in it I had to check it out. The story is centered on an island where some scientists are running an experiment to super size crops in an effort to feed the world. Of course it is funded by the military so they ask them to also experiment on some creatures. They relent and make giant Komodo Dragons and a Cobra. This is of course a really bad idea. After eating most of the scientific team the creatures then get to munch on some environmentalists and the captain that brought them island. Or at least they try to while they try to get off the island alive.

You know I go into these movies with pretty low expectations and that is probably a good thing here. The story is about what you would expect it to be and follows all the familiar patterns. Evil military guy ready to kill everyone to cover up the experiment, the jerk that ends up having a heart of gold and saving everyone, the idealistic siblings that end up reptile chow, and of course the one “named” actor that lives to the end. Oops spoiler there that Michael “Eddie and the Cruisers” Pare makes it to the end. But really did anyone actually expect them to kill him off? Now I was a bit surprised at the cast, which does a decent job with the limited roles they are given. No one is going to win an Oscar here, but they do deliver their lines without stumbling over them. This isn’t always the case in lower budget creature features, so I wanted to point it out.

So I have to talk about the reason that we all watch these movies. Yes it is time to talk the special effects and how well they pull off the creatures. All the creatures are created with CGI, as are all the kills. Well actually they do a bit of practical stuff with some leaches, but everything else is digital effects. I don’t mind the look of the Komodo Dragons so much, but here is something about the Cobra that really bugged me. Then again when dealing with building sized snakes and lizards I suppose talking about how realistic they look is a bit silly. The kills are a bit tame and other then one cobra kill aren’t all that memorable.

If you are going to make a “B” movie you have a couple of choices. You either make a good movie that is entertaining and scary or you play it for laughs and camp it up. This movie tries to be serious and fails. So basically Komodo vs. Cobra ends up mediocre and forgettable. Though I’d say if you have an afternoon to kill and don’t have anything better to do it might be worth a rental. I’m a big creature feature fan and I don’t see myself watching this more then once.

2 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer