Plot
A top secret military experiment on an remote tropical
island literally grows out of control as genetically-enhanced komodo dragons
begin to run amok. A team of scientists is sent in to assist the termination of
the project before it's too late. Also along for the ride are a group of bank
robbers whose chopper is forced to land on the island during a storm. With the
chopper damaged, they must seek refuge with the scientists when the dragons
attack.
Review
Komodo in 1999 threw another animal into the
"genetically enhanced" mix by the inclusion of komodo dragons. Those expecting a
feeble retread of the same material are in for a bit of a shock as this is in no
way anything like it's predecessor. Yes it does have genetically enhanced komodo
dragons running amok but this time they're not normal size and more intelligent
- they're just massive, dinosaur-size behemoths with a insatiable appetite.
Although the film isn't particularly good in any respect, I'm finally glad to be
able to raise the proverbial hand of a monster flick and say "it delivers what
it promises."
The key to a successful monster flick is, of course,
plenty of monster. 90% of the creature feature flicks I watch contain monsters
but you're only going to get glimpses of them. Here the komodo dragons are on
screen a hell of a lot. The CGI dragon looks like something Ray Harryhausen
would have created back in his heyday. It actually looks half-decent and the
more you see it, the less you think to yourself "how bad does that look?" Too
many directors have the idea that because their monsters look crap, they'll hide
them as long as they can. That isn't the case here and it's better for it.
Finally something to keep the interest going. I was a bit worried too given that
the characters that are introduced are so one-dimensional that I would have a
hard time sitting through the dialogue. Thankfully all of the stupidity is
confined to the first half of the film when both sets of characters run through
their separate plot threads before being bundled together to fight the komodo. I
just love these films when random strangers suddenly start bossing each other
about as if they know what they're doing (see the helicopter pilot here - he
pretty much takes over leading the survivors the moment he arrives).
Director Jim Wynorski has assembled his usual array of acting talent for the
film. This means that the villains will look and sound evil (or stupid depending
on what type of villain they are portraying). The scientists will look and sound
like they know what they're doing. The hot chicks act with their chests (the
glorious T&A in this film during a swimming scene is fantastic). It's the type
of casting that will have genre fans like myself saying "I know him, didn't he
start he star in Hammerhead?" A lot of them are recognisable and a quick
IMDB search will allow you to place them in other films. The acting as a whole
isn't great but the script pretty much dies as soon as the two groups of
characters band together. Then all the film consists of is people pointing guns
and shooting them at big komodo dragons. And pointing and shooting. And pointing
and shooting. After a while you notice that the bullets have absolutely no
effect on it whatsoever and they don't even pierce the skin. Yet the characters
continue to shoot regardless. It isn't that well fed I might add but there's a
few decent moments of gore and cheese. There's even a Jurassic Park-style
chase involving the komodo dragon pursuing a jeep.
Verdict
The Curse of the Komodo was a pleasant surprise. I
can't give it any more stars than I have done for the simple fact it wasn't that
good. But it delivered with the monster and finally a creature feature film
lives up to it's premise. Cheesy fun with komodo dragons and bank robbers - can
you go wrong with that?
