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Deadly Swarm
(2003)
Plot
In Guatemala, a team lead by disgraced scientist Dr
Schroeder uses force on the local natives to learn the whereabouts of a rare
breed of deadly wasp located in the dense jungle. They arrange for a drug dealer
to transport the wasps in a container to Mexico but there is an accident along
the way and the wasps escape. American entomologist Daniel Lang is down there
studying the local mosquitoes when people in the nearby town start to turn up
dead, victims of the deadly stings. However the town has an upcoming festival
and the mayor refuses to believe him until it is too late. Along for the ride is
a snoopy American journalist down in Mexico following a drug trafficking ring
and Dr Schroeder himself, who has a keen interest in what happens to the town.
Review
I nearly cried whilst writing that outline. Not because the
film sounds bad (which it does) but because it features THE single most
over-used plot in monster films ever - that of the unseen menace terrorizing a
town with a festival of some kind approaching and the local authority figure
refusing to believe that there is a problem because he wants to make plenty of
cash. Jaws has a lot to answer for. I've never been a big fan of "insects
attack" creature features either. I much prefer larger, single creatures doing
the killing than a whole nest or swarm of insects. There's nothing I find really
scary about that. I'd much watch a big lizard that can bite me in half as
opposed to a load of flying critters that I can swat out of the air or stand on.
Deadly Swarm does nothing to change that either. It limps along in a
linear path, going through the usual motions of trying to entertain you with
some poor set pieces and laughable attempts at tension. Calling it a "horror"
would do classics of the genre an injustice. It's more like a sci-fi thriller
only without anything remotely thrilling (and without any real science it has to
be said!). The wasps just show up every now and then to sting some stock
characters and then in the meantime we just have the characters talking about
the wasps. There was something in there early on about the wasps laying eggs inside
people and then hatching out of their stomachs. But the CGI in this scene is so
poor that the film forgets it ever happened and moves on never to comment on it
again. Instead of attempting to do something a bit more out-of-the-box like
this, Deadly Swarm is content enough to play out the well worn
"monster-on-the-loose" card where a town is getting menaced by some unknown
force in the run up to a special festival or event. It's the Jaws formula down
to a tee but if I begun ranting on that, I'd never stop. Safe to say I wish
films would take a few liberties now and then and try something new instead of
rehashing the same plot that must have been used a thousand times over since
1975.
Casting in these films is always tricky. Do casting directors intentionally pick
the most clichéd looking actors to fill their roles? Or do they actually see
something in these people that the audience doesn't? Shane Brolly is very bland
in the lead role - a few expressions wouldn't hurt would it? I'm guessing
because he looks young and rugged that he got the role. It would have worked
better with an older man in the entomologist role. But then we wouldn't have a
romance subplot would we? Kaarina Aufranc adds a bit of zest to her reporter
role but again, was she cast because she's a cute little number or because she
can act? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that as soon as we find out
both leads are single, that their paths will cross during the film and they will
fall in love. Would it hurt anyone to pull a swerve and not have them fall in
love? Filling out the other roles, we have Pepe Serna and he impresses as the
kindly local sheriff - his most infamous cinematic moment probably being sliced
up by a chainsaw as Al Pacino watched on in Scarface. J. Patrick
McCormack hams it up unbelievably as the scientist, Dr Schroeder. This guy has
"boo me" written all over from the first moment you see him. He always looks
like he's going to crack a smile and burst into tears of laughter through the
film. When he explains all in the finale, I was laughing at him. Speaking of
which, the way in which the killer wasps are finally overcome is one of the most
cop-out endings I've ever seen. Bit of credit due for not having them blow the
nest up but come on, bats eating them all?
Verdict
Deadly Swarm is competently made for a TV movie but that's about
all I can say positive about it. Desperate or easily pleased bug fans check in
here. The rest of you just get out the Raid spray to keep this swarm from
infiltrating your TV set. |
