Time to do yet another round of quick-shot horror reviews here on the site.
Age of Dinosaurs-
This here turned out to be quite a fun if typical Sci-Fi Channel creature feature which means that a lot of the issues present are quite familiar to those with experience in this field. As expected, the CGI is pretty terrible with the usual inconsistencies present where creatures appear to shrink and grow in scale depending on the sequence provided and really don't have too many scenes where it's all consistent with everything else around them. As well, the fact that the misappropriation of size between the different creatures is another factor to deal with, as the film doesn't make any sort of historical accuracies to the different species, mangling the statistics among the different creatures and getting them wrong all-to-frequently. On top of that is the traditional standby of looking way too fake and generated outside the set, with their pixelated appearance and design looking none-to-real and being way too obvious about the computerized necessity for their input into the story. That aside, this one wasn't too bad, as there's a lot of fast and quite vicious dinosaur attack scenes that run the range from one-on-one confrontations to being overwhelmed by the size or numbers of the other species and even including a full-scale assault with a military helicopter firing away at the creatures which are quite exciting. The fact that the majority of those scenes are done with realistic-looking puppets or props makes it all the more interesting since they look like they're interacting with the cast for once and it manages to look rather nice on its own being so close to the true being. This factor alone saves the film tremendously, and in conduction with the fine action on display makes it really worthwhile.
Atrocious-
This here managed to be quite a troubling effort, more so for the potential on display rather than the actual results. The fact that this one starts off with a rather creepy ghostly mystery is pretty nice, with a simple-enough folk-tale that could've been started in any small town in the world has a nice way to go about getting its start, and with the creepy house and woodland setting where this takes place, it has a creepy, chilling vibe that's found in most of these ghostly haunting films. As well, some of the scenes are quite creepy, with the death of the dog, the attack on the sister in the gazebo and finally the house stalking provide this with some generally enjoyable scenes that can generate some nice shocks. However, there's several things that undermine this, not the least of which is the found-footage angle this employs, which means that a lot of the scenes captured never really should have because trying to hold a video camera up to capture them during such moments is quite ludicrous, unless it happens to them you can't see anything so a lot of time is spent running from something we can't see and thus nothing happens, and then the final reel is so insanely stupid it knocks a lot off the film right off the bat. It's also so short that hardly anything happens as well, a product of the camera style and as well really hurts this one, a shame with the potential offered.
Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan-
This here is a rather fun and enjoyable enough effort that has some pretty enjoyable moments going for it, as well as the traditional problems associated with these kinds of movies. The fact that the film manages to feature some of the same problems with the CGI being of just abysmal quality here with almost no attempt made to integrate it into the scene logically or hide it's usage makes for a curious inclusion of it overall. As well, there are several plot threads within that don't make a whole lot of sense as there are several storylines within that really could've been dropped without deviation from the main story, and as a whole drag the opening out a little more than necessary. Still, there's some fun to be had here with some fantastic stalking through the forest as the towering figure over the tree-tops chasing them is pretty intense and the use of the forest is a good setting for it all. There's a lot of moments with an actor in a prosthetic suit interacting with miniature models of the surroundings that are mixed incredibly well with the real- size footage that makes the CGI all the more curious as it's far more convincing than possible here and why not just keep it all the way through is rather curious. With some brutal kills resulting in some nice gore shots and a fun, action-packed finale to boost it up, there's some good stuff in here.
Barricade-
This here was just an absolutely paltry effort with very little to recommend about it. The fact that this one's restrained rating means that the film is constantly fighting an uphill battle that it will never win since there's never going to be any danger to the children in order to get a harsher rating, forcing the attack scenes to fall into a predictable pattern of fading out before anything happens to which he wakes up and thinks it was all a dream, or he sees something that distracts the attack and it focuses on another aspect of the situation which is quite distracting and really diminishes the film a lot. As well, there's very little to keep the film engaging when the attacks don't come, and the whole plot twist comes at you from a mile away despite the hint it's going to be clever, and the only thing this really has going for it is the creepy cabin with the raging snowstorm outside, which is quite a bit of fun and definitely has a great atmosphere to it, but otherwise there's not a lot going for this one.
Battledogs-
This was a pretty surprising entry that had some pretty enjoyable aspects to it that makes it far better than expected. One of the best elements here is the film's use of real animatronics and puppets for the werewolves that lend the creatures a sense of realism that far off-sets the utterly atrocious CGI which also pops up, but the fact that a lot of it is with the on-set effects makes it more enjoyable. The relentless action allows for plenty of high-energy scenes, including the creatures running loose in a crowded airport with the turned victims rising up as new werewolves to join in the fray as well as a big battle with the military on the streets of New York that has a lot to like. Throw that in with some nice gore and a pretty involving storyline that never really gets convoluted, it's got a lot to like that really makes up for the film's few flaws in it's CGI and pretty bland beginning that never fits in with the rest of the action, causing it to take a while to get going. Otherwise, this was quite fun.
The Lost Tribe-
This was a pretty enjoyable and entertaining effort. A great premise here with a lot of rather good things about it, mainly from the species portrayed within which is rather enjoyable. They're rather cool all around, with a great look, impressive social structure and cool abilities that make for some wonderful stalking scenes in the jungle where it all takes place. The location is fantastic, taking place in the square jungle filled with lots of large trees, huge bushes and lots of rocky outcroppings that allow for lunging out of the darkness, hiding and the like, making for some fine suspense scenes as well as a great place of combat during the last half when they go on the offensive. The gore is great, with lots of savage kills and wounds making for a well-rounded part of the film. Suffers way too much from stupidity-to-remain-in-peril and poor decision-making, but none of that is too detrimental.
Rage of the Yeti-
A rather interesting take on a Sasquatch film, as this one decides to incorporate a little-known aspect of the legend about the Chinese variation being to live in the snow allows this one to really play around with some new environments. The ability to blend into the snow and during the heavy storm going on at the same time makes these pretty threatening creature since this one has them popping out whenever they're not expected, which is definitely a great plus here and makes the film a lot more exciting. There are also some rather fun action scenes later on that that is plenty enjoyable, and the blood and gore are what's to be expected in a Sci-Fi Channel film. The main problem with this one, as mentioned earlier it's a Sci-Fi Channel film so expect the usual level of CGI, is that despite being billed as a Sasquatch film and mentioned within the dialogue of the creatures' true identity, the decision to remove the humanoid basis and turn them into more like mutated polar boars is a curious one, as they move and act like so rather than of the more human-like variations that should've populated the film. Otherwise, this one was pretty enjoyable.
Age of Dinosaurs-
This here turned out to be quite a fun if typical Sci-Fi Channel creature feature which means that a lot of the issues present are quite familiar to those with experience in this field. As expected, the CGI is pretty terrible with the usual inconsistencies present where creatures appear to shrink and grow in scale depending on the sequence provided and really don't have too many scenes where it's all consistent with everything else around them. As well, the fact that the misappropriation of size between the different creatures is another factor to deal with, as the film doesn't make any sort of historical accuracies to the different species, mangling the statistics among the different creatures and getting them wrong all-to-frequently. On top of that is the traditional standby of looking way too fake and generated outside the set, with their pixelated appearance and design looking none-to-real and being way too obvious about the computerized necessity for their input into the story. That aside, this one wasn't too bad, as there's a lot of fast and quite vicious dinosaur attack scenes that run the range from one-on-one confrontations to being overwhelmed by the size or numbers of the other species and even including a full-scale assault with a military helicopter firing away at the creatures which are quite exciting. The fact that the majority of those scenes are done with realistic-looking puppets or props makes it all the more interesting since they look like they're interacting with the cast for once and it manages to look rather nice on its own being so close to the true being. This factor alone saves the film tremendously, and in conduction with the fine action on display makes it really worthwhile.
Atrocious-
This here managed to be quite a troubling effort, more so for the potential on display rather than the actual results. The fact that this one starts off with a rather creepy ghostly mystery is pretty nice, with a simple-enough folk-tale that could've been started in any small town in the world has a nice way to go about getting its start, and with the creepy house and woodland setting where this takes place, it has a creepy, chilling vibe that's found in most of these ghostly haunting films. As well, some of the scenes are quite creepy, with the death of the dog, the attack on the sister in the gazebo and finally the house stalking provide this with some generally enjoyable scenes that can generate some nice shocks. However, there's several things that undermine this, not the least of which is the found-footage angle this employs, which means that a lot of the scenes captured never really should have because trying to hold a video camera up to capture them during such moments is quite ludicrous, unless it happens to them you can't see anything so a lot of time is spent running from something we can't see and thus nothing happens, and then the final reel is so insanely stupid it knocks a lot off the film right off the bat. It's also so short that hardly anything happens as well, a product of the camera style and as well really hurts this one, a shame with the potential offered.
Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan-
This here is a rather fun and enjoyable enough effort that has some pretty enjoyable moments going for it, as well as the traditional problems associated with these kinds of movies. The fact that the film manages to feature some of the same problems with the CGI being of just abysmal quality here with almost no attempt made to integrate it into the scene logically or hide it's usage makes for a curious inclusion of it overall. As well, there are several plot threads within that don't make a whole lot of sense as there are several storylines within that really could've been dropped without deviation from the main story, and as a whole drag the opening out a little more than necessary. Still, there's some fun to be had here with some fantastic stalking through the forest as the towering figure over the tree-tops chasing them is pretty intense and the use of the forest is a good setting for it all. There's a lot of moments with an actor in a prosthetic suit interacting with miniature models of the surroundings that are mixed incredibly well with the real- size footage that makes the CGI all the more curious as it's far more convincing than possible here and why not just keep it all the way through is rather curious. With some brutal kills resulting in some nice gore shots and a fun, action-packed finale to boost it up, there's some good stuff in here.
Barricade-
This here was just an absolutely paltry effort with very little to recommend about it. The fact that this one's restrained rating means that the film is constantly fighting an uphill battle that it will never win since there's never going to be any danger to the children in order to get a harsher rating, forcing the attack scenes to fall into a predictable pattern of fading out before anything happens to which he wakes up and thinks it was all a dream, or he sees something that distracts the attack and it focuses on another aspect of the situation which is quite distracting and really diminishes the film a lot. As well, there's very little to keep the film engaging when the attacks don't come, and the whole plot twist comes at you from a mile away despite the hint it's going to be clever, and the only thing this really has going for it is the creepy cabin with the raging snowstorm outside, which is quite a bit of fun and definitely has a great atmosphere to it, but otherwise there's not a lot going for this one.
Battledogs-
This was a pretty surprising entry that had some pretty enjoyable aspects to it that makes it far better than expected. One of the best elements here is the film's use of real animatronics and puppets for the werewolves that lend the creatures a sense of realism that far off-sets the utterly atrocious CGI which also pops up, but the fact that a lot of it is with the on-set effects makes it more enjoyable. The relentless action allows for plenty of high-energy scenes, including the creatures running loose in a crowded airport with the turned victims rising up as new werewolves to join in the fray as well as a big battle with the military on the streets of New York that has a lot to like. Throw that in with some nice gore and a pretty involving storyline that never really gets convoluted, it's got a lot to like that really makes up for the film's few flaws in it's CGI and pretty bland beginning that never fits in with the rest of the action, causing it to take a while to get going. Otherwise, this was quite fun.
The Lost Tribe-
This was a pretty enjoyable and entertaining effort. A great premise here with a lot of rather good things about it, mainly from the species portrayed within which is rather enjoyable. They're rather cool all around, with a great look, impressive social structure and cool abilities that make for some wonderful stalking scenes in the jungle where it all takes place. The location is fantastic, taking place in the square jungle filled with lots of large trees, huge bushes and lots of rocky outcroppings that allow for lunging out of the darkness, hiding and the like, making for some fine suspense scenes as well as a great place of combat during the last half when they go on the offensive. The gore is great, with lots of savage kills and wounds making for a well-rounded part of the film. Suffers way too much from stupidity-to-remain-in-peril and poor decision-making, but none of that is too detrimental.
A rather interesting take on a Sasquatch film, as this one decides to incorporate a little-known aspect of the legend about the Chinese variation being to live in the snow allows this one to really play around with some new environments. The ability to blend into the snow and during the heavy storm going on at the same time makes these pretty threatening creature since this one has them popping out whenever they're not expected, which is definitely a great plus here and makes the film a lot more exciting. There are also some rather fun action scenes later on that that is plenty enjoyable, and the blood and gore are what's to be expected in a Sci-Fi Channel film. The main problem with this one, as mentioned earlier it's a Sci-Fi Channel film so expect the usual level of CGI, is that despite being billed as a Sasquatch film and mentioned within the dialogue of the creatures' true identity, the decision to remove the humanoid basis and turn them into more like mutated polar boars is a curious one, as they move and act like so rather than of the more human-like variations that should've populated the film. Otherwise, this one was pretty enjoyable.
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