The Curse of the Komodo (2004) User Reviews (41)

So Lame, Illogical and Trash that Becomes Funny

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 7 January 2017]

In the Isla Damas, a group of soldiers lands on the island and are attacked and murdered by a Komodo dragon. Two men, Hanson (Ted Monte) and Jason (J.P.Davis), leave a building surrounded by an electric fence to seek out survivors. They run back to the building and a woman, Rebecca "Becky" (Glori-Anne Gilbert), who is the daughter of the scientist. Nathan Phipps (William Langlois) deactivates the fence. Phipps and his assistant Dawn Porter (Gail Harris) contact the Chief of a Naval Base at Hawaii, Foster (Jay Richardson), to discuss the dragons that are genetically-engineered by them to produce food that have turned into war machines by Foster. Meanwhile, a casino is robbed in Hawaii by the thieves Drake (Paul Logan), Tiffany (Melissa Brasselle), and Reece (Cam Newlin) that flee to Damas using the pilot of helicopter Jack (Tim Abell). Soon they meet Phipps and Dawn shooting at a Komodo dragon and they learn that they need to team-up with the scientists to survive. Further, the contact with a Komodo turns the person onto a zombie. However the fuel of the generator is finishing and Foster does not have the intention of rescuing the group that knows too much about his project Catalyst. How will they survive from the dragons?

"The Curse of the Komodo" is one of those movies so lame, illogical and trash that becomes funny. The plot is absurd and stupid. Why the soldiers have come to the island? If fuel is primordial to keep the protection against the dangerous creatures, why there is not enough fuel and a backup generator? If bullets do not affect the dragons, why the group insists in shooting at the Komodo? In addition the ham acting is hilarious inclusive with the participation of soft-porn actress. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Criaturas" ("Creatures")

Gigantic Komodo dragons must find nourishment.

[michaelRokeefe · 3/10 · 29 January 2005]

Once again genetic experimentation has gone awry. A group of casino robbers crash land on a tropical island where scientists are already living in fear. The Army has been experimenting for years developing new weaponry...things have gotten a bit out of hand. Genetic tampering has transformed Komodo dragons into giant, human-hunting monsters intent with wrecking the jungle as they forage for nourishment. The casino bandits don't have to think twice when it comes to helping the scientists keep the creatures from escaping and making the rest of mankind high priority on the food chain. The story is pretty lame and the cast is pretty shallow too. Melissa Braselle and Glori-Anne Gilbert are an eye full in different degrees. Also in the cast are: Tim Abell, William Langlois, Paul Logan and Gail Harris. A much better Komodo movie to check out is KOMODO(1999).

the movie with everything

[brennakimi · 4/10 · 7 January 2006]

this may or may not include things considered to be spoilers so i'm warning you just in case. OK. it's a bad, cheap movie. it probably counts as a knock off of everything ever, including a nice nod to jurassic park's giant electrical fence. cause how better to contain large lizards but with a giant charged fence. but. it's hilarious. it has a casino heist, military intrigue, monsters, crazed scientists, zombies, boobies... it's a great movie if you're into b-films. bad writing, bad acting, cheap effects, lame jokes... but my is it complex and snazzy. clearly, the crew is trying to move from more adult films to a reasonably ordinary market with this film. i think it's a good crossover into evil dead territory. completely different subject matter but equally campy and fun. watch this in a marathon with cannibal women of the avocado jungle of death.

Probably one of the worst movies of the kind...

[KenVeryBigLiar · 1/10 · 12 May 2005]

The only thing i can say about this film is that it's awful in every aspect. The script is terrible. The story is a poor excuse and the dialogs are very badly written. The actors look like amateurs. Two actresses were selected probably because they have large breasts (and only because of that), since their acting skills are as good as the Komodo's. And even the visual effects are surprisingly bad, since this film is quite recent. There is almost no interaction between the Komodo and the actors. The result is a movie with not a single point of interest to show for.

Even if your are fan of this genre of movie, my advice is look elsewhere.

If you want to feel psychic . . .

[jaywolfenstien · 17 March 2004]

Watch Curse of the Komodo, and guess what the next line is going to be; you'll be amazed how frequently you not only get the gist of the coming dialogue, but predict it verbatim. But wait! It gets better! You can also quite easily predict what will become of essential items such as the generator keeping the electric fence going, all the vehicles, most of the communication devices, the thoughts of the higher up personnel.

I personally loved how the Komodo just stood there whenever it was in frame. It opened its mouth and roared with its 1950s-ish monster movie look and stock-sound-effect roar that's been used in such intimidating places as Scooby Doo (side-note, do Komodos roar?). Might as well make the movie about an oversized Chihuahua that just bounces up and down barking. People shoot at it. It stands there, not even bleeding. People fire more rounds, it still stand there.

At this point I think at least one person would try something a little different like aiming for universal soft-spots such as, I dunno, the eyes? We have to assume that they're not standing their firing randomly, but the director fails to communicate that idea.

They get into a truck and drive, and now the thing decides to move and try to dine. Why not charge while they're all just standing there? Characters and creatures do what the plot needs them to do when the plot needs them to despite the fact that the plot defies logic on so many levels that it can't be ignored (this coming from a fan of low budget horror films which always defies logic).

Let's think about this, guns going off and bullets hitting a Komodo is going to provoke it to take a little more action than standing and roaring. If it hurts or confuses the thing, it's probably going to go away. If it doesn't hurt it, it's probably going to p*ss it off which means its going to attack. You know what? Even if it is hurt/confused, it might still attack, actually. I'm no expert on Komodo dragons; maybe they would just stand there and smile . . . but would they still be around then (Komodo . . .dodo bird . . . hmmm).

Anyway, logically, wouldn't we see a more curious creature investigating these people before it started eating? And if the answer is `because the creature mutated, it would be more aggressive.' Okay fine . . . so why didn't it show this aggression during a logical moment like being shot at?

And to answer the above question - well, the Komodo effects were not well designed. In cinema, creature effects become an actor requiring a performance which requires a high degree of articulation (not present here). After all, we are creating organic beasts with a wide range of expressions, gestures, that would communicate its intentions. The plot needs the thing to roar and run, so that's all it does . . . hey wait, that's not far off from what the cast has to do - talk and run.

I waited through the whole film for an intelligent decision, and found only one - "Let's backup our data so we can let the world know the truth.' Too bad I couldn't get an intelligent decision *and* an unpredictable plot element, but maybe I'm asking for too much. Especially in light of the final few scenes involving an air strike, which I'm assuming was cut together with stock footage since the planes changed from shot to shot.

The high point of the film was the character Jack thanks to the actor. All the actors played this quite stale like they realized they were making a goofy monster movie and just wanted their paycheck so they could get out of there. Kinda strange that the actor to breath some life into his role was the character stuck in a place he didn't want to be in and just wanted the hell out of there. Maybe I just detected a hint of ironic honesty in the performance. Go figure.

Hilarious!

[straight_shooter_18 · 1/10 · 4 December 2005]

I just have to comment on this movie! I actually watched it with 2 of my friends and we couldn't help laugh at every single scene in it. Its a disaster as an action movie, but as a comedy this movie is an A-class one...There are just too many plot holes, you don't know where to start, and the komodo looks much like a clay lizard incorporated in the movie using stop motion animation. It just runs after the characters and they keep shooting at it (with unlimited clips in their guns by the way). When the characters are stuck in a corner, it will stand at a distance and enjoy the line of fire as bullets Pierce its scales, but if they are running away and shooting at it, it continues to run after them for some reason and the bullet holes never appear in its scales yet again for some reason and then a zombie appears at the end of the movie and you have no idea where it came from or what the hell its doing in the movie!!....Just take it from me, if you are ridiculously bored or drunk, gather some friends and watch this movie....for the laughs, and for the breasts scene!

It's an hour and a half of your life you'll never get back...

[please_save_yuri · 1/10 · 5 March 2005]

If there are movies that end careers, this would be one of them. The only highlight of this movie consisted of the end credits - not because they were good, but because they marked the end of the movie.

The acting is bad, the characters are shallow and boring, and the monsters are laughable. The story centers around a giant komodo dragon which goes on an eating spree. If this weren't bad enough, the komodo dragon's saliva seems to turn those it touches into zombies! One of the problems is that there's only 1 komodo dragon and 2 zombies, and none of them are given much in the way of screen time. In other words, the majority of the movie is dialogue-based. This wouldn't have been a huge drawback if the dialogue hadn't been so bad. There were times I found myself tidying the room to pass the time, waiting for something interesting to happen. And when something did happen, it hardly warranted my attention.

At least the people on the island had what appeared to be unlimited ammunition and a small whiskey flask that never went empty....

I want my 92 minutes back!

[jasoninkuwait · 1/10 · 30 May 2005]

Absolutely the worst plot – OK, maybe tied with Solarbabies as the worst plot ever.

So let's get this straight. You're a genetic scientist, you get your secret governmental funding from some upstart Navy commander who pays for your project out of petty cash and that empty coffee can next to the bottled water, you create giant carnivores to feed the world, left your daughter trapped on a deserted island with afore mention beasts for a meeting that you could have used your 1920's era two way radio for, power the "electric fence" and your only defense with a Honda generator the size of a shoebox, just happen to keep extra guns and explosives in that old shack a few miles away, know how to assembly any weapon but cant hit the broad side of a barn, just happen to keep some grain alcohol on hand for those downtrodden commando helicopter pilots that stop by for brunch, and cant wait to sacrifice yourself to save the love of your life.

Right…… It all becomes so clear now. You just want yourself and everyone you know to die and get off this movie.

you people are way to harsh on this flick

[knifeintheeye · 5/10 · 5 March 2006]

Want to see Jurassic Park style special effects and Oscar caliber acting? I can recommend a lot of movies for you...but this is not one of them.

That however, is not a knock of this movie. Curse of the Komodo is a low budget romp and it serves it's purpose. It entertained me for 90 minutes, just as it was meant too.

My review. Not as good as the 'original', but still entertaining. It had it obligatory boob scene (rather pointless) and women in tight shirts, buff guys and baaad military guys. Did I mention the horrendous special effects? These FX would not have been out of place in the 60's! Bullerproof lizards, zombie creating slime, bank robbers and corrupt military officers, buff guys and buxom women, stock footage of big boats...what more could a movie want?

Oh My GOD!! It may bite!

[carlos_pimentel · 1/10 · 14 July 2004]

Oh My GOD!! It may bite!With it's awfully computer generated jaws!!

The first thing about this movie: It's Awful!!!!! Those Komodo Dragons looked like CARTOONS!!...oh, did I say Komodo dragons? They looked like giant grey-colored Wall lizards to me!!...and they roar like dinosaurs!! Do Komodo Dragons roar like that?

The second thing are the actors. They're acting was awful!! And the dialogue don't ask! And one thing, did those ever finished they're munition! I think they were infinite.

And the third thing: This movie is the King of the Bad-movies for me.

My Rating 1 out of 10.

Curse of the B-Movie!

[TheCrowing13 · 2/10 · 3 January 2009]

My lord, who made this film. I don't understand if people want to make a low budget T.V. monster movie, why don't they show more monsters. There isn't enough in this film. They all focus on the humans acts to escape, which no one cares about. I'm not surprised that bout 3/4th's of this cast has most likely appeared in a porno. The only interesting thing I thought was amazing, were the random zombies that are thrown in as a side effect to the komodo's saliva. Lame? or super-amazing? hey there zombies can't get much cooler then that. The story is simple. People want to solve world hunger, government gets interested and gives them a komodo(s). They get big and eat people. Well a group of criminals are thrown in for a sub-plot that lasts around 30 sec. None of the actors are interesting and I often confuse this movie with "Komodo vs. Cobra", which is literally th exact same story but with cobras thrown in too. Special effects are average for a T.V. movie but I still feel they should be much better for the year the film was made. I swear this film was a porno but all the sex was removed and they kept one nude scene in then added more pointless dialog. 2/10

On a tropical Island, a giant Komodo, which is the result of experimentation of the army, is loose...

[manuel_l66 · 10/10 · 6 September 2005]

First of all, I have to say that I'm a great fan of Jim Wynorski (the director)and of Glori-Anne Gilbert (Rebecca), a wonderful actress and a beautiful woman! The only fact that they were united in this project made me sure that it would certainly be a masterpiece. I was not disappointed! I warmly recommend this work of art to everybody... If you happened to like this movie as much as I did, I can recommend some other titles that are really worthwhile... First of all, Boa vs. Python. I saw it recently and still have not been able to get over it. Besides, there are some other classics: Treasure Hunt (2003), Raptor (2001), Gargoyles (2004). All of which are directed by Jim Wynorsky. Besides that, I'm really looking forward to the release of Komodo vs. Cobra, featuring the exquisite Glori-Anne Gilbert.

Average Sci-Fi Channel Creature Feature

[slayrrr666 · 7/10 · 1 June 2006]

"Curse of the Komodo" isn't that bad of a creature feature.

**SPOILERS**

After the loss of a special military operation on Isle Damas, Professors Nathan Phipps, (William Langlois) and Dawn Porter, (Gail Harris) are assigned to clean it up before people find out about it. Trying to get away from a casino robbery, Drake, (Paul Logan) Tiffany, (Melissa Brasselle) and Reece, (Cam Newlin) crash-land on the island during the middle of a tropic storm. Going inland to find some repair equipment, they stumble upon Nathan's daughter Rebecca, (Glori-Anne Gilbert) and the rest of the scientific team encountering a giant attacking Komodo Dragon. After fending off the attack, they are welcome back to their compound and invited to stay. When the compound runs low on equipment, they try to leave to the island before a military operation blows up the island.

The Good News: Here we go with another Sci-Fi Channel creature feature, and here is actually a pretty good one. The one thing that really works is the connection with the giant monster films of the early 50s and 60s. Crashing-landing on an island conducting genetic experiments with creatures and then encountering the creatures along the way screams of a 50s B-movie plot, and it gives the film some familiarity. The look back to the past gives the film a charm that most similar films don't really have, and that's a pretty surprising feat to accomplish. However, there is a change that works out for the better over the other films. The giant Komodo in this film is a fully-grown animal, and isn't the baby of a larger creature that comes back later looking for revenge. That is a common factor in many similar films, and the fact that it's missing here with the Komodo being fully grown and attacking is a really original move that needs to be commended and recognized. The action comes across pretty frequently, and it keeps the pace going nicely. One sequence involving a chase in a fleeing truck is especially nice, and is easily a highlight that is quite exciting and a little thrilling in places along the way. Even more, we see the Komodo really and often, so even though they look really bad digitally, it isn't as terrible as it really should've been. And perhaps one of the greatest aspects is Glori-Anne Gilbert's extended topless scene.

The Bad News: The creatures here look so horrible that it's almost a travesty to call these computer generated creatures the same name as the Dinos created for "Jurassic Park." The fact that the same technique was used for the monsters in both films makes it all the more apparent that the Dinos will forever be the standard against which all CG creations will forever be judged. The results here are that bad. There are some pretty gaping plot holes on display here, and even though knowing them won't seriously undermine the enjoyment of the film, they are still there and pretty noticeable. The fact that the film is also just a giant cheese-fest doesn't help matters. There's really no shocks, jumps or anything, and the film plays out like a giant cheesy good time.

The Final Verdict: It's a giant cheese-fest, that's for sure, and Dinos from ten years ago still look better, but if you like the creature features from the 50s and 60s, then this isn't all that bad. Some kinks need to be either smoothed out or fixed, but there's far worse ones I've seen out there. Take it for what you will.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence and Nudity

Giant bulletproof komodos? ...I'm game!

[Vomitron_G · 3/10 · 5 February 2006]

CURSE OF THE KOMODO is in fact not a sequel to Michael Lantieri's KOMODO from 1999 (with the latter being a much better film, actually). Being aware that CURSE OF THE KOMODO was directed by Jim Wynorski, I got exactly what I expected from this movie: a so bad it's good monster-flick with a high cheese & camp factor.

Casually, I'd like to mention that the comment posted by JaywriterXIII contains some interesting topics raised after viewing this film which are simply dead-on and I experienced some of the same things (and more) while watching this flick (so read it, folks).

The theme of the film is one of those "experiments with animals gone awry"-ones. On an island a few scientist have caused komodos to mutate and grow way beyond their normal size. On top that they've become highly aggressive making humans no longer stand at the top of the food-chain. Like if that isn't bad enough, it also seems that when one touches the slime produced by the komodos, he/she will turn into a rabid zombie, capable of spreading the infection. Meantime, three criminals who robbed a casino had to make an emergency landing on the island with their helicopter. Things become even more worse when the military decides to pull the plug on the whole project. You guessed it, this flick goes way over the top.

The komodos themselves are poorly made static CGI-creatures. Their roar is as standard as they come. I personally had no idea those over-sized lizards could roar at all. Maybe they also have mutated vocal chords. They also appear to be completely bulletproof, 'cause standing next to them and emptying your gun doesn't seem to hurt them. The bizarre thing is that they behave like my cat does: when I stand next to her, talk to her and throw things at her, she doesn't move. She just keeps standing there, occasionally roaring "mriiaauw" at me. But when I take a piece of rope and start running, she suddenly comes chasing me, wanting to bite everything that moves. The komodos behave in the exact same way. Bizarre.

I'm not gonna go into the acting, 'cause over-all it's as bad as it gets. The lines, dialogues and actions throughout this movie are extremely predictable or excel in utter stupidity and often are contradictory. For example: Prof. Nathan repeatedly states that komodos don't like heat and only hunt at night. Though most of the attacks occur during the day. And this is one of my favorites: When their helicopter crash-lands, the three criminals start scouting the island. When they stumble upon an abandoned car from the scientists, one of them says: "This is our ticket outta here"! They're on a friggin' island, for Christ's sake. They're gonna do what? Drive it to the bottom of the ocean and emerge with it on the other side? Way to go scriptwriter!

I was also wondering, with them being scientists experimenting on an island and all, where's the lab? No test-tubes, no microscopes, no nothing. But they did have that fancy blue-flashing fence and an expensive-looking mansion. One more thing I learned from CURSE OF THE KOMODO (and from PTERODACTYL and a zillion other horror-movies): when a blonde bimbo sees water (as in a lake or a river) she will always immediately take her cloths off and go swimming. Always. In this case, the blonde cutie-pie was Melissa Brasselle, and I feel a little bit sorry for the lady. Her character clearly was inserted in the story for only two reasons: switching the secured/emergency power button on/off and... showing her boobies (and boy, what a pair they were).

I will end this "review" on a positive note. There's one jump-scene in the movie that actually worked. It took place in the cabin were they decided to spend the night. I really jumped up from my sofa. I was amazed that a movie that's the opposite of scary managed to pull that off. And I also kinda liked the last shot of the movie. Maybe typical, but still...

There's only one reason to recommend this movie, and that's for its un-intentional comedy aspects. So if you don't have the right sense of humor, you must avoid this at all costs. Actually, there's a second reason to watch this: it's a great really bad b-monster-movie flick.

Did anyone else notice?

[gbolyard · 1/10 · 8 September 2007]

That in the "bombing" and "hes turning into a zombie" scene the lines of this movie and its counter-part Komodo vs. Cobra were exactly the same.

In the "they got off the island" scene, the only thing that was changed was the name of the sergeant!

Did someone run out of money for the script writers?

Also, this movie was based in the '00 but the Geneva Conventions, Napalm was banned as a unfair chemical, along with nerve gas, etc.

I wish someone would have made this movie better, it was sort of a good plot.

Good for a laugh

[ash_0777 · 3/10 · 19 September 2005]

OK, here's the movie in a nutshell. A stranded group of survivors on an island are stalked by mutated Komodos the size of a small house.

The entire movie consists of the group of people walking somewhere with an apparent purpose. The Komodo comes out, stands in front of them, and let's it's self be shot at. The bullets have no effect on the monster whatsoever. Yet it stands there getting shot at by people it could EASILY eat. In a nono-second. That is the entire movie. The beast jumping out to be shot at, then walking away for no reason. The acting is horrendous, and the script - uber-cheese. But I laughed. The CGI is only moderate better then those Robert Tapert shows, (Xena, Hurcules, Cleopatra 2525, ). If you want a better (but not by much) Komodo movie, check out "Komodo" (1999). But enjoy Curse' for the pure badness of it and laugh.

The B-movie of B-movies

[io_mann · 1/10 · 3 May 2007]

It is always difficult to say which is the worst movie you've ever seen, there are just too many out there. But just after you see this one you realize that you need to search no more. I'm not saying that this is THE worst movie ever but it is certainly one of them, part of those movies that define the genre. There really isn't nothing good I can say about it, so, if you read this review before watching it, then just don't. Trust me, even if you are in jail, there are better things to do with your time. It is not even entertaining, the plot is as good as nothing, amateur actors can act better, the special effects resemble the work of a three year old in Paint. Last but not least: it is a movie that combines zombies with giant reptiles. It gets no better than this, right?

"I got the idea from an old monster movie. You ever see Dinosaur Island?"

[Dr. Gore · 2 July 2004]

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

B-movie kingpin Jim Wynorski cranks out another one. He has grown to the point where he can now freely reference his own work. When the head Navy guy is asked how he came up with the idea of making giant Komodos, he gladly credits one of Wynorski's movies for the inspiration. "I got the idea from an old monster movie. You ever see Dinosaur Island?" In another scene, a bunch of robbers pretend to be a documentary film crew. A scientist asks, "What's the name of the show?". The hot blonde replies, "Treasure Hunt". "Treasure Hunt" was another Wynorski flick. There are also references to "Cool Hand Luke", "Ghostbusters" and, of course, "Jurassic Park".

A bunch of people end up on Komodo Island and run for their lives. There are casino robbers, (with a hot blonde whose body has been aerobicized to death), scientists, (with a not-as-hot blonde with large breasts) and the head scientist's daughter who has extremely large breasts. They must work together to save themselves from the giant Komodo roaming the island.

The action scenes are tedious. Basically they involve the cast shooting guns off screen at a giant Komodo. Bullets don't seem to faze the Komodo. He just becomes bored after having been shot a few hundred times and walks away. Soon the people bicker and argue over survival tactics and the viewer yawns. Of course it's all been done before and better but who can ever really get enough of giant monsters? I know I can't.

On the plus side, "Curse of the Komodo" hums right along and doesn't hurt you too much. It's a B-movie and proud of it. We've got a giant Komodo dragon, some hot blondes and there you go. We have a movie! The best scene involves the scientist's daughter. She decides to go for a topless swim. This scene was magical. Even with a giant Komodo dragon roaming around, she still found time to enjoy herself. Good for her. Good for me too.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!

[lottatitles · 1/10 · 21 February 2004]

OK, that's it! When are we going to demand of the Sci-Fi channel that they stop making this crap?! Komodo was fair, but THIS....IS....CRAP! It's an excuse for a little T&A and a lot of bad acting, writing, and directing. It's not even worth a review except I'm hoping this will save a lot of people some money should they decide to rent it. This movie has NO REDEEMING QUALITIES!

Komodos turning prey into zombies!

[Chase_Witherspoon · 2/10 · 29 April 2011]

Diplodocus-sized Komodo dragons stalk the inhabitants of a small island off Hawaii, the result of a Defence experiment gone awry. When the local team of scientists are mysteriously joined by a band of fugitives of a fatal casino heist, the two groups must co-operate to survive whilst the mainland Defence department organises a deadly napalm mission to neutralise the situation, and cover all the tracks.

Something of a sequel to "Komodo" though baring no relation to the predecessor, both in terms of production quality or storyline (not to suggest that the original was a memorable debut for the killer Komodo theme). The cast is fairly obscure for talent, but there's an over-abundance of cleavage if that's your tonic; Melissa Brasselle and Glori-Anne Gilbert's characters are a buxom if brain-dead duo, with whom even buffed-up muscle-man Paul Logan's pecks can't compete. Ex British playmate, Gail Harris supplies the scientific credentials vis-à-vis a British accent, but despite her flamboyant background, stays fully clothed throughout. Only Arthur Roberts and George 'Buck' Flower offer a link (albeit a tenuous one) to mainstream cinema with frivolous bit parts.

Aside from the scarcity of recognisable personnel on screen, there also seems to have been a strike in the special effects department, where more effort was paid in the creation of a ridiculous zombie tangent, where contact with the Komodo's drool causes a septicaemia akin to the behaviour of one of Lucio Fulci's zombie flesh-eaters. The predators rarely look convincing, and despite churning the ammunition, there are only a couple of beasts with which to contend. And yet it still takes 84 minutes to end the carnage that is the film "Curse of the Komodo".

Regular cheese

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 15 August 2019]

THE CURSE OF THE KOMODO is another regular cheesy giant monster B-movie in which scientific experiments have created an island full of hulking Komodo dragons that run around eating people. It's not great, but it's probably one of the best films in Jim Wynorski's career nonetheless because it's not quite as bad as the rest of his stuff. At least there's a lot of stuff here, as silly as it is. Aside from the giant CGI beasties, there are zombified people, JURASSIC PARK rip-offs, a lengthy and totally gratuitous skinny dipping sequence, and more wooden acting than you can shake a stick at. One for B-movie lovers only, then.

Soft Core Porn Actors Battle To Survive... Their Acting *Spoilers*

[reddynolan · 1/10 · 8 June 2006]

*Spoilers* This movie is peopled with Soft Core Porn Actors whose over-acting is compounded by bizarre facial tics. Between scenes full of cheesy over baked dialog and spastic eyebrows, the characters shoot guns at the lizard from the set of 'Journey To The Center Of The Earth'. The gun play is hideous. They might as well be holding sticks and shouting 'bang bang'. I do have an appreciation for Tim Abell and Ted Monte as actors, and they try, they really do, but nothing else in the movie works. The character Jack (Tim Abell) carries around a flask of never ending liquor, which, y'know, he really *needed* just to make it through this offal.

Ray Harryhausen Would Roll in His Grave

[bobwildhorror · 3/10 · 8 September 2007]

Okay, okay...so Ray Harryhausen isn't dead. This movie might drive him to commit suicide and then roll in his grave.

Not that the monster effects are terrible for a low budget picture. They're passable in a "this would make an interesting video game" way. As previously mentioned, the game would have to constitute nothing more than the giant Komodo jumping out, having hundreds of rounds fired into its belly, then lumbering off for no reason.

The stars of this movie are not the Komodos, anyway. They're the breasts of the female stars. At least, this is what one has to assume, as they're flaunted at every opportunity, despite being "hidden" by the barest of coverings. I saw this picture on the Sci Fi Channel, so I have no awareness how much T and A might have been cut out (this being a JW film and all). Regardless, it was obvious that this was intended to be the draw. The girls - there are three interchangeable blonds - don't have much to do but huddle together. It's almost as if the director told them: "The Komodo is coming, so huddle on this couch." "The Komodo is coming, so huddle by this tree." It goes on and on, with the tallest of the bunch going bra-less in a tank top, bouncing each time they have to run from one huddling location to another.

And the guys? Most of them looked like they escaped from a GQ shoot. You know the types. Minor stubble to denote the "rugged outdoors-man" stereotype. Tank top on the "muscular hero" stereotype.

It was almost comic enough to be enjoyable. But not quite.

Bigger (Komodos) aren't necessarily better!

[mlevans · 14 October 2004]

I thought 'Curse of the Komodo' was decent. Sadly, though, Jim Wynorski took what could have been a fascinating subject and turned it into a cheesy B movie.

The characters' remark that the Komodo Dragon is 'the world's most dangerous reptile' is probably accurate. It is certainly one of the more intimidating. The thought of Komodos being mutated to be larger, stronger, more aggressive or perhaps less held in check by whatever forces of nature hold them in check, is a pretty scary one. A movie in which mutated Komodos grow to be maybe 1.5 or twice their normal size would be scary and feasible enough to be acceptable for a horror movie junkie.

However, Wynorski seems to be trying to make another dinosaur movie. These gigantic Komodos look an awfully lot like raptors or T-Rex's! Do Komodos actually walk around on their hind legs? I cannot recall ever seeing a photo of one doing so. The scene that lost me was when the four crooks are sneaking up on the others and see them fighting off the Komodo from a side view. That shot was as cheesy and phony as any I recall seeing from the 1950s! Of course, those who touch the Komodo 'venom' turning into murderous zombies, is a bit over-the-line, too! That said, the movie wasn't terrible. I disagree with the attacks on the acting. The no-name cast isn't bad. I really like William Langlois as the professor---although he really reminds me more of a high school or college football coach than a scientist! He and his co-worker Dawn (Gail Harris) work well together. I couldn't keep the other 'good guys' straight in one and a half viewings.

The crooks aren't bad, either. Bad dude/bodybuilder Drake (Paul Logan) is convincing enough, although I was never really sure what I thought about him. His girl Friday, with her Meredith Baxter-Birney neon-white teeth, is a level above the average B-horror bimbo. I halfway felt myself being drawn to her as the film went on. I can't say the same for the good doctor's whiny big-boobed daughter, who really deserved to be Komodo food. I like the other two crooks, too. The booze-swilling copter pilot is well played by Ted Monte and Cam Newlin is good as Reese, the other crook.

Overall, this isn't a bad one. I certainly made sure I returned it in time, though. This isn't one that's worth paying a late fee on!

Even worse than you're expecting.

[cableaddict · 1/10 · 21 February 2004]

Good Lord, what a stinker! This one ALMOST makes it into the "so bad, it's good" category. Sadly, not quite.

OK, you know what you're getting into just from reading the title. Trust me, there are no surprises after that.

Imagine an Andy Sideris film, without the constant nudity, mixed with the most embarrassingly underwhelming special effects you've ever seen, and you pretty much have it.

I think there's some kind of screenplay in there, but I kept falling asleep so maybe I missed it.

Avoid this one at all costs. No redeeming value whatsoever.