Sand Serpents (2009)

So much average

Don't Believe the Hype

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

b movies are the fast food of the arts, and they can outsell mickey d's easily. Lots of explosives, meh, or over the top kind of acting and lots of green screen and cgi and we have our own drive in (too bad they don't still exist) The laughs and scares are the same though. For those who are tired of erudite films ad nauseum - have a bowl of popcorn instead. And you don't have to go to a drive thru.

While out on a routine assignment, a group of soldiers in Afghanistan find they have awoken a swarm of gigantic worm-like creatures and must fend off both the creature and the Taliban in order to get out of the situation alive.This one here wasn't all that bad of a creature feature. One of the better features here is that there's a rather fun and frantic pace here that comes off exceptionally well as there's some fine action scenes within here. This is mostly apparent in the first twenty minutes which is the ambush gunfight at the mine with the insurgents which is a really blazing gunfight that results in their capture only to be rescued by the worms ambushing the other terrorists leaving them alone. This continue on into the fun chopper attack as the sudden-ness of them appearing and generating the attack on the chopper is a nice surprise as well as leading into the chase back to the camp where there's plenty of fun to be had from that, a thrilling chase in the desert as they race away from several burrowing creatures that has some nice moments from some ingenious tactics being utilized in a second chase away from the refugee camp that comes off really well with the race to get into the bunker before the worms can get to them. Other fun action comes from the grand shootout with the reinforcements back at the hideout where the worms come into play with their inadvertent rescue which is all in line with the final half here as the big series of chasing and encounters throughout the tunnels which gives this some really fun action here in their encounter with the worms as they run into the tunnels, their underground adventures coming across the traps and supplies while the escape to the surface brings some really tense moments here with the final attack on the terrorists at the campsite and the race to get into the rescue plane gives this one some really fun times here. Along with the overall fun creature design, these here offer this a lot to really like here over it's few minor flaws. Among the biggest issues here is the fact that the film continues harping on the one character labeling the entire nation as terrorists despite plenty of times that he's saved their lives in the line or duty or given them access to something they shouldn't have in their condition, which is done so often in here that it becomes utterly annoying and rather racist. This also manages to come through with a rather puzzling flaw here in that there's the return trip to the mine, as that's where the creatures are known to be so that doesn't make any sense why they return. Even considering this facet is the fact that this is their base which would've been another reason to leave, and even then they could've brought the radio along anyway which gives this whole section some really wrong decision-making. Along with very little blood and gore in the kills here, these hold this one back somewhat.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and children-in-jeopardy.

Sand Serpents. No one died in this Syfy Original Movie until the 6 minute mark. Impressive.A small combat unit overseas that ends up dealing with giant underground worms or snakes.You're probably thinking what I'm thinking. Dune meets Tremors. Sure, because it's basically just that.The difference is that the writing is much better than the usual Saturday Night Original fare on Syfy and if you have nothing better to do, it passed the time rather well.There are some obvious holes in the skit as they skipped some scenes where special effects could have been used, but we know what happened. Who really needs to see a giant snake blow up anyway? My guess, they were saving money.When the worms feed on Taliban, they kind of reminded me of giant Slinky's with teeth.Overall, 1-10, I'd say a 5, maybe a 6 if you were drinking.The writing was better than most of their Saturday Night Original movies, the effects weren't bad but there were holes in some of the cinematography. Who ever edited the final product may have been the one that created some of the disjointed scenes.The ending for me got lame as I feel there was a much smarter resolution at hand aside from the one that took place. Then again, if he was stupid enough to have taken his course of action aside, then I guess this scene, that was reminiscent of Reign Of Fire, is fine.You'll know what I mean when / if you see it.

First, an explosion woke the worms during a firefight between some American soldiers and the Taliban. Apparently there had never been explosions in the vicinity prior to that, there at the mine. Perhaps those worms were imports.Second, you'll hate Andrews. You'll keep on hating Andrews and wishing him death as the others fall. Seriously, you'll find yourself saying, "God, why couldn't that have been Andrews?!" when Wilson gets killed. Don't worry, he gets his, but in a far less dramatic way than you'll have hoped.Third, how can a gigantic worm snatch a Blackhawk helicopter perfectly out of the sky without getting injured by the blades? Seriously.Fourth, they figure out the worms are attracted to sound and vibration. Apparently, someone has seen Tremors! They all climb into a hot-wired truck without checking if it's even fueled up or knowing if it can outrun the worm, but hey... Sci-Fi is Syfy. They even do the whole lobbing-grenades-from-the-back-of-the-truck stunt later in the flick (just like in Tremors). Good grief.Fifth, the worm always has to come up out of the ground about 100 feet and arc down in a menacing way (in the same CGI manner might I add) and roar. Roar! Essentially over-sized earthworms (or dirt-snakes as my husband called them) have no need for vocal cords and certainly would not have developed them. And yet these babies have that pseudo-grizzly roar.Sixth, would someone please make Andrews die?! Seventh, there are just some irritating little tell-tale Sci-Fi things. For instance, when the group is back at the mine, a grenade flies through the window, explodes, blows shrapnel into Kaminsky (who falls to the floor screaming), and everyone scrambles. A few seconds later, the lieutenant sees fit to yell, "We're under attack!" Really? I doubt anyone had noticed...Eighth, if the worms are indeed attracted to only sound and vibration, then why do they eat motionless bodies? This happened in the beginning with Asala's corpse and later when Kaminsky laid motionless while Stanley and Andrews were running away and yelling. The worm ate Kaminsky instead of going for the moving things causing vibrations. At least in Tremors, they stuck true to the fact that standing still wouldn't get them killed ;) Ninth, what's with the kid? I know it's tough to find young actors, especially on the budget they must've had for this film... but COME ON! My cats have a scratching post with more personality that this girl exhibited! She sees her dad blow up and manages to shout a few times, but nary a tear was shed. Wow.Tenth, the final scene is a dramatic one of self sacrifice for the greater good. However, I can't believe an American soldier would get onto a rescue helicopter wearing a suicide belt. If he thought the worm was going to actually come after them, he could've taken it with him and tossed it into the worm's gaping maw instead of hurling himself into it. It was just such a waste... but dramatic! All in all, this wasn't a total waste of time as most Sci Fi Originals are. The acting is so-so, there are some better attempts at character development (which still fall short), and the story isn't bad.... except it was done before. This is basically a rip-off of Tremors (which is a far better movie than this); they took that and dumped it in Afghanistan.Summary: For a Sci Fi Original, it's not total crap and is actually watchable, especially if you have never seen Tremors.