Sea Beast (2008)

Thanks for the memories!

I wanted to but couldn't!

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

SEA BEAST is a rip-roaring little B-movie that shamelessly rips off the likes of PREDATOR in its tale of a marauding sea monster that comes up on land to stalk and eat hapless human prey, utilising its ability to make its invisible in the meantime. Hell, at one point the hero even says "It bleeds..." and you can almost see the scriptwriters winking at the viewers.Like most B-movies, this film has its problems. The direction is slightly meandering, but at least the director avoids that annoying and pointless shaky-cam so beloved of B-flick helmers in recent years. The script is hardly polished; we're subjected to padded lines like "If we lose our heads, we're dead" and "I saw it...with my own eyes" and the no-name cast hardly give remarkable performances.And yet, and yet, SEA BEAST is a lot of fun, it's hard to deny. The pacing is spot on, with the viewer thrown straight into the monster action - none of that slow build up nonsense here, just mayhem and death. The CGI effects are pretty poor, yes, but you feel the animators have at least tried to do what they can with the technology available.And it's GORY, damn it! Entrails are strewn asunder and heads torn loose, all captured with loving relish. It's hard to dislike this stuff. At one point, the chief critter gives birth to lots of little critters, like in a scene from Emmerich's ill-advised GODZILLA, but SEA BEAST definitely has the edge on that movie, as unlike GODZILLA it's a real hoot!

A gaggle of lethal and mysterious predatory sea beasts from the darkest depths of the ocean floor come onto dry land to attack and feast on the residents of a previously sleepy bay village community. Director Paul Ziller, who also co-wrote the derivative, but engrossing script with Neil Elman, relates the entertaining story at a snappy pace, takes time to develop the plausible working class characters, generates a good deal of tension, and delivers a generous amount of surprisingly graphic gore (one woman gets her head bitten off and the creatures leave behind the torn up bodies of their victims). The solid low-key acting by the capable cast keeps the movie buzzing: Corin Nemec makes for a credible rugged blue collar hero as struggling fisherman Will McKenna, the cute Miriam MacDonald contributes a winningly feisty portrayal as Will's spunky daughter Carly, Daniel Wister registers nicely as likable hunk Danny, and Camille Sullivan does well as earnest and helpful marine biologist Arden, plus there are sturdy turns from Gwynyth Walsh as concerned harbor master Barbara, Brent Strait as grizzled old drunk Ben, Gary Hudson as the amiable Sheriff Jay McKenna, Brandon Jay McLaren as the easygoing Drew, and Roman Podhora as obnoxious antagonistic jerk Roy. The CGI effects are okay and the monsters look pretty cool. The sharp cinematography by Mahlon Todd Williams boasts plenty of gnarly creature POV shots. Chuck Cirino's energetic ominous score does the spirited shuddery trick. A really fun little flick.

Sigh, after being a horror fan for more than twenty years, I still make the same old rookie mistake of getting lured into watching dumb, nonsensical crap just because it has an enticing DVD-cover… With just a minimum of research in advance, I would have noticed that this is another run of the mill made-for-TV creature feature released by the infamous Sci-Fi Channel. These flicks are aimed at a very undemanding audience and derivative of approximately a dozen of other – far more original – movies. "Sea Beast", or "Troglodyte" as it's officially called apparently, is a clumsy hodgepodge of genre clichés and all too obviously borrowed ideas that just look pathetic in this movie's context. The plot takes place in a small seaside community and begins with a fatigue, old-timer fisherman returning from a hectic trip where he lost one of his crew members during a storm. Will McKenna witnessed how a large monstrous sea creature grabbed his helper, but naturally nobody onshore believes him and he becomes the laughing stock of the town. He finds a drunkard in town who also saw the creature, but naturally he doesn't want to help. Oh and – also naturally – Will has a rebellious teenage daughter who disregards daddy's warnings and heads off to a little island to party with a few friends. The titular "sea" beast turns out to be a ravenous creature that is also able to live on land and even in trees. Nobody knows where it comes from and the script doesn't bother to explain, but presumably it's a distant relative of the aliens in "Predator", as it can become transparent and attacks its victims from high up in trees. Several sequences are bluntly and shamelessly copied from "Predator", but the film also borrows success-elements from other horror favorites, like "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park". The monsters look like ludicrous computer-engineered experiments designed by an over-enthusiast bunch of geeks that couldn't unanimously agree on a decent design. Dumb and forgettable TV-horror.

For those who are looking for Jamie Foxx doing huge stunts with mega explosion, This is not the movie for you... But for those who enjoy some low budget horror movies, this mix of predator/ jaws & aliens low budget flick is a fun one. When you see the cover of this DVD, you know exactly what you're in for. I rented this last night because I thought it was time to check out a monster movie :D I was surprise, I admit there are many bad straight to DVD horror & Sci - fi movies out there I was impress with this movie Personally, I think the creatures look a lot better than I am Legend, and the movie is way better than the 1998 Godzilla. So if you enjoys flicks like Tremors, The Mist or even Frankenfish, give Sea Beast a try