Heatstroke (2008) Reviews

• Good for a laugh or two

  MartianOctocretr52008-06-01

  This one pulls out several stock monster movie plot devices, but yet manages to entertain if you take it at face value. You want vicious, blood thirsty aliens sneaking around on a remote island? You got it, along with some pretty-girl potential victims, trigger-happy marines who feed the critters with dozens of rounds of ammunition, people who whine about monster legends, the usual dumb skeptics, plus some beautiful south Pacific island shots. Oh, and the creatures themselves. They're designed creepy enough (as usual, a hybrid of insect and human characteristics), but the director falls into the temptation of showing them way too early. Having them lurking in shadows, brushing plants, their brutal bloody attacks with unexpected deadly powers would have made them menacing; using some of their unusual powers in a mysterious way rather than showing these skills would have made them menacing enough. The unseen terror is usually scarier and more intimidating than seeing a fake looking CGI monster. Danika McKellar is wasted on a shallow stereotyped character that you learn little about. She makes the most of what little the script offers, but I wish somebody would offer her some better roles. The story is really just a series of encounters with the aliens, sometimes they croak an Earthling, sometimes the Earthling gets them first. Very little of the plot the creatures are hatching is developed. Some scenes are flat out stupid, such as the naive-scientist-trying-to-communicate-with-the-alien-race cliché scene. The approach of the dummy is so childlike, I thought she was going to say, "Polly want a cracker? Dat's a good alien!" any second. And the outcome is so obvious as to be comical. Still, with all these shortcomings, the film never tries to be more than the fast food sci-fi/horror that it is, and just has a good time with its action. Good enough for a laugh on a rainy afternoon when you have nothing else to do.

• Lots of bad production work

  vampyrecowboy2009-02-25

  Shaky camera work - just continues to randomly move for no reason - even while doing shots that require a steady hand. Choppy editing. If you like your stuff chopped up, with lots of random moves that were not in the previous shot, misplaced people, and horrible fight scenes, then this is for you! Come on and watch...spot the mistakes - maybe even win a prize! Nasty fight scenes. Do you enjoy nasty fight scenes where people don't even connect when throwing a punch or when blocking a punch? Take a peek...it happens several times. Look for the amazing swift moves such as - kicking and spins that do not hit their target and the ever fun - flipping somebody over with a single outreached hand... CGI - yes, that stands for computer generated information - which basically stands for = making phony things look funny...like aliens that look like cartoon characters. Good dialog and acting...if you think you can spot it - YOU WIN!

• Terrible, except for one thing.....

  liquidgardener2012-06-05

  ...or person, that is. I watched only to see the beautiful Danica McKellar. Grown up now and looking fine in swimwear, but even that can't rescue a poorly produced film. The special effects are so fake looking I suspect first year film students can do better. I didn't expect much more, a made-for-SyFy Channel movie gave me what I imagined. Danica is worth far more than this, and I hope she eventually gets roles that showcase her talent, not just her looks. Heck, cast her as a math wizard model in some hybrid story...she is a true math wizard, and I just hope she doesn't need crap like this to balance her checkbook. I'd have given it one star, but the added star is for Danica :)

• Ouch!

  ctomvelu12011-02-26

  For DB Sweeney, it must have been quite a comedown from FIRE IN THE SKY to this. Sweeney, who once showed promise as a light leading man, here portrays a cardboard military guy hot on the trail of an killer E.T. in Hawaii. Sweeney and his crew race around in various Jeeps and small SUVs, while the badly animated creature hops here and there, doing in one person after another. Sweeney ends up crossing paths with a model (McKellar) who teaming up with him in pursuit of the monster. She's the eye candy, folks. By the way, the alien in this could just as easily have been a raptor, for all it's worth. Ah well, I'm sure cast and crew had a good time shooting in Hawaii.

• Worth Your Time?

  art_angel87-12008-06-02

  In my opinion, no. Unless you really need something to do, or an excuse to get out of doing something. Whichever. Heatstroke is your typical Sci Fi film, and by typical I mean "god awful". From what I bothered to understand, aliens were on earth causing global warming. I was waiting for Al Gore to make a cameo, and perhaps kick some alien patootie (which would have probably made the movie better) but no such luck. How sad is that? Aside from the plot, the most disappointing aspect of Heatstroke is the aliens. From the previews I thought it was another Raptor Island, but raptor-like aliens with weird smirks and face-melting breath? Who would have thought? Anyway, the CGI is possibly the worst I've ever seen, even for pretty low budget films. It's laughable, and that's the last thing I want to be doing while watching a "scary" movie. I thought the gore content was rather minimal, and the deaths usually happened in the same manner, which became old after a while. It's a good thing that I had my computer handy, or else I might have been bored. On the plus side, the gore was occasionally more realistic than a majority of such films I have seen. Unfortunately, that's not enough to save this movie for me. If you're a lover of Sci Fi films and desperately hold on to the idea that one day they will be worth watching, you could give this one a try. I wouldn't have high hopes though.