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Overall Rating : 4/10
Directed By : Johnny Martin
Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer)
Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers)
Sarah Ann Schultz (Shadow Of Fear)
Supplied By : MTI Home Video
Film Reviewed By : Rick Blalock
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| PLOT A co-ed group of Special Forces agents search the wilderness for a predator type creature that has been on a killing spree. |
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| THE REVIEW SKELETON MAN, was originally a world premiere original movie that aired on the SCI-FI CHANNEL. I personally didn't catch it on TV, but thanks to the new MTI DVD release of the film I was able to check it out. Well with SKELETON MAN, what we have here is a movie that is not all that great but, is somehow still entertaining. I'd say the reason it is somewhat entertaining no matter how ridiculous it may be is because you can watch it and laugh. The humor may not be intentional, but it is this humor that makes it relatively fun, The film basically follows a tactical team whom is trekking through the wilderness looking for some fallen comrades. They then learn that they have been killed by a figure wearing a large black coat, riding a stallion who happens to have the face that of a skeleton. Soon the team is up against the "creature", and soon find out that he is nearly impossible to kill. I'd be absolutely lying to you if I didn't say this film is bad, because it is. The killer in this film looks downright stupid and ridiculous, you can't help but to laugh when you see it. The action sequences are totally un organized and just scrambled in an unrealistic matter and fashion. But what does make the killer somewhat interesting is that he has the ability to disappear and reappear making it nearly impossible to kill it. Underneath all of the mess you get a lot of gore that is for the most part, highly affective for a cable TV flick....(not sure if any was edited out for TV's sake or not) The cast should get recognition as this is a complete mess of a movie for most of it, yet they still did good. The acting in SKELETON MAN is really nothing at all special, and you won't find any Oscar winners that's for sure. But I will say that both Michael Rooker and Casper Van Dien, are both very good actors. I have not saw Van Dien since STARSHIP TROOPERS years back, and I was never really a fan of it. I understand that he has been in a lot of B films lately so i'll be checking them out. But as for as performance Rooker is the star here, with the weight of the flimsy plot on his shoulders. Bad direction, bad edits, unrealistic action, not much more than something funny. |
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| GORE
METER 5.5/10 I hate to admit this, but this film had some of the best gore I have ever seen in a made for cable effort. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 2/10 The score hardly had a life of it's own, it doesn't really make and impact, or stand out. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Yes this film was bad. Have you ever heard of the term "so bad it's good"? Well I say that the term fully applies to this one. If you are looking for gold, this is not it, do not take this film seriously at all. But I would say if you are looking for a party film, one to laugh at with your drunken/stoned buddies, this gets my nomination! Pick this up on November 22, 2005 from MTI and Platinum Disc......Hell I might be watching this again when i'm bored. |
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