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Overall Rating : 5.5/10
Directed By : Jim Isaac
Jason Behr (The Grude)
Elias Koteas (Shooter)
Rhona Mitra Highwaymen)
Natassia Malthe (BloodRayne II: Deliverance)
Supplied By : Lionsgate Films
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : December. 4, 2007
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| PLOT Timothy, a young boy who is approaching his thirteenth birthday, is unaware this milestone marks the time of his transformation. His mother Rachel fears her son’s health is deteriorating, however, members of his family, those who have guarded him since birth, know Timothy is a half-blood. When the red moon is full, Timothy will finally have the power to control his family’s destiny, yet his gift puts his life in grave danger. Meanwhile, two other packs of Skinwalkers, who are bound by blood yet divided by principles, watch the night sky knowing that this rising moon signals the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. The packs are prepared to wage a fierce battle for possession of the one who holds the key to their future and way of life. |
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| THE REVIEW In SKINWALKERS, there's a war going on - one one side Werewolves that embrace their beastly desires and feed on the innocent, on the other, a group of like-breeds, that don't exactly care much for their ravenous curse, The breeds survival relies on one 12 year old boy's life. As a "half-breed" of the race, once Timothy reaches his 13th birthday(which happens to only be days away) the "Skinwalkers" will fail to survive and all whom are Skinwalkers will be cured. So of course the scummy Varek and his biker band of misfits, individuals, whom love their evil gift, will stop at nothing to prevent that from happening. The "good side" in this war happens to be family of young Timothy, and in the midst of gunfire and various altercations between Varek and crew, they must fight them off to unsure that Timothy makes it to his dreaded 13th birthday. I remember that sometimes last year, Lionsgate released SKINWALKERS to theaters, probably hoping to cash in on their craze that they created with After Dark Films. When I saw the trailer they were running on TV, something didn't seems right about it to me. In my opinion, it just didn't seem like a movie that was "theatrical worthy", and knowing that it was getting theatrical treatment, I wondered just how long it would last on the big screen. And just as I thought it would, SKINWALKERS didn't last long, and it was probably pulled from theaters before the ads even had a chance to air throughout the country. While watching SKINWALKERS, it was clear to me that it was one that should've by-passed theaters and debuted straight to DVD, but having the After Dark Films banner attached, Lionsgate took a gamble, that barely made a mark at the box office. The film is very campy, in plot and in acting, the type of campy that never seems to go over well these days with movie audiences whom shell out their hard earned cash to see a movie. Back in the day campy films, like a GRIZZLY, a film that was beyond campy, being released theatrically was of normalcy, but todays crowd, is very different, and expects to receive a certain standard. With that said, I have read a few reviews for SKINWALKERS that call this silly, with horrible acting and whatever they can accuse it of being. Well, in my opinion, sure this film is not a blockbuster Horror film; it's cheesy, yes the plot is thin and the acting questionable - but sometimes all of a films flaws inadvertently make it something of entertainment value. The plot is rather basic, it's yet another film that displays a child being of utmost importance, holding the key to an overall resolution - it's nothing new to film. We also have an ending that seems a bit rushed, that could've had some padding(say maybe a family history), but to me the action made this a rather fun watch. I mention that the action is great, but the area that the film lacks the most in is actual story. As mentioned, there is no real, solid back-story to further establish the film - we really have no insight on just how these people actually became Skinwalkers they just are, all we do know is that in the Native American legend, a 13 year old boy is believed to be the answer to a cure for the curse - essentially making SKINWALKERS a sort of hybrid of the UNDERWORLD series of films minus the brilliant plotting and with action a little less extreme, edited down for a PG-13 rating. In the end, SKINWALKERS is definitely not the greatest of werewolf flicks and certainly not the best written, but it's far from the worst. No matter the movie, there will always be someone that calls a certain movie "the worst movie ever made"(i've already saw that said for this), but this statement will never be true because every movie is likely to have it's followers that value it, for whatever reason they choose. In my opinion I thought it was at least enjoyable, I wasn't "wowed" by it, and it's not likely to become a favorite of mine, but it was a pretty decent way to pass the time, if not just for the action alone. |
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| GORE
METER 3.5/10 All I remember are a few bloody gunshot wounds and a couple of bloody feedings. I understand that an unrated version was released elsewhere that had a bit more gore - but as for this US released PG-13 cut, it's rather tame. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 3/10 The score is very faint, but atmospheric at times, I thought it was just ok. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Overall, when it comes to SKINWALKERS, I think that people that go into it expecting way too much are likely to be disappointed by it. But for the people that enjoy the occasional cheesy Horror film that has little to think about, but a lot to see, should enjoy it - sure the Werewolf make-up looks awful, but that, to me, just adds to the fun, it's not really much to complain about. It seems as if this film will have those that like it, and those that do not...in my opinion, it was better than I thought it would be. |
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