22 reviews
Some SyFy originals are tolerable, but most are bad to just terrible. Heastroke for me was not bad enough to be terrible, but it was an overall lame movie. The scenery is pretty good though, and while she has a very shallow character Danika McKellar is beautiful and quite appealing. However, the special effects look very fake, and are not helped by the choppy editing. The music is not awful as such, but is very forgettable within minutes of watching the film, and the direction has little sense of vitality. The script is often flat and too corny, while the characters are cardboard and shallow especially the villains and the story reads more of a series of encounters that are mostly predictable and stupid. The ending is contrived and unintentionally comical. Other than McKellar the rest of the acting doesn't make an impression. DB Sweeney struggles with a very clichéd role, and it is also one that requires more than his light leading man charisma, which makes him a bland lead really. Overall, I've seen worse, but Heatstroke for my tastes was lame. 3/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 16, 2012
- Permalink
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.
- art_angel87-1
- Jun 1, 2008
- Permalink
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.
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.
- MartianOctocretr5
- May 31, 2008
- Permalink
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!
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!
- vampyrecowboy
- Feb 24, 2009
- Permalink
...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 :)
- liquidgardener
- Jun 4, 2012
- Permalink
- bloodrose47
- May 31, 2008
- Permalink
The first time the alien appeared I was in shock just how awful the CGI was - more Dire Effects than Special Effects. It was almost funny - I had to get the wife to check I wasn't just imagining things. The alien design was bad, the implementation bad - that I can only think they ran out of money in post-production and made the wrong decision to release. It really looks like they've given it to some teenage kids who don't really know what they're doing. The fake blood is bad, the integration with the performers and set is bad. As the alien runs forward it's head shuffles oddly - as though it was added on separately after the body action was done. The action was awful and the acting poor. The director has cooked up a turkey - the very worst film I've seen for a long time. I'm stunned that can get released as a movie and show on terrestrial TV in the UK.
You know, this movie had a low budget, mediocre acting, bad writing, and was full of cliches. EVEN SO, it could have been a fun B-grade horror movie to watch, but the CGI! My God, the CGI was amateurish and terrible! I laughed out loud! A person in a suit would have been MUCH better.
- matthewmillerwriter
- Aug 2, 2022
- Permalink
Lack of a good script in addition, of the terrible special effects, the bad actors, I do not recommend it at all to see, it is a waste of time
- slayrrr666
- Jun 5, 2008
- Permalink
OK, i saw this film yesterday, the last half of it because i was out seeing the new Indiana Jones movie, i could'nt wait for this movie to come out, I'm sad i did'nt see the whole movie Acting was good, music was pretty cool, i hated the way how they could'nt make the creatures "run", on the scene where it is chasing the girl, they could of tried to make it look like it was running Deacent film, i give it a 7 out of 10
I still need to see the first half of the film, maybe then it will go up a little in my grade book
I liked it, i would recommend it
I still need to see the first half of the film, maybe then it will go up a little in my grade book
I liked it, i would recommend it
Maybe that's what they attempted, an exercise for actors to show they had the acting skill to speak the worst lines that could be written, and make those lines passable.
I wondered first if it was poor actors ad libbing, which I've seen in Louisville productions, bot "no". You can see every actor and actress struggling with clumsy lines. That can't be coincidence.
So the plot? Sci fi creatures killing vulnerable people and people having dreams. And aversion of X files even dumber than X Files (which was a hack TV series about the department of defense hiding the existence of aliens from the public so they couldn't ask for a bigger budget at appropriations time. Yes, this plot is even dumber) How do you get dumber than a government branch trying to hide the existence of something that would grant them a bigger budget? By elaborating even more on what was dumber about X Files. That people wouldn't want aliens.
There's even an expository line where a lady scientist claims she wanted to believe in God and that she didn't want to believe in aliens, because she believed God made humans in his own image.
Said no one ever.
Because no one wants to believe that. People want to believe in aliens. We have proof of this. The IMDB top 250 presently has 8 movies dealing with outer space. All 8 of those contain aliens. That's what people want. Even I want that. I'm not going to watch an outer space movie sci fi movie with no aliens. Rarely.
Is there an exception? For me, SILENT RUNNING and OUTLAND are about it. And neither are in the top 250. Why? People want aliens!
The writing is definitive of "expository". But I don't consider it totally "contrived". The only "contrived" part is the failure of the military in hunting the creatures. Kind of a "groaner" scene there.
I'll give it points for being an "exercise" for actors. I truly believe that is what this is. An exercise where actors and actresses weren't allowed to alter lines, and instead try to make something of the ridiculous script before them.
I wondered first if it was poor actors ad libbing, which I've seen in Louisville productions, bot "no". You can see every actor and actress struggling with clumsy lines. That can't be coincidence.
So the plot? Sci fi creatures killing vulnerable people and people having dreams. And aversion of X files even dumber than X Files (which was a hack TV series about the department of defense hiding the existence of aliens from the public so they couldn't ask for a bigger budget at appropriations time. Yes, this plot is even dumber) How do you get dumber than a government branch trying to hide the existence of something that would grant them a bigger budget? By elaborating even more on what was dumber about X Files. That people wouldn't want aliens.
There's even an expository line where a lady scientist claims she wanted to believe in God and that she didn't want to believe in aliens, because she believed God made humans in his own image.
Said no one ever.
Because no one wants to believe that. People want to believe in aliens. We have proof of this. The IMDB top 250 presently has 8 movies dealing with outer space. All 8 of those contain aliens. That's what people want. Even I want that. I'm not going to watch an outer space movie sci fi movie with no aliens. Rarely.
Is there an exception? For me, SILENT RUNNING and OUTLAND are about it. And neither are in the top 250. Why? People want aliens!
The writing is definitive of "expository". But I don't consider it totally "contrived". The only "contrived" part is the failure of the military in hunting the creatures. Kind of a "groaner" scene there.
I'll give it points for being an "exercise" for actors. I truly believe that is what this is. An exercise where actors and actresses weren't allowed to alter lines, and instead try to make something of the ridiculous script before them.
- abuse-this2
- Feb 20, 2013
- Permalink
D.B. Sweeney is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Put him in scenes that involve a brawl or (multiple) interactions with Danica McKellar, and it looks and feels awkward.
Otherwise, the story is cookie cutter stupidity, and the creatures are only marginally better than those in rubber suits.
- shaddow_adism
- Jan 4, 2011
- Permalink
Stunning science fiction film that intriguingly proposes a sinister plot may be the cause of global warming. Richard Manning's screenplay is a fresh and unique one, full of thrills as well as deeply intelligent. The direction by the visionary Andrew Prowse is both highly skillful and high-octane. He expertly keeps the thrills coming but still allows time to develop characters and lets the intricate plot unfold. D.B. Sweeney (Fire In the Sky) is superb as a tough military man focused on investigating the conspiracy by alien beings and exposing it to the world before it's too late. His intensity and machismo is perfect and it stands as some of his finest work in years. The special effects are breathtaking and the creatures designed for the film are amazingly original and exquisitely realized. While this is of the science fiction genre, it's also a relevant statement on issues current to our time and vital to our planet.
- dianerpessler-46164
- Aug 4, 2015
- Permalink
- nublingnoob
- Oct 3, 2021
- Permalink
Exceptionally good film about an extraterrestial attempt to heat our environment until mankind is extinct. D.B. Sweeney is very good indeed in his role and is surrounded by a great supporting cast. The director, Andrew Prowse (Doctor Blake Mysteries; Gryphon) puts a sure hand to his material and the result one of the best movies shown on SyFy is some time. The special effects, editing, and sound are all excellent and the director keeps everything moving at a brisk pace. This is a pretty smart piece and it tackles a controversial issue (Global Warming) from a different angle. The monstrous aliens are just that: monstrous. These are not your usual E.T.'s and they are particularly vicious. This motion picture can be highly intense and at times somewhat bloody but in the end it's a very rewarding film.
- jlthornb51
- Aug 4, 2015
- Permalink
- burlesonjesse5
- Feb 6, 2023
- Permalink