Big Ass Spider! (2013) User Reviews

Actually has some gory moments - and is intentionally campy, which makes it an above average, fun B-movie

[gogoschka-1 · 6/10 · 18 December 2013]

For a B-flick this was actually rather well done; I would even go so far as to say that this is more a lovingly made spoof of B-movies than an actual B-movie (although the budget is clearly B). A cameo appearance by Lloyd Kaufman (legendary Troma producer) seems to further indicate that this an homage to trashy horror and monster films.

Given the budget on this, the effects - especially the spider - are pretty decent. Don't expect the kind of CGI quality of films like "Starship Troopers" or "Mimic" and you'll have a fun 82 minutes.

I guess the version I just saw must be the R-rated one: there definitely are at least a few gory moments in this film, so the PG-13 rating here on IMDb could be misleading.

This film is a lot of fun and has some witty dialog and was obviously made by someone who loves this genre - apart from that, the two lead characters are very likable and have great chemistry.

It might deserve less, but I'll give it a 6

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Fun B-Flicks/Low Budget Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/YV1Lxq7WLkU/

Ironic as well a spectacular monster movie about a giant spider rampaging Los Angeles downtown

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 13 August 2015]

A monster film plenty of impressive scenes , frenetic action and humor . A giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampage the city of Los Angeles . When a massive military (commanded by Major Braxton : Ray Wise and Lt. Karly Brant : Clare Kramer) strike fails , it is up to a team of scientists and one clever exterminator to kill the creature before the city is destroyed . Meanwhile , the bloodthirsty spider meet up local citizens and spontaneously catch them and begins to consume people . Later on , the gigantic spider over a skyscraper surrounded by planes shooting similarly to ¨King King¨ movie . The gigantesque spider rapidly multiplies and the protagonists confronting with them , being L. A. town devastated by the attacks . When Downtown Los Angeles , including City Hall , under attack , an eclectic bunch led by bug/pest exterminator Alex Mathis(starring "Heroes" alumni Greg Grunberg) along with a security agent called Jose Ramos (Lombardo Boyar) and Army Lieutenant (Clare Kramer) take on the evil spiders .

This monster/comedy film with medium budget packs thrills , some good action and funny moments . It's a hybrid of monster movies from the 50s such as 'Tarantula' and modern American production plenty of C.G.I. The thrilling screenplay is a bit yawn-inspiring but nifty special effects will keep you from dozing off , with nice creatures designers, created by means of Animatronics and computer visual effects . This is a suspenseful and amusing Sci-Fi/thriller/comedy especially at the amazing ending tableau when Greg Grunberg , Lombardo and Clare Kramer have to tackle the gigantic spider in the final . The picture was professionally directed by Mike Mendez (¨The killers¨, ¨The Conven," "Masters of Horror" ¨, ¨The Gravedancers¨) with rather too much camera movement and there are also lots of low-angle shots of people hanging around waiting to get bitten by the carnivorous spider . This Mike Mendez's newest film "Big Ass Spider!" for Epic Pictures premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival and had a limited theatrical worldwide . Although nothing which haven't been seen before, this is not the picture to watch if you are scared of spiders , however the movie is quite entertaining . Utterly arachnophobia people must flee this film.

Other movies about this Spider sub-genre are the followings : ¨Tarantula (1955)¨ by Jack Arnold with John Agar ; ¨Tarantula: the deadly cargo (1977)¨ with Claude Akins ; ¨Kingdom of spiders (77)¨ by John Budd Cardos with William Shatner , ¨Arachnophobia(1990)¨ by Frank Marshall with John Goodman , ¨Arachnid¨ (2000) by Jack Sholder with Chris Potter , Jose Sancho , Neus Asensi and ¨Eight Legged Freaks¨ (2002) by Ellory Elkayem with Scarlett Johansson , Kari Wuhrer , and David Arquette .

Not so scary as could be expected. Lots of one-dimensional characters. The hilarious exterminator duo compensates most faults in this movie

[JvH48 · 6/10 · 27 April 2013]

I saw this film at the Imagine film festival 2013 in Amsterdam. The plot is straightforward and simple: An alien spider that was planted in a human body, escapes from the hospital where the human was treated. The military takes over the hospital but fails miserably to contain the menace, in spite of showcasing an assortment of weapons and heavily decorated brass. A professional exterminator (Alex) and his volunteer helper (Jose) take over where the military falls short, and simultaneously take care of many hilarious moments that turn this film into an entertaining production, and let us overlook several of its faults.

The spider in question quadruples in size every four hours. In the beginning of the story, the spider was a bit scary while it had a believable size. At first, it traversed the facility tubes of the hospital and could turn up anywhere in the building. Later on, it used the sewer system of the city while moving to a suitable location to plant eggs. But when it started growing exponentially, it became more of a predator (like a lion or a tiger), thereby loosing most of its scariness inherent to crawling insects. Still fierceful, of course, but not in a way fitting in the Horror genre.

The exterminator duo, professional Alex with volunteer Jose, takes care of the humorous aspects, while the rest of the cast is one-dimensional entourage. Some of the military, the general and lieutenant Kelly, show more than one dimension in sparse better moments. The general is unexpectedly flexible in allowing help from outside the army, at moments when he considers himself powerless, in spite of all the guns and gadgets under his command. Lieutenant Kelly sticks to her role as someone who has everything under control (famous quote: "it's my job"). We see that events in this unusual case evidently outgrow her training and eventually overpower her, after which she gets an important role as the maiden in distress, with Alex as the obvious knight to rescue her by whatever unorthodox means.

All in all, we talk about family entertainment here. The label SciFi (IMDb) is not very appropriate, in my opinion. Instead, the Imagine festival website did it better with "Horror – Comedy". The exterminator duo (Alex and Jose) turn this movie into something interesting. Without them there is not much left to admire; not even the animated spider leaves an impression on us. With its 80 minutes running time, this movie is not too long for its minimal contents and yet succeeds in keeping our attention.

"Nice Job, Moron!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 29 April 2019]

BIG ASS SPIDER! is the story of exterminator, Alex Mathis (Greg Grunberg) and his extraordinary day. Upon receiving a bite from a Brown Recluse spider, Mathis winds up in the hospital. While he's there, by some unholy happenstance, another species of spider, a particularly large specimen, crawls forth. In seconds, the angry arachnid is on a deadly rampage!

If that's not bad enough, the military shows up, led by Maj. Tanner (Ray Wise), to "take care of things". The hospital is quickly locked down, and it's obvious that this is no ordinary spider. Can Mathis use his bug-killing skills to assist in the eradication of this fast-growing monster?

Grunberg is fantastic in his nebbish cum hero role. The movie is an excellent blend of sci-fi horror / creature feature and comedy. Not as hopelessly "zany" as one might expect, it benefits from well-written humor. The CGI isn't bad, especially later in the movie, when the BAS goes "KING KONG".

A low budget film that makes the best of its limited funds...

Not bad enough nor good enough.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 26 April 2015]

A movie like "Big Ass Spider!" should either be really, really bad or really, really good. Unfortunately, the movie is neither. If it were really awful, then it would have lots of camp value and you could laugh at the ineptitude of the production. Or, if it were really good, you could respect and enjoy the film. Why was it neither? Read on.

The idea about a giant spider attacking L.A. and a likable exterminator who helps save the world is great. Unfortunately, the character Greg Grunberg (famous for his role in the TV series "Heroes") plays is NOT likable--as often he's making boorishly sexist remarks. To put it bluntly, he's just a jerk. Also, the film has too many ridiculous and one dimensional females in it (ranging from a hot military lady in a sexy uniform to assorted large-breasted women playing nearly naked volleyball) and has a variety of things which will potentially offend due to the occasionally crappy writing--in fact it ranges from horrible to clever repeatedly. It's a shame, as the film occasionally has excellent CGI for a cheap film, a few funny moments however on balance just isn't a film most people would watch or enjoy.

By the way, spiders do NOT swallow their prey like they do in the film. Instead, they paralyze it and inject it with a solution that dissolves the prey internally--then they drink the sad creature. It's a lengthy process, so I guess I could understand the filmmakers making the spiders do otherwise.

B Plus

[jimnshay · 7/10 · 28 October 2014]

"Big Ass Spider" is a reasonably entertaining B-Movie that neither takes itself too seriously nor insults your intelligence (except with your permission). If you like this kind of comedy/horror/monster movie at all, you'll enjoy yourself here. It's not Shakespeare; then again, that's not what it said on the box. And you opened it anyway.

You could compare it to a Syfy original; it's in that genre. But it's better than all than about three of them, and that's including "Sharknado." Not like BAS is genius, but Syfy movies are… not good.

It does what a B is supposed to do: entertain, divert, scare a little, clown around. Decent job. A perfect NetFlix weeknight movie; even Saturday night, if you're not doing anything.

It takes more than a snappy title to make a memorable creature feature.

[capkronos · 5/10 · 28 January 2014]

Isn't 'Big Ass Spider' fun to say? I even cracked a smile telling a friend of mine "I'm about to watch 'Big Ass Spider'!" this evening. Hell, I may even have fun in the future saying "I watched 'Big Ass Spider' last month." Only I won't be doing so with quite the same level of enthusiasm I had before actually seeing the movie. I'll start by saying that I did not dislike this. It's an amiable, simple, good-natured, unpretentious, straightforward comic creature feature clearly made by well-intentioned people who probably had a great time making it. So why didn't I love it? Pretty simple: There's absolutely nothing here that I had not seen elsewhere numerous times before. That goes for the plot, ALL of the characters, the special effects, the cheeky self-aware sense of humor and the presentation of the material. One's overall enjoyment will likely depend on how familiar they are with similar 'giant mutant-monster on the loose' films. If you haven't seen a whole lot of these, you'll likely enjoy the light, goofy tone. However, if you're already well-versed on this stuff, you'll quickly realize this has nothing new to offer.

Hefty every man Greg Grunberg (from the TV series "Heroes") plays the lead role as bug / pest exterminator Alex Mathis. After being bitten by a (regular) spider himself, Alex goes to the hospital for treatment. Down in the morgue, another much-larger, scientifically-altered alien spider erupts from the chest of one of the bodies. It bites a coroner, kills a patient, escapes into the sewers and eventually goes on a rampage throughout Los Angeles. With each new victim, the spider grows to a larger size; filling out five different growth stages that will end in the spider laying a bunch of eggs. Naturally, it must be stopped before that can happen and, despite the presence of the military (led by dependable character actor Ray Wise), Alex finds himself front and center in the battle, aided by security guard / "Mexican Robin" sidekick Jose (Lombardo Boyer, giving a very likable performance in a highly stereotyped role). Throw in a pretty love interest / damsel in distress (Clare Kramer) who figures during the KING KONG-inspired finale and that's pretty much all she wrote. This goes right down the monster movie cliché check-list without missing a beat, whilst unfortunately never once going outside the box.

I honestly didn't find the Alex character as endearing as I think the writers intended him to be. He's pushy, annoyingly presumptuous and even downright obnoxious at times. Since he's overweight, the script of course requires him to foolishly risk his life numerous times over in order to prove himself worthy of an attractive woman he doesn't even really know and one who otherwise wouldn't give him the time of day. That's fine and dandy (albeit typical), but that doesn't change the fact that this all falls into predictable TV sitcom-style stereotype casting. You know, a tubby schlub with a heightened sense of his own desirability and zero self-awareness is paired up with a hot woman and we're supposed to automatically find it a charmingly oddball pairing. I assume this is supposed to be empowering to your Average Joe to show that even the hottest of hotties is not outside his reach, but it's this same routine handling of character dynamics that somewhat hamper an already-predictable film and keep it from rising above the norm. And I swear if I have to sit through another "comic" scene of a Mexican going into action accompanied by blaring mariachi music I'm gonna scream.

On the plus side, some of the banter between Alex and Jose is amusing, the CGI fx are pretty decent for a low-budget film (although they *still* look like something that'd be more at home in some video game), there's more gore than one might expect for a PG-13 movie and there are some very fun moments to be had in here, especially when the spider attacks a bunch of people in a park. There are also a few notable cameos as well, including the always-amusing Lin Shaye as one of Alex's neurotic customers, Troma's Lloyd Kaufman (who gets skewered) and directors Adam Gierasch (as a homeless guy who encounters the spider in the sewer) and Kevin Tenney (who can be spotted waiting in line at a hospital). None of the above can help this completely overcome the sheer predictability of the whole thing, but it's enough to keep the film watchable for 80 minutes. I've certainly seen better, but I've also seen a LOT worse.

The Title Tells You All You Need To Know

[alisonc-1 · 7/10 · 24 July 2013]

Alex (Greg Grunberg) is an exterminator working in Los Angeles, whose speciality is spiders – he can get inside their minds, you see. A minor spider bite sends him to the local emergency room, where he soon learns that something has infiltrated the place. Turns out there was a military "accident" and soon the hospital is taken over by a Special Forces Major (Ray Wise) and his crew, including lovely Carly (Clare Kramer). But it is up to Alex and his sidekick, hospital security guard Jose (Lombardo Boyar) to figure out how to save the day.... Really, a movie like this needs no description, as it says it all in the title – there's a Big-Ass Spider threatening downtown LA! Very funny, a little gory (but only very briefly), this film had rather more character development than I'd expect in an 85-minute popcorn movie – and it was a perfect film to see with the great FantAsia audience too!

Good effects, but tries too hard to be funny

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 5 November 2015]

BIG ASS SPIDER! is a giant spider comedy/horror spoof following in the tradition of other arachnid comedies like EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS. This one's an unashamed B-movie, gently riffing on genre conventions while playing out exactly the same as you'd expect, although it's noticeably more comedic than something The Asylum would churn out.

It was the comedic nature of this film that I wasn't really a fan of. If the comedy had been a little less over the top and the performances a little less theatrical then I would have enjoyed it more, but as it stands this goes way over the top in its attempts to be goofy. The central exterminator duo are particularly testing and unfortunately dragged the entertainment value right down for me. They just didn't appeal and their jokes felt stale and repetitive.

It's a shame, as BIG ASS SPIDER! boasts some very impressive CGI effects, which are a lot better than in similar fare put out by the SyFy Channel or The Asylum. Plus, the excellent Korean monster flick THE HOST appears to have been an inspiration here, particularly in a set-piece sequence where the giant spider rampages in the park which plays out almost exactly the same as in that movie. It's the highlight of an otherwise mediocre outing.

The title says it all...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 27 October 2013]

"Big Ass Spider!" has everything a monster movie needs, and the title of the movie basically speaks for itself. If you love gargantuan monster movies, then "Big Ass Spider!" is definitely worth your time.

The story is about a strange, outer worldly crossbred spider that escapes the clutches of the military and finds a nesting ground in a hospital, where it quickly grows larger and more aggressive. As it escapes the hospital, the spider turns the city into its hunting ground.

Storywise, then "Big Ass Spider!" is fairly much like many others of its genre, and that is one of the things that actually makes this movie well worth watching, oddly enough. And also the good amount of comedy and self-irony that the movie is spiced with really helps it along nice.

Most of the time, the CGI effects of the spider, regardless of its size, was actually quite good. And for a monster movie, then good CGI (or creature effects) is a must. And the CGI team behind "Big Ass Spider!" really pulled it off quite nicely.

If you have seen movies such as "Spiders" or "Eight Legged Freaks", then you know exactly what you are in for here.

It should also be noted that there is a good handful of acting talents on the cast list in "Big Ass Spider!". And as a special treat for us who are fanatic about the monster movies of the B-genre, then there is a great appearance by Lloyd Kaufman.

"Big Ass Spider!" is a fun 80 minutes worth of excitement, fun, action and creepy crawlers. Eight legs, uhm, thumbs up from me, and "Big Ass Spider!" gets a solid 7 out of 10 rating.

The endless badness is almost funny, but not quite.

[suite92 · 4/10 · 19 April 2014]

Alex the exterminator has an ordinary day, more or less, but he gets bitten by a brown recluse. He goes to a hospital to have the inflammation treated early on. He sees a corpse go by, and asks Nurse Lisa about it. While Alex is being treated, one of the hospital staff in the morgue notices something moving in the corpse's body bag. The staff member thought it was a spider, just bigger than a spider. No one believes this, but his wound inflammation is huge, nearly all of the right side of his neck.

Alex trades killing the spider for paying the hospital bill. He sets about to kill the spider with a security guard.

Meanwhile, Major Tanner arrives and places the hospital under his command. (Right, under what jurisdiction?) Tanner wants to see the body in the morgue.

The spider, now a bit larger than dinner plate, crawls through the ducts ahead of Alex, and kills a patient. The spider keeps getting larger with each kill.

The rest of the film is about the continued growth of the spider until it is huge. Will Alex or Major Tanner get the giant arachnid under control before Los Angeles is destroyed or the spider eggs hatch?

-----Scores-----

Cinematography: 7/10 Reasonably good. The creature animation was mostly ordinary, partly stupid beyond belief.

Sound: 6/10 The actors were miked OK, but music was not used well.

Acting: 4/10 Yikes, what are Ray Wise and Patrick Bauchau doing in this debacle? (The plus four was for Wise and Bauchau.) Greg Grunberg was unrelentingly not funny and not believable. I got absolutely no sense of fun or cleverness. The rest of the actors (notably Clare Kramer) were terribly bad.

Screenplay: 2/10 Fifteen minutes of story were stretched beyond breaking over eighty minutes of movie. On the SyFy channel, add another forty minutes of commercial interruptions. This story was never scary, never funny, never clever. It's wall-to-wall nonsense delivered with straight faces; stale, stupid, failed. For this one, I would say that the viewers got it right, and the RT critics got it dead wrong.

Hilarious and Smart

[jenkins-kat · 10/10 · 28 August 2016]

This movie achieves everything it sets out to do - very much like "Eight-Legged Freaks."

It's a send-up of the genre, exceptionally well-done, with great comic actors (even the ones who don't have lines- they definitely spent on talent) and homages to everything from Ridley Scott's original 1979 "Alien" to "The Matrix" to "King Kong."

Great production values as well. They market it as low-budget, but they spent on the important stuff.

And the title is hilarious.

This is a work of horror genre comic genius.

Spider Fun At its Best

[mrsee-59-412707 · 7/10 · 13 December 2013]

I normally don't write reviews but had to after watching this flick. What a riot! I was not expecting excellent CGI or acting but have to say this is one of the best "B" flicks I have seen in a while. The one liners are classic and the plot is soooo predictable but FUN. I laughed again and again and did not stop it at any point. I see the rating is low which I except but I live in a cold ass place and this movie warmed me up a little, Fun Fun Fun, don't give up on it in the first Ten (opening is bad) but hang on and be entertained I know I was. Love It! PS don't watch for stellar acting moments although the leads are pretty good. I have seen John Goodman do worse. See if you can catch the Game like CGI, or the continuity problems....some bad edits etc. But I am going to spread the word about this Fun and dare I say Family movie which Pits Spider (Ok its part Alien) against man. I wonder why Sigourney didn't come forward on this one. She did Paul and it's not a lot better. Enjoy!.......or Not:-)

my notes

[FeastMode · 4/10 · 24 July 2019]

Started off great. and some really funny intentional comedy with a stupid tone. but then it seemed to try to take itself seriously, which made me take it seriously and is the reason i didn't like this more. this could have been a great B-movie. the hispanic guy was really funny. (1 viewing)

Funny title, not a really funny movie

[Stevieboy666 · 4/10 · 23 October 2017]

Monster movie comedy about a giant spider running amok in downtown LA. Great title, full credit for that, plus there are a few fun gory moments. However I felt that this film tries too hard to be funny but much of the time it just falls short. There are far, far worse creature features out there, but at the same time I felt that this one is average at best. At least it is relatively short so it does not out stay it's welcome. Nice little Lloyd Kauffman cameo.

No disguising what the movie is about

[gregsrants · 6/10 · 20 October 2013]

There is no surprise when you sit down to watch a movie with the title Big Ass Spider! You can sit back and begin to devour your popcorn, but ultimately, you are bound to witness a big ass spider across your viewing screen. The only question to be answered is how big the big ass spider will become. Director Mike Mendez is well aware that the title ultimately contains a three-word description of the film but that doesn't stop him from exploiting the arachnid for as much fun as he can pack into an 85-minute feature. Staring Greg Grunberg (NBC's Heroes), Big Ass Spider is your prototypical scientific experiment gone wrong. A biologically produced spider grows exponentially and terrorizes the city of Los Angeles. The Military is on the chance (lead by the always B-movie reliable, Ray Wise) but the hopes of the city rest squarely upon the shoulders of exterminator Alex Mathis (Gunberg) and security guard turned side-kick, Jose (Lombardo Boyar). Debuting to audience appreciation at SXSW, Big Ass Spider has an acute mix of comedy and special effects that elevate the film above the standard mutated creature flicks that parade themselves out boastfully on the Syfy channel. Grunberg carries the film in confident style and the quick wit screenplay by Gregory Gieras allows for plenty of sitcom style comedy. Most of the laughs however come from co-actor Boyar whose simple-minded Jose almost steals the move from underneath Grunberg and Wise's noses. The effects are above television standards and therefore allow audiences to keep their groan buttons under lock and key. And even though the film borrows from the better parts of Aliens, Starship Troopers and even Godzilla, Mendez keeps everything moving along briskly and is clearly intending to entertain in place of treading new ground. Big Ass Spider! will inherently have a built-in audience. You are not going to get many fans of the larger than life creature feature tricking their loved ones with such an overt title. But those that are aware of what they are about to experience are likely to be able to sit back and enjoy this CGI-heavy action comedy for what it was intended.

The way to do comic sci-fi

[drystyx · 5/10 · 21 April 2014]

This is a huge step up from the usual sci-fi channel sort of cheese.

Unlike most of what the sci-fi channel has done in the past, this isn't "self-indulgent" or "self important". It's not "seventies" formula of "make the audience for the movie". It's more "make a movie for the audience".

I have a special personal reason for wanting this to be a good flick, since the last name of one of the characters is my family name, and I was happy to be satisfied with the results.

It works mostly for many reasons.

First, the characters are well done. What really worked is that the hero didn't initially push himself into the usual "fight the authorities" routine that is formula. Initially, he is ready to walk away, and the way he is drawn back in makes for a great comic duo situation similar to what worked for "Tremors". In fact, it works better, because these two characters are more likable, although not as glamorous.

That's a second thing. While not "glamorous", the two heroes who attack the giant spider are not freaks either. I actually would rather have seen a pudgier heroine than the "model" figure they gave us, to fill the bill with a totally risk taking venture. She didn't have to be a blimp, but she could have looked less "centerfold". Being a hard body military officer, it fits she would have a good body, but I actually would have liked to see battle scars on her face, to make for a totally different venture.

The third thing that works is that it isn't "contrived" in fatalities. It's entirely "draw of the cards", with none of the silly judgment calls that make most screen writers look like hacks. There are a few tawdry and slimy characters who would die in most such movies, just out of poor writing, that here just go about their business, without becoming spider food.

The victims here are mostly "luck of the draw" victims, with no "God playing contrived writing", and only one victim dies stupidly, but it is realistic considering this day and age. He dies stupidly because he feels above the situation in a godlike way that people who do what he does actually do. It's both credible (in an incredible situation) and humorous.

The humor is exceptional. It is very well done. No one takes it too seriously, and even the usual "government idiots" routine is done with a grain of humor.

There were a few too many silly special effects for me, but I realize there are dorks who need special effects to be happy, and we have to live with the beavis, butthead, Ted Baxter, Al Bundy, and WKRP Herb types who abound in society, those who insist on state of the art special effects and trivial background stuff no sane person cares about.

I'm also not into the "gore" scenes also made for those same dorks, but this movie didn't overuse the "gore". It just punched in enough to make beavis and butthead guffaw a few times.

It was a good mix. I would even rate it higher if the female lead would have been more casual looking, and if there were fewer typical gore scenes.

Not a great movie but undeniably a lot of fun

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 16 August 2014]

Big Ass Spider/Mega Spider could have gone either way. It could have been cheap, terribly written and acted and amateurish or it could have been entertaining and likable with a sense that it knows what it wants to be and who it's aimed at. Thankfully while it does have a fair share of flaws Big Ass Spider/Mega Spider belongs in the latter category. The locations are splendidly colourful and atmospheric and the movie is well shot and reasonably edited as well as efficiently and confidently directed. The spider however is a little inconsistent, never terrible but never exceptional at the same time, at points it's menacing and well-designed and at other points it's rather goofy-looking and over-proportioned for an intentionally huge spider. It does at least have a personality and is well used. The music has the right amount of groove and eeriness without feeling out of place and the movie is better than expected in terms of writing. A lot of the supporting cast have very little to do but the writing for Alex and Jose is brilliant, from the hilarious snappy banter to the endearing tongue-in-cheek humour, if there was a choice who fared a little better than the other it would be Jose. The story admittedly does next to nothing new with the concept it has and it is very stretched out in places but it avoids being too campy and it takes an earnest approach without taking it too seriously, considering the concept that is difficult to pull off and the movie makes a decent crack at it. It's never scary but there are some inventive and suspenseful attacks that stops Big Ass Spider/Mega Spider from being too much of one tone, and as acknowledged early on in the review the movie does know who its audience is and what tone it's trying to take, never trying to take on too many ideas or be too simplistic. The characters are a mixed bag, Alex and Jose carry the movie wonderfully and are likable but a lot of the rest of the characters are one-dimensional and annoying. Likewise with the cast, with the best being the likable if goofy Greg Grunberg and the often hysterical Lombardo Boyer. Lin Shaye is amusing if occasionally wooden and Ray Wise is also good. Clare Kramer is laughably bad however with her change from cold to damsel far too sudden while the rest of the cast do nothing with their already thinly-sketched characters and that's including the underused Patrick Bauchau. The ending takes ridiculous to a whole new level as well. In conclusion, not great but still a lot of fun. Oh and the intro is wonderful. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Overall a meh but still pretty funny

[bobandjam · 5/10 · 22 October 2013]

Let me just say this has the WORST CGI. so if your a big fan of the effects then give it a miss, or if you really want specific detail that all adds up you also are not likely to like this. But i guess you get what you want out of it, its a film called big ass spider so yeah. Overall though this is pretty funny and for a low budget film with many having their first time acting id say this is pretty great. This isn't a real spoiler so ill just say it, its a film about a spider growing (i think) each time it kills and it turns out to be an alien spider thing. Its pretty wired but you'll have a laugh and good time from it id say rent it watch it then forget about it. Its a film you shoudnt go out your way to see but if you see it some where it is worth watching for a laugh. hope this helped

An Entertaining Action Black Comedy

[tabuno · 7/10 · 15 January 2019]

26 October 2014. In the same mold as Arachnophobia (1990) and Tremors (1990), this sci fi monster action mystery thriller has blacker scenes if not tone than those movies. While not a classic and the special effects not superb, the pacing and the comedic action is pretty decent, even the destruction scenes are adequate for this parody on the monster movie. Greg Grunberg who made his small screen mark on Heroes (2006-2010) stars. Better than expected, the biggest weakness are its death scenes which don't seem consistent with the tone of the movie breaking the parody theme of the movie. The buddy scenes however are some of the strongest, most solid parts of the movie with their humor and fun play and smart witty dialogue.

Kind of fun, but it definitely could have been better

[zetes · 5/10 · 12 October 2014]

Somewhat amusing horror comedy about, well, you know. Greg Grunberg makes an affable hero as an exterminator who comes across a gigantic spider at a hospital. The Army (led by Ray Wise) soon arrives, and Grunberg hopes to kill it and collect a reward before the Army can beat him to it. Meanwhile, the spider continues to feed and grow. This pretty much follows the same template as any giant monster movie. I don't really like CGI effects, and the spider looks pretty awful. What makes this movie almost worth watching is the comedy. It is pretty funny. Grunberg teams up with a Mexican security guard (Lombardo Boyar), and the two have a pretty amusing give and take. Boyar's character might be just a tad too stereotypical, though (an appearance by some black street toughs confirms my suspicion that the director was a little too into racial humor; although, I'd guess by the name that he is Hispanic, so, I don't know, maybe it's okay?). Clare Kramer is pretty good as Grunberg's love interest, an Army lieutenant. Not bad for what it is, and it is very short.

Awesome

[snakes3992 · 9/10 · 15 November 2014]

This movie is f***ing awesome, the premise about an exterminator faces a big giant mutant spider is pretty cool. Alex the exterminator is awesome, he's funny, he knows a lot about facing bugs, him a facing a giant spider is pretty bad ass, but the spider he is facing is not normal, it's a mutant spider. The movie also make fun of clichés that happen in every creature flick, so yeah it knows it doesn't take it self seriously, over all this movie is awesome, and it's one of favorite movies of all time, so I do recommend you see this movie, the problem I have with it's a little too short, but I hope they make a sequel.

Fun B-Action

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 1 May 2014]

Greg Grunberg was not known before this as lead material. And while his friendship with JJ Abrams gave him a few roles, they were mostly cameos or small roles. But he is showing here, that he can pull the weight of a movie. Of course the script is helping a lot, because the jokes are working on almost every level.

Is it ridiculous? You bet! Is the CGI obvious? A strong yes here too. But with a movie in that budget range you should know what you are in for. This is not a blockbuster, but therefor can go and do things that a big budget movie would not be allowed to do and get away with. If you are afraid of spiders, you might not want to watch this, but if you are down with some fun and witty horror comedy, that does not take any prisoners? Go on, get it and watch it

Nope.

[noorsamara-91662 · 1/10 · 7 July 2023]

Oh boy, where do I even begin with "Big as Spider"? This film promises a thrilling, giant spider adventure that could potentially induce arachnophobia in the bravest among us. However, it sadly falls short of delivering on any level.

The plot of "Big as Spider" is as predictable as it gets. We follow the tired formula of a hapless hero trying to defeat a gargantuan spider wreaking havoc on the city. It offers nothing new or innovative, making it unexciting and dull from start to finish.

The acting in this movie is subpar at best. The lead character's attempts at portraying fear and determination come off as laughable rather than convincing. It's a shame that the performances lack depth and fail to engage the audience.

Moreover, the special effects are atrocious. Despite the promise of a massive spider, the CGI in "Big as Spider" is shockingly amateurish. The creature looks so blatantly fake that it becomes unintentionally comical rather than terrifying. This poor execution undermines any potential for suspense or thrills.

Even the pacing and dialogue are unbearable. Every scene drags on, and the attempts at humor fall flat. The script feels like it was written by someone who had never seen a spider before. The dialogue is clichéd and uninspired, making it impossible to invest in the characters or the story.

"Big as Spider" is a film that utterly fails to deliver on its potential. It's a tedious, uninspiring, and laughably bad attempt at a creature flick. With its predictable plot, underwhelming acting, laughable special effects, and dull dialogue, it earns its well-deserved rating of 1 out of 10. Save yourself the time and avoid this colossal disappointment of a movie.

Get what you pay for childish fun

[adamscastlevania2 · 4/10 · 3 March 2015]

(32%) Yet another self aware modern-day spin on 1950's giant creature horror movies that thanks to much cheaper visual effects are constantly being churned out these days. This it must be said is one of the better examples. The cast is likable, there's very little in terms of filler, and you get the feeling that they at least tried to make an enjoyable product here and not just a quick money spinner that only offers its fun/silly title and nothing really more besides. It's a short sit at just under 1 hour 20 mins which is plenty, there's lots of spider based carnage, a fun cameo, and really if you expected more from this than what you actually get then you're a fool.