I really liked this new film by Morgan Spurlock. Personally I feel the whole horror-aspect (and the fact that some people seem to take offense to it)is a little overblown. For me the filmmakers created just the right amount of tension to tell a fascinating story about creatures that secretly live among us. They - the rats - are like us in many ways. Their way of living mirrors our own societies in many ways. And as we are told they will probably outlast us. Personally I saw the humans in this film as the bad guys. The film makes this pretty clear I think. All in all a very enjoyable film that will make me think twice about going out to diner.
13 Reviews
Rodent Opus
EdgarST27 February 2017
The documentary "Rats" would be excellent if not for its creators' mania for manipulative music and sound effects of horror films. They are out of place in a work with scientific pretensions. The images and information provided by this production of Discovery Channel are already powerful as to dispense with that unnecessary sonic frippery. The research made in different places of the United States, India, Cambodia and the United Kingdom leads to eloquent and sometimes overwhelming sequences that show how the plague is assumed in the world, from extermination with poisons to worship of the rats as sacred beings, passing through the consumption of the rodents as tasty gourmet dishes and their dog-like hunt as if they were foxes. In the last sequence what struck me was that Indian rats revered in a temple were thin and vegetarian-looking... But in spite of the foreign elements added to the sound track it is a good work that deserves to be seen. Recommended.
Not for the squeamish!
planktonrules2 February 2017
This documentary from Morgan Spurlock is unlike other films I've seen of his. He does not appear in the movie at all nor is there any narration. Considering the subject, I can understand both decisions.
The film is all about rats. Much of it centers on the health risks caused by the creatures as well as the impossibility in completely eradicating them. This part of the film was creepy and disgusting but also very informative and interesting. There also were portions about cultures that eat rats, folks that revere them and folks using terriers to hunt them. The film takes the viewers from New York City to New Orleans to India to Southeast Asia to the UK.
So should you watch it? Well, yes...provided you aren't squeamish. You'll see lots of dead rats, rats die and a few decomposing mammals. Not pleasant stuff, granted. But still, despite the creepiness and awfulness of some of the material, it's worth seeing and very well made.
The film is all about rats. Much of it centers on the health risks caused by the creatures as well as the impossibility in completely eradicating them. This part of the film was creepy and disgusting but also very informative and interesting. There also were portions about cultures that eat rats, folks that revere them and folks using terriers to hunt them. The film takes the viewers from New York City to New Orleans to India to Southeast Asia to the UK.
So should you watch it? Well, yes...provided you aren't squeamish. You'll see lots of dead rats, rats die and a few decomposing mammals. Not pleasant stuff, granted. But still, despite the creepiness and awfulness of some of the material, it's worth seeing and very well made.
Rats are a problem
educallejero6 September 2018
I have a rule. I rate documentaries with:
7 if it is great.
6 if it is good.
5 if it is less than good.
The reason is: Docs have lower ceilling and higher floors, because they are all at least an extensive view/opinion on something (even if it is morally or factually wrong), and at most they are all edits of real life (no matter how long the doc is and how factual it is, there is subjetivity and therefore not the real thing).
This one is really disgusting, and it gets to you that this is a problem that we have and would have with graphic imagery. They are a plague, and they are ready to survive even more than we are.
The reason is: Docs have lower ceilling and higher floors, because they are all at least an extensive view/opinion on something (even if it is morally or factually wrong), and at most they are all edits of real life (no matter how long the doc is and how factual it is, there is subjetivity and therefore not the real thing).
This one is really disgusting, and it gets to you that this is a problem that we have and would have with graphic imagery. They are a plague, and they are ready to survive even more than we are.
Awesome Documentary on Rats
pokdexyz1 November 2019
Rats is horrifyingly awesome.
bryank-0484423 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Morgan Spurlock is one of the coolest people on the planet. I know from experience, since I interviewed him a couple of years ago, where we talked about our love of horror movies, 'Spinal Tap', Fangoria Magazine, Steve Martin, and 'The Simpsons'. Spurlock got his big break from making a documentary where he ate McDonald's for every meal for 30 days. That documentary was called 'Super Size Me', which tuned Spurlock into a superstar filmmaker. He's made a ton of films and TV shows over the past several years, all of which are worth watching multiple times.
This Halloween season on The Discovery Channel and in some theaters, you can see Spurlock's latest opus called 'RATS'. Yes, Morgan made a documentary about the disgusting rodent, but it isn't your typical documentary fare. Spurlock went the extra mile and made this documentary look and sound like a true-to-god horror film, complete with a haunting soundtrack, horror genre type camera shots where rats run at the screen trying to eat you, and more. This film 'RATS' will sure make your skin crawl and keep you up night, wondering if there are any rats in your room. Spurlock and his camera crew travel the globe to learn more about these pesky insects who are responsible for some of the worst diseases known to man, including the black plague. Spurlock found an amazing interview subject in New York named Ed Sheehan, who has been a NY exterminator for almost fifty years.
This is guy is the poster child of coolness, as he sits in a dark room, smoking a cigar, and tells us that the rat population are more like Borgs from 'Star Trek', meaning they are super smart and adapt quickly to stay alive. Telling us that the nicest restaurants in NY have rat problems and that if you kick any garbage pile on the street of New York will scare dozens of rats out (which we see happen), you start to realize there is a big problem with his rat population. Using different horror tropes throughout, Spurlock keeps interest and tension high with each new subject, such as traveling to England where a guy and his many terrier dogs seek out rats on a farm, where we see the blood, guts, and carnage spill all over the grass and dog's mouths. On second though, I now need a terrier.
One of the more gruesome scenes is where we follow a team of scientists in New Orleans, who collect rats from the city streets and start pulling off all of the viruses and parasites from these rats, which looks like something out of 'Aliens'. I almost had a panic attack in the theater watching this scene. We also get to travel to Vietnam where most restaurants serve cooked rat as dishes, just like they would serve barbacoa or brisket here in the states. We see how it's chopped, plated, and served. Horrifying.
We eventually end up in India at a Hindu Temple that houses almost 40,000 rats. People come from all over to spend time and pray to these rats, because they believe the rats are re-incarnated family members. To each is own, right? Spurlock has definitely conjured up a -scary-as-hell documentary this Halloween season and must be seen to be believed. 'RATS' is one of the better and most entertaining documentaries I've seen in a while, even though I had horror-rat dreams for a week.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
This Halloween season on The Discovery Channel and in some theaters, you can see Spurlock's latest opus called 'RATS'. Yes, Morgan made a documentary about the disgusting rodent, but it isn't your typical documentary fare. Spurlock went the extra mile and made this documentary look and sound like a true-to-god horror film, complete with a haunting soundtrack, horror genre type camera shots where rats run at the screen trying to eat you, and more. This film 'RATS' will sure make your skin crawl and keep you up night, wondering if there are any rats in your room. Spurlock and his camera crew travel the globe to learn more about these pesky insects who are responsible for some of the worst diseases known to man, including the black plague. Spurlock found an amazing interview subject in New York named Ed Sheehan, who has been a NY exterminator for almost fifty years.
This is guy is the poster child of coolness, as he sits in a dark room, smoking a cigar, and tells us that the rat population are more like Borgs from 'Star Trek', meaning they are super smart and adapt quickly to stay alive. Telling us that the nicest restaurants in NY have rat problems and that if you kick any garbage pile on the street of New York will scare dozens of rats out (which we see happen), you start to realize there is a big problem with his rat population. Using different horror tropes throughout, Spurlock keeps interest and tension high with each new subject, such as traveling to England where a guy and his many terrier dogs seek out rats on a farm, where we see the blood, guts, and carnage spill all over the grass and dog's mouths. On second though, I now need a terrier.
One of the more gruesome scenes is where we follow a team of scientists in New Orleans, who collect rats from the city streets and start pulling off all of the viruses and parasites from these rats, which looks like something out of 'Aliens'. I almost had a panic attack in the theater watching this scene. We also get to travel to Vietnam where most restaurants serve cooked rat as dishes, just like they would serve barbacoa or brisket here in the states. We see how it's chopped, plated, and served. Horrifying.
We eventually end up in India at a Hindu Temple that houses almost 40,000 rats. People come from all over to spend time and pray to these rats, because they believe the rats are re-incarnated family members. To each is own, right? Spurlock has definitely conjured up a -scary-as-hell documentary this Halloween season and must be seen to be believed. 'RATS' is one of the better and most entertaining documentaries I've seen in a while, even though I had horror-rat dreams for a week.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Trash
cherry_kattzs21 December 2016
So, this just popped up on Netflix, I was pretty excited thinking this was the Rat film I had been waiting for by the same people who did Black Fish. If you haven't seen Black Fish please do! Now, this film was not the one I had been waiting for at all. Made by Discovery channel I thought it would still be insightful about the animal, instead it's a film glorifying the fear of an animal that already has a horrid reputation in the world. They made the rat into nothing short of a Hollywood monster that's the reason for all the bad in the world. It's plainly disgusting. A simple ploy to make more people afraid of the small mammal and seek out to kill more of them. Discovery channel has turned into nothing short of fear mongering bully.
Goed start, not so good ending.
f-0539618 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I generally like this movie, the horror atmossphere and choise of charcters. Especially the exterminator had some interesting stories to share. Also I was appaled by the hygiene of the exterminators in de streets of India. The rat temple which was soposed to be the big clima felt a bit like a let down to me.
Rats is a horror movie disguised as a documentary
rowdyossuary25 September 2017
The cinematography is great. Lots of interesting footage, always something to be watching. But don't be mislead into thinking you're actually going to learn something about rats besides fear mongering we've all heard before. Seriously, they lay on the "mood" HARD. Constant droning and thumping horror movie music playing throughout, stock rat noises playing whenever there's one on screen, flashing still images of a rat's open mouth and "attacking" you. That sort of thing.
I love rats, but that's not why I dislike this movie. I'm not illusioned to the reality of them and I was really looking forward to viewing this documentary. I was hoping for a movie going through the history of rats and the relationships we've had with them as humans, the history of disease, as pets, their biology. I guess overall, I was hoping for something with substance and would leave me with new and interesting information on these largely misunderstood animals. Instead you get a movie that is exactly the opposite of that: encouraging fears and assumptions.
I'm not saying don't be careful of wild rats, but adding a horror score and "shock stills" is completely unnecessary and juvenile. Imagine doing this about say, a documentary about great white sharks or wolves. This helps nothing and only encourages us to be afraid.
I wouldn't mind a rat horror flick, but don't dress it up as substance.
I love rats, but that's not why I dislike this movie. I'm not illusioned to the reality of them and I was really looking forward to viewing this documentary. I was hoping for a movie going through the history of rats and the relationships we've had with them as humans, the history of disease, as pets, their biology. I guess overall, I was hoping for something with substance and would leave me with new and interesting information on these largely misunderstood animals. Instead you get a movie that is exactly the opposite of that: encouraging fears and assumptions.
I'm not saying don't be careful of wild rats, but adding a horror score and "shock stills" is completely unnecessary and juvenile. Imagine doing this about say, a documentary about great white sharks or wolves. This helps nothing and only encourages us to be afraid.
I wouldn't mind a rat horror flick, but don't dress it up as substance.
awful movie!
ratlady-8594821 December 2016
this movie was horrific and vulgar!!!! to torture any animal and find it entertaining is inhumane and what is wrong with this planet!!! and to group domesticated, pet rats in the same category is just wrong! it teaches people to hate ALL rats regardless!!! this movie should be banned!!!! In one scene of this movie the scientists were talking about poison resistance with the rats and actually had the nerve to show pet rats not wild ones!!!! there is a huge difference! and people that sick dogs on the poor animals so they can rip them apart is absolutely appalling!! and then the scene where these idiots get paid to go out and kill rats and bash their heads in while the animal is screaming is beyond inhumane!!! this movie was uncalled for and really taught little except intolerance of living, breathing creatures!!
Truly Horrific
faintlyrising28 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I feel this movie was made by some sick guy that wanted to exploit all things wrong with rats. He turns them into terrible creatures that will rip off your face, when that's simply not the case. While I believe some facts of the movie are true -Spoiler: They do carry diseases, they are a threat to humans.- They forget that they are just creatures doing the exact same thing we are; Surviving. Wild rats were meant to live in much harsher conditions than we provide, hence the massive litters. Since the food supply (our trash that we poorly manage) is so massive, they are too.
This, however, is not my main issue. Spoiler: The experiments are. The host of the movie stated that he put a bunch of rats together in an enclosure, THEN STARVED THEM. JUST TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. What the f is wrong with him?! Of course they'd become cannibals! So did we during the Crusades! Overall, this movie promotes hatred towards what can be beloved pets, and turns them into monsters that they really aren't.
This, however, is not my main issue. Spoiler: The experiments are. The host of the movie stated that he put a bunch of rats together in an enclosure, THEN STARVED THEM. JUST TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. What the f is wrong with him?! Of course they'd become cannibals! So did we during the Crusades! Overall, this movie promotes hatred towards what can be beloved pets, and turns them into monsters that they really aren't.
Sickening animal torture
DarknessVisible2013 July 2023
Since the synopsis acknowledged that rats are very misunderstood creatures, I figured this film would attempt to right the many misconceptions about these animals, and educate viewers about their intelligence, community structures, and relationships to humans. Instead this movie glorified all kinds of disgusting torture of these innocent creatures. Absolutely sickening. Rats are sentient, highly intelligent creatures; they take care of their sick and elderly. I had a pet rat, and his intelligence and affection rivaled that of any dog. Why people hate them, I have no idea. Because they want to survive? What if someone was constantly trying to exterminate you for simply trying to keep yourself and your family alive? Vile and barbaric 'documentary' promoting ignorance and animal torture.
Shame on you, Spurlock.
Shame on you, Spurlock.
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