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
22 Reviews
Ouch!
ctomvelu126 February 2011
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.
Worth Your Time?
art_angel87-12 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In my opinion, no. Unless you really need something to do, or an excuse to get out of doing something. Whichever.
Heatstroke is your typical Sci Fi film, and by typical I mean "god awful". From what I bothered to understand, aliens were on earth causing global warming. I was waiting for Al Gore to make a cameo, and perhaps kick some alien patootie (which would have probably made the movie better) but no such luck. How sad is that? Aside from the plot, the most disappointing aspect of Heatstroke is the aliens. From the previews I thought it was another Raptor Island, but raptor-like aliens with weird smirks and face-melting breath? Who would have thought? Anyway, the CGI is possibly the worst I've ever seen, even for pretty low budget films. It's laughable, and that's the last thing I want to be doing while watching a "scary" movie.
I thought the gore content was rather minimal, and the deaths usually happened in the same manner, which became old after a while. It's a good thing that I had my computer handy, or else I might have been bored. On the plus side, the gore was occasionally more realistic than a majority of such films I have seen. Unfortunately, that's not enough to save this movie for me.
If you're a lover of Sci Fi films and desperately hold on to the idea that one day they will be worth watching, you could give this one a try. I wouldn't have high hopes though.
Heatstroke is your typical Sci Fi film, and by typical I mean "god awful". From what I bothered to understand, aliens were on earth causing global warming. I was waiting for Al Gore to make a cameo, and perhaps kick some alien patootie (which would have probably made the movie better) but no such luck. How sad is that? Aside from the plot, the most disappointing aspect of Heatstroke is the aliens. From the previews I thought it was another Raptor Island, but raptor-like aliens with weird smirks and face-melting breath? Who would have thought? Anyway, the CGI is possibly the worst I've ever seen, even for pretty low budget films. It's laughable, and that's the last thing I want to be doing while watching a "scary" movie.
I thought the gore content was rather minimal, and the deaths usually happened in the same manner, which became old after a while. It's a good thing that I had my computer handy, or else I might have been bored. On the plus side, the gore was occasionally more realistic than a majority of such films I have seen. Unfortunately, that's not enough to save this movie for me.
If you're a lover of Sci Fi films and desperately hold on to the idea that one day they will be worth watching, you could give this one a try. I wouldn't have high hopes though.
Good for a laugh or two
MartianOctocretr51 June 2008
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.
Lots of bad production work
vampyrecowboy25 February 2009
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!
Terrible, except for one thing.....
liquidgardener5 June 2012
...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 :)
Sleestaks Gone Wild
bloodrose471 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A day at the beach is ruined by a group of Sleestacks. The girl from The Wonder Years is now trying to transform herself from a Bikini model to a Bikini photographer. A bunch of Army people from the bar crash a ultralight into the shoot, causing the model/photographer to demand money from Uncle Sam, instead she gets a ride home from a stranger.
Enter the Sleestacks, they have been hiding in the mountains of Hawaii since Land of the Lost was canceled, entering certain peoples REM sleep and making them have fairly benign dreams. When Uncle Sam won't pay up, the Sleestacks go on a killing spree, slicing throats and melting people with their bad breath. One gets chased to a shiny optical effect and a army guy kills him. Army guy puts his hand into effect (OHHH...SHIIINY!) and gets a parasite from SG1 installed. Some more Army people get killed, prompting the model/photographer to ask a Australian army guy for dating advice.
I nodded off for a while around this part, when I woke up, there was a stock missile frigate shot, then a either a badly rendered CGI missile or a editing mistake, a puff of pixels is seen over a stock shot of a mountain, then Winnie macks the Army guy.
I kind of liked this movie,I just wish the Sci-Fi Channel would either cough up for better CGI effects, or subscribe to the less is more rule. McKeller's other scifi movie about Nanobots Gone Wild is much better though.
Enter the Sleestacks, they have been hiding in the mountains of Hawaii since Land of the Lost was canceled, entering certain peoples REM sleep and making them have fairly benign dreams. When Uncle Sam won't pay up, the Sleestacks go on a killing spree, slicing throats and melting people with their bad breath. One gets chased to a shiny optical effect and a army guy kills him. Army guy puts his hand into effect (OHHH...SHIIINY!) and gets a parasite from SG1 installed. Some more Army people get killed, prompting the model/photographer to ask a Australian army guy for dating advice.
I nodded off for a while around this part, when I woke up, there was a stock missile frigate shot, then a either a badly rendered CGI missile or a editing mistake, a puff of pixels is seen over a stock shot of a mountain, then Winnie macks the Army guy.
I kind of liked this movie,I just wish the Sci-Fi Channel would either cough up for better CGI effects, or subscribe to the less is more rule. McKeller's other scifi movie about Nanobots Gone Wild is much better though.
Unbelievably bad
kiat-220 November 2010
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.
Comical CGI
matthewmillerwriter3 August 2022
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.
Bad movie and horrible special effects
jjhch7 March 2021
Average Sci-Fi Channel Creature Feature
slayrrr6666 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"Heatstroke" is a fine and acceptable Sci-Fi Channel Creature Feature.
**SPOILERS**
Flying over a deserted island, O'Bannon, (D.B. Sweeney) is accidentally shipwrecked near Caroline, (Danica McKellar) and several models there for a photo-shoot. After his project, a search for extraterrestrials is disbanded, the rest of the team, Al, () Jillian Grange, (Kelly Rice) Romeo, () and Waters, (Chris Cleveland) believes the encounter is actual. Going out to find it, a mysterious accident forces them into believing that an extraterrestrial force has invaded the island, and after capturing one of them, they finally believe the alien threat is real. Discovering that they plan on heating up the planet to allow for an undisturbed feeding ground of insects that are grown to gigantic size due to the heat, they call in a military team to take them out before continuing with their plan.
The Good News: This here wasn't really all that bad when it really trues and has some really good parts to it. There's a really nice back-story to this which makes for some really interesting ideas. To tie the creatures into an actual, timely occurrence, such as the depletion of the Ozone layer and rising heat temperatures in the world, is really unique and creative, and makes for some rather nice tie-ins to the actual world. Even better is that there's a real smartness to how it's played out, done in a logical manner that plays up perfectly with a logical reason for the creatures being there in the first place. That it leads to the recurring theme of the nightmares of the few characters, with the simplistic manner of alternating an extreme close-up of unsettling red eyes, static and glimpses of natural disasters strung together in brief glimpses, and it's hard to not feel sort of crept out by something like that. The setting in the jungle is great, being creepy without having to do anything other than the natural design setup, and there's several scenes in here which benefit from the creepiness, and altogether this has a lot of tension. The film also has some really nice action scenes which help to keep it interesting. The opening on the beach is great, the fist-fighting brawls are amazing to witness and there's a lot of confrontations with the creatures, especially the jungle battle and the conclusion on top of the mountain, which are part of the film's last big plus, it's gore. This one has some really nice kills, and all of them provide some nice bloodletting. There's a throat sliced open up to the mouth, a back scratched open, several normal slit throats, a clawed hand to the stomach that rips it open and acidic spray to the face, melting the skin off, among others. These here are what work for the film.
The Bad News: There wasn't much wrong with this one, and it's only one real flaw at that. That is the terrible CGI that is used. This here is ridiculous and really terrible, never once looking close to being realistic, is always painfully obvious that it's terrible and ruins many of those scenes. Watching scenes of the creatures not even come into contact with their surroundings, hovering over the background rather than doing anything a realistic creature would act like, are just painful to sit through and hard to believe would come from a finished film. It's also hard to believe that the design of the aliens is menacing enough to be frightening, which is due to the fact that the CGI makes their supposed-terrifying features too muddled to make out cleanly, diluting some of the power and fierceness. This, though, isn't a detrimental flaw as it's to be expected of these kinds of films, but it's a flaw nonetheless, and the only one in the film.
The Final Verdict: An above-average Sci-Fi Channel Creature Feature with a lot of good points, this one is a lot better than expected. Give it a shot if you're into cheesy creature features or have a strong attachment to the channels other works in the past, otherwise this one won't win over those who aren't.
Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language
**SPOILERS**
Flying over a deserted island, O'Bannon, (D.B. Sweeney) is accidentally shipwrecked near Caroline, (Danica McKellar) and several models there for a photo-shoot. After his project, a search for extraterrestrials is disbanded, the rest of the team, Al, () Jillian Grange, (Kelly Rice) Romeo, () and Waters, (Chris Cleveland) believes the encounter is actual. Going out to find it, a mysterious accident forces them into believing that an extraterrestrial force has invaded the island, and after capturing one of them, they finally believe the alien threat is real. Discovering that they plan on heating up the planet to allow for an undisturbed feeding ground of insects that are grown to gigantic size due to the heat, they call in a military team to take them out before continuing with their plan.
The Good News: This here wasn't really all that bad when it really trues and has some really good parts to it. There's a really nice back-story to this which makes for some really interesting ideas. To tie the creatures into an actual, timely occurrence, such as the depletion of the Ozone layer and rising heat temperatures in the world, is really unique and creative, and makes for some rather nice tie-ins to the actual world. Even better is that there's a real smartness to how it's played out, done in a logical manner that plays up perfectly with a logical reason for the creatures being there in the first place. That it leads to the recurring theme of the nightmares of the few characters, with the simplistic manner of alternating an extreme close-up of unsettling red eyes, static and glimpses of natural disasters strung together in brief glimpses, and it's hard to not feel sort of crept out by something like that. The setting in the jungle is great, being creepy without having to do anything other than the natural design setup, and there's several scenes in here which benefit from the creepiness, and altogether this has a lot of tension. The film also has some really nice action scenes which help to keep it interesting. The opening on the beach is great, the fist-fighting brawls are amazing to witness and there's a lot of confrontations with the creatures, especially the jungle battle and the conclusion on top of the mountain, which are part of the film's last big plus, it's gore. This one has some really nice kills, and all of them provide some nice bloodletting. There's a throat sliced open up to the mouth, a back scratched open, several normal slit throats, a clawed hand to the stomach that rips it open and acidic spray to the face, melting the skin off, among others. These here are what work for the film.
The Bad News: There wasn't much wrong with this one, and it's only one real flaw at that. That is the terrible CGI that is used. This here is ridiculous and really terrible, never once looking close to being realistic, is always painfully obvious that it's terrible and ruins many of those scenes. Watching scenes of the creatures not even come into contact with their surroundings, hovering over the background rather than doing anything a realistic creature would act like, are just painful to sit through and hard to believe would come from a finished film. It's also hard to believe that the design of the aliens is menacing enough to be frightening, which is due to the fact that the CGI makes their supposed-terrifying features too muddled to make out cleanly, diluting some of the power and fierceness. This, though, isn't a detrimental flaw as it's to be expected of these kinds of films, but it's a flaw nonetheless, and the only one in the film.
The Final Verdict: An above-average Sci-Fi Channel Creature Feature with a lot of good points, this one is a lot better than expected. Give it a shot if you're into cheesy creature features or have a strong attachment to the channels other works in the past, otherwise this one won't win over those who aren't.
Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language
Pretty cool
leader-161 June 2008
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
Truly, truly awful... Perfect for the wee small hours
Rob_P17 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know where to start with this movie.
There's not enough time to describe the many 'features' of this movie and how bad they were.
The script was deplorable. Predictable and cliché ridden. The characters were flat and uninteresting.
The CGI aliens are appallingly bad. Imagine 'Doom' creatures, from the popular computer game and a programmer with no concept of how to make something appear to run along the ground. The composite work is laughable at best. Irritating at worst. Cheaper cartoons from the 80's had better running creatures.
The CGI smoke from the ultralight was awful. It looked like someone was trying to spray it with an aerosol.
The CGI water effect on the mountain was good. When the guy put his hand into it and it moved with his hand, that was very good. That's worth one star.
Every single woman in this movie is superfluous and could have been written out of the plot and replaced by more marines.
You would need to be a total sci-fi junkie to want to watch this, if only to cross it off a list of movies to watch.
Otherwise do yourself a favour and avoid this b-movie. b as in Budget, and a small 'b' as in a small budget... Small as in minute heading towards infinitesimal.
There's not enough time to describe the many 'features' of this movie and how bad they were.
The script was deplorable. Predictable and cliché ridden. The characters were flat and uninteresting.
The CGI aliens are appallingly bad. Imagine 'Doom' creatures, from the popular computer game and a programmer with no concept of how to make something appear to run along the ground. The composite work is laughable at best. Irritating at worst. Cheaper cartoons from the 80's had better running creatures.
The CGI smoke from the ultralight was awful. It looked like someone was trying to spray it with an aerosol.
The CGI water effect on the mountain was good. When the guy put his hand into it and it moved with his hand, that was very good. That's worth one star.
Every single woman in this movie is superfluous and could have been written out of the plot and replaced by more marines.
You would need to be a total sci-fi junkie to want to watch this, if only to cross it off a list of movies to watch.
Otherwise do yourself a favour and avoid this b-movie. b as in Budget, and a small 'b' as in a small budget... Small as in minute heading towards infinitesimal.
Maybe worst screenplay imaginable
drystyx15 October 2021
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.
This Movie Should Come With a Warning Like Pharmaceuticals Do
kiawa7710 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
You know how the drug companies have to list the possibility of suicidal thoughts associated with their products? Well, I think this movie should have to include the same thing. It's deplorable in all aspects.
If you have nothing else to do, don't watch it. I just kept watching it in order to write a review on it, but I can't even write a decent review because it was really that bad. A terrible, illogical script with a set of wooden actors delivering their lines in a very flat way.
The CGI aliens are AWFUL. Think of the first generation of Doom, think of a raptor, and then add sounds from the Predator and a hissing cat. Add a puff of bad breath and a poor attempt at face-melting, and WHOA I'M SCARED! And no, this movie does not get any points for Danicka Keller for being in it. She acts badly too. She should stick to writing math books.
Back to the effects. They're bad. The scene with the English science doctor lady when she tries to be pals with the alien is the cake topper here. Did they use Windows paint to draw in the blood?! Guns don't fire, smoke looks like hairspray...
I can't go on anymore. It's just really, really bad. This has made it to the top of my All-Time-Worst-Movies-I've-Suffered list. Utter feces. Don't waste your time, not even for comic relief... there isn't any.
I give it a 1 because you can't go lower than that.
If you have nothing else to do, don't watch it. I just kept watching it in order to write a review on it, but I can't even write a decent review because it was really that bad. A terrible, illogical script with a set of wooden actors delivering their lines in a very flat way.
The CGI aliens are AWFUL. Think of the first generation of Doom, think of a raptor, and then add sounds from the Predator and a hissing cat. Add a puff of bad breath and a poor attempt at face-melting, and WHOA I'M SCARED! And no, this movie does not get any points for Danicka Keller for being in it. She acts badly too. She should stick to writing math books.
Back to the effects. They're bad. The scene with the English science doctor lady when she tries to be pals with the alien is the cake topper here. Did they use Windows paint to draw in the blood?! Guns don't fire, smoke looks like hairspray...
I can't go on anymore. It's just really, really bad. This has made it to the top of my All-Time-Worst-Movies-I've-Suffered list. Utter feces. Don't waste your time, not even for comic relief... there isn't any.
I give it a 1 because you can't go lower than that.
D.B. Sweeney: Terrible Casting Choice
msmitka4 June 2020
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.
If you are bored and can find nothing better to do ...
abuse-this221 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This film has a host of technical flaws. For example, a Tomahawk cruise missile does not need site tagging for guidance. They are guided by rather precise mapping and/or satellite navigation. Saying that a targeting beacon needs to be within 100 yards? Gee, that would mean that the payload would have to be big enough to obliterate more than that, say 200 yard radius. So what would it take to obliterate an area with a diameter of 400 meters? More than a single cruise missile with a conventional payload which has a blast radius of about 30 ft. Those missiles which do use targeting beacons are generally targeted by painting them with an infrared light or laser (eg. laser guided missile) and not a rather inaccurate radio signal.
The acting/direction is mediocre at best. I doubt that the writers/director have any real knowledge of the military. They are obviously extremely poor at research. The soldiers are supposed to be special ops ... my guess is they were pulled from basic training after the first day and taken to a secret base where they were trained as private school crossing guards and issued airsoft weapons.
The graphics are lousy. Interactions with the aliens are clearly overlays and poor ones at that. The quality of the "special effects" in this regard would be right at home in a 'B' movie from the 1950's or 60's. The blood coming from the throat of Dr. Taggert when she joins the list of Darwin Award candidates near the end is a prime example.
The aliens also show absolutely no signs of higher intelligence in their actions/interactions. There is nothing which makes them appear as anything more than the raptors from that well known movie ... except that they are slower, less intelligent, and less deadly.
Storyline/plot elements were fairly hackneyed and poorly executed. Military/civilian initial accidental meeting/clash. Studly civilian types seek revenge in bar where they are resoundingly humiliated by the military types, then seek revenge again and end up ... as far as the rest of the story goes, vanished from the island in the middle of the night - one being a photographer who just leaves what would be thousands of dollars of his equipment behind. Nothing odd there, just forget him. (Viewers are gifted with an utterly lame death scene where the two are killed by an alien.) Then there is the model clawed and lying in the surf ... the military type just leaves her lying there rather than pulling her up on the shore and checking for vitals. Then the head model/photo shoot organizer is told that her whereabouts are unknown. Unknown? She's a hundred yards or so away lying in the surf, probably drowning as the two claw marks to her back weren't deep enough to be lethal. In the meantime, one of the "special ops" team sacrificed himself by holding a grenade until it went off in order take an alien with him in dying. Not only is his body missing from the scene, but that of the alien as well. Apparently, the grenade used utterly vaporizes flesh and bone while leaving things like jeeps intact.
Finally, lets not omit the glowing red eyes of the alien or the on/off glowing eyes of their one body snatch victim. Such tell-tale signs are a requirement of such a genre, right? We wont' discuss what makes them glow or switch from regular to red based upon the dominant intelligence of the victim ...
There are two reasons I gave this film a rating of two instead of one: D.B. Sweeney and Danica McKellar. First, D.B. Sweeney plays his part about as well as the script and directing allow. Then there is Danica McKellar. While her acting can't be rated highly in this, she radiates that wholesome beauty that just won't quit and is worth enjoying regardless of how bad everything else is.
Sadly, this film fails to be campy or a winner in any regard. It would be good for laughs if it attempted to be funny, but it was trying to be serious and failed horribly.
The acting/direction is mediocre at best. I doubt that the writers/director have any real knowledge of the military. They are obviously extremely poor at research. The soldiers are supposed to be special ops ... my guess is they were pulled from basic training after the first day and taken to a secret base where they were trained as private school crossing guards and issued airsoft weapons.
The graphics are lousy. Interactions with the aliens are clearly overlays and poor ones at that. The quality of the "special effects" in this regard would be right at home in a 'B' movie from the 1950's or 60's. The blood coming from the throat of Dr. Taggert when she joins the list of Darwin Award candidates near the end is a prime example.
The aliens also show absolutely no signs of higher intelligence in their actions/interactions. There is nothing which makes them appear as anything more than the raptors from that well known movie ... except that they are slower, less intelligent, and less deadly.
Storyline/plot elements were fairly hackneyed and poorly executed. Military/civilian initial accidental meeting/clash. Studly civilian types seek revenge in bar where they are resoundingly humiliated by the military types, then seek revenge again and end up ... as far as the rest of the story goes, vanished from the island in the middle of the night - one being a photographer who just leaves what would be thousands of dollars of his equipment behind. Nothing odd there, just forget him. (Viewers are gifted with an utterly lame death scene where the two are killed by an alien.) Then there is the model clawed and lying in the surf ... the military type just leaves her lying there rather than pulling her up on the shore and checking for vitals. Then the head model/photo shoot organizer is told that her whereabouts are unknown. Unknown? She's a hundred yards or so away lying in the surf, probably drowning as the two claw marks to her back weren't deep enough to be lethal. In the meantime, one of the "special ops" team sacrificed himself by holding a grenade until it went off in order take an alien with him in dying. Not only is his body missing from the scene, but that of the alien as well. Apparently, the grenade used utterly vaporizes flesh and bone while leaving things like jeeps intact.
Finally, lets not omit the glowing red eyes of the alien or the on/off glowing eyes of their one body snatch victim. Such tell-tale signs are a requirement of such a genre, right? We wont' discuss what makes them glow or switch from regular to red based upon the dominant intelligence of the victim ...
There are two reasons I gave this film a rating of two instead of one: D.B. Sweeney and Danica McKellar. First, D.B. Sweeney plays his part about as well as the script and directing allow. Then there is Danica McKellar. While her acting can't be rated highly in this, she radiates that wholesome beauty that just won't quit and is worth enjoying regardless of how bad everything else is.
Sadly, this film fails to be campy or a winner in any regard. It would be good for laughs if it attempted to be funny, but it was trying to be serious and failed horribly.
The most idiotic movie i have seen in my life!!!
shaddow_adism5 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I mean, that movie was 2.5 million dollars awfully spent, they should have given them to me... I mean story was crap, super-advanced aliens who look like some sort of dinosaurs, trying to warm up the planet with a single machine... CGI? Don't make me even start on it, those "aliens" look like they were animated in MS Power Point or something, on this one scene you see the girl running from the alien on the beach, there were 2 separate shots involved, one, in which you look from alien's point of view, where it shows that thing is like 10 inches behind the girl and the other shot shows he is like 20 yards behind her... when he finally kills her (with a single claw blow to her back) you can see that there is half a mile of the beach soaked with blood, like someone slaughtered a whale or something. Or the scene with the jeep, when the guy and the alien are on the opposite sides of the jeep, guy throws a grenade, which kills an alien, but there is no damage to the jeep or anything else... just plain STUUUUUUPIIIID... unless you want to laugh at stupid movie attempted serious like Rambo or Commando, you really shouldn't watch this movie... It's a waste of time and cash even if you downloaded it for free...
Vote: -10
Vote: -10
Exciting But Thoughtful Science Fiction Film
dianerpessler-461645 August 2015
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.
VIEWS ON FILM review of Heatstroke
burlesonjesse57 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
"What's the problem?" Um, wouldn't you like to know. In 2008's Heatstroke, that's a loaded question. There are a lot of "problems" and a you-know-what ain't one of them.
So yeah, I initially thought Heatstroke was about humans running for their lives when our planet reached 1000 degrees or so Fahrenheit. Not quite my young Padawan-s. This film is more action-adventure, where you put the hungry foot soldier on an island in the South Pacific and have them take on some pesky aliens. The music for Heatstroke is done in stirring and urgent fashion by Mike Verta. Heck, it almost feels like you're watching a neutered version of the 80s vehicle Predator. I stress the word "almost".
Heatstroke is one of those Sci-Fi Channel Network flicks that goes a little heavy on the gore yet reeks of CGI obviousness. I mean it is what it is with the actors selling scenes the best they can until another round of risible green screen steadily rears. Look there's star D. B. Sweeney appearing like a soccer dad who can still throw down like Van Damme. Look there's co-star Francesca Buller trying to reason with an evil life form before she takes a fang to the chin. And look there's co-star Danica McKellar still giving me those Wonder Years flashbacks with that cutesy face of hers.
Now did I like Heatstroke? I did in fits and starts. The film is not all episodic horror cause sometimes it settles down to tell a story amidst the mayhem. And did I think Heatstroke was well-acted? Sure. The cast of these special ops Commandos had their tongues firmly planted in-cheek, not overly serious with guns pointed and blazing.
Bottom line: if Heatstroke wasn't so anti-climactic in its windup (I'm thinking budget constraints) and the video game extraterrestrials weren't so fugazi, I would have praised it a little more. Turn down the "heat".
So yeah, I initially thought Heatstroke was about humans running for their lives when our planet reached 1000 degrees or so Fahrenheit. Not quite my young Padawan-s. This film is more action-adventure, where you put the hungry foot soldier on an island in the South Pacific and have them take on some pesky aliens. The music for Heatstroke is done in stirring and urgent fashion by Mike Verta. Heck, it almost feels like you're watching a neutered version of the 80s vehicle Predator. I stress the word "almost".
Heatstroke is one of those Sci-Fi Channel Network flicks that goes a little heavy on the gore yet reeks of CGI obviousness. I mean it is what it is with the actors selling scenes the best they can until another round of risible green screen steadily rears. Look there's star D. B. Sweeney appearing like a soccer dad who can still throw down like Van Damme. Look there's co-star Francesca Buller trying to reason with an evil life form before she takes a fang to the chin. And look there's co-star Danica McKellar still giving me those Wonder Years flashbacks with that cutesy face of hers.
Now did I like Heatstroke? I did in fits and starts. The film is not all episodic horror cause sometimes it settles down to tell a story amidst the mayhem. And did I think Heatstroke was well-acted? Sure. The cast of these special ops Commandos had their tongues firmly planted in-cheek, not overly serious with guns pointed and blazing.
Bottom line: if Heatstroke wasn't so anti-climactic in its windup (I'm thinking budget constraints) and the video game extraterrestrials weren't so fugazi, I would have praised it a little more. Turn down the "heat".
Classic Science Fiction With a Twist
jlthornb515 August 2015
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.
charming
nublingnoob4 October 2021
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