Lavalantula (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

Volcanic spiders

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 15 May 2016]

Lavalantula with Steve Guttenberg. I was fearing the worst with this SyFy channel film and surprisingly ended up enjoying it.

A cheesy B film with decent enough special effects as Guttenberg plays a down on his luck actor who finds that there are a series of tremors in LA and then a volcanic eruption that spews up giant fire breathing spiders. Guttenberg needs to get to warn his wife and teenage son. Along the way he commandeers a Hollywood tour bus, gets help from a one armed former stunt man and gets exposition from a scientist in the museum at the La Brea Tarpits.

In the meantime Guttenberg is joined by his former co stars from the Police Academy films, there are in jokes such as the Blue Oyster bar being destroyed and a rip roaring speech by Guttenberg which owes a little to Independence Day.

Fun, action packed, cheap, cheesy and even a little scary. A real improvement from the usual SyFy output.

"Steve Guttenberg Vs. Giant Lava-Spitting Spiders!"

[gwnightscream · 6/10 · 26 July 2015]

Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples, Noah Hunt and Patrick Renna star in this 2015 sci-fi action film. This takes place in L.A. and Guttenberg (Police Academy) plays action film star, Colton West who finds himself in a real-life film after earthquakes unleash giant lava-spitting spiders that terrorize the city. Colton races across town to save his wife, Olivia (Peeples) and teenage son, Wyatt (Hunt). Renna (The Sandlot) plays Jack, a fan of Colton who helps him and Guttenberg's "Police Academy" co-stars, Michael Winslow, Marion Ramsey and Leslie Easterbrook also appear. This pays tribute and pokes fun at giant creature features like "Sharknado" and Guttenberg is great in it as usual. It's a cheesy, but fun flick I recommend checking out at least once.

Full of itself

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 22 November 2016]

So the success of Sharknado (why again?), has made things like this possible. This goes Meta too, with Steve Guttenberg playing a formerly successful celebrity ... sounds familiar? I guess you've seen Police Academy then. And he's not alone from that movie, also there are some other "stars" who do have their moment.

And while this is far from perfect, it does work overall, with some bumps and holes along the way. If you can dig the humor that is really setting a low bar, you will be entertained while watching this. It's made for TV and the effects are therefor ... well you actually have seen way better effects on TV shows. Then again, this has probably a lower budget. You'll either make excuses for it, because you love it, or you'll be annoyed by it to say the least. Make up your mind and enjoy or stay away ..

Oh, what a Sholock! What a lovely Shlock!

[room102 · 2/10 · 21 September 2015]

A made for TV shlock by Syfy about giant lava spiders. You know what you're in for and you get exactly what you expect.

Steve Guttenberg (yes, he's still alive! He was unfrozen from the 80's) is an ex-famous actor, that somehow keeps getting into the TV news every 10 minutes. He encounters giant lava spiders, bad actors and terrible script and has to face them all - will he succeed?

The wooden direction and bad effects make the phrase "disaster movie" get more than one meaning. Terrible dialog, bad acting by the entire cast and awful direction - from staring into the wrong direction of the next effect shot, news anchor that is taken straight from a 70's students class of acting, car driving with exaggerated steering motions of the wheel which you haven't seen since the 60's, and up to a cop that stands behind a news reporter and keeps null signaling people who walk on the street. You simply have to watch this one.

This movie is wonderfully terrible and it goes straight into the "so bad it's good" list. Watch it with your friends, watch it when you're drunk, watch it when you're unconscious - you'll get a good time. Great stuff!

To its credit, the movie is self-aware (there is a hilarious cameo that I won't spoil for you) and it's not a "San Andreas" blockbuster-budget movie that takes itself seriously.

Conveniently, the movie is just 79 minutes long, but the last third changes from "so bad it's good" to just "bad" and finally to jumping the shark (or the spider).

Believe it or not, there is already a planned sequel.

How bad can bad be?

[socalsurfer · 1/10 · 2 August 2015]

What really astounds me is the fact that after reading the script and story lines, someone actually thought, "gee, this would make a good movie." What is even more astounding is that corporations bought ad time. If I were the CEO of one of the sponsors, I'd fire my VP of Creative Development. Having said all this, let me say a few things about this 'movie": Number one, the FX was similar to an Atari game, the acting was like watching your daughter's third grade play, and the script was about as smart as the average American these days, dull and stupid. The female lead was stuffed into workout clothes that might fit Christey Brinkley. While that might sound enticing, the actress has more bulges and pock marks than a golf ball. The only nice thing I can say is that I did not have to pay or go anywhere to see this "moive"

Better than expected

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 9 February 2018]

LAVALANTULA is one of the better monster flicks put out by the SyFy Channel. It's not great, and it's frequently stupid, but I preferred it to most of the SHARKNADO franchise, and it has an absolutely ton of action and effects to keep you watching. The nonsense storyline involves eruptions of lava bringing giant, flame-spewing spiders with them, and the only man to stop the invasion is a washed-up film actor. Said star is none other than a barely recognisable Steve Guttenberg, giving the usual tongue in cheek performance and teaming up with cameoing POLICE ACADEMY stars Michael Winslow and Marion Ramsey at one point. The CGI effects are better than expected and a lot of the action scenes are fun, although cheesy. Co-star Nia Peeples is required to do little more than show off her cleavage in every single scene she appears in, but it's Guttenberg's low-rent action man heroics that see this one through.

May not be a 'great' movie, but still manages to be good fun

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 6 August 2015]

If you liked Mega Spider aka Big Ass Spider, you are likely to find a lot to like in Lavalantula. It's not a great movie as such, but it manages to be good fun and by far one of SyFy's better movies, considering that most of SyFy's movies are cheap, amateurishly made and terribly written that is saying a lot.

Lavalantula, as far as SyFy movies go, looks decent. Editing and photography is tighter than most SyFy movies, locations are colourful and atmospheric, the way the production is lit is less drab than usual and while there is the occasional cheapness and over-obviousness in places the spider effects have a menacing and never goofy look, are proportioned well and fit in the surroundings nicely without looking fake, in short far above the typical the SyFy special effects standard. The spiders actually have a personality (unlike most SyFy creatures), fun and believable as main villains (actually generating legitimate menace rather than unintentional laughs), and don't feel like they're used too much or too little. The music score is groovy and eerie, is careful not to overshadow the dialogue and is used appropriately. The direction shows great confidence throughout.

The script is surprisingly above-average, usually it's one of the worst assets of a SyFy movie, but while there is some cheesiness here and there the amount of hilarious snappy banter, some really neat references and endearing tongue-in-cheek humour far overshadow those spots. The story does feel disjointed and too stretched out in places (the writing for the son and mother did at times feel too much like filler), but it does something that not many low-budget movies get right, it clearly knows what it's trying to be and which audience it's aiming for, and doesn't do the annoying thing that a lot of SyFy/Asylum movies do which is trying too hard to be stupid and bad (when SyFy does that, it comes over as amateurish instead). For what the death scenes may lack in the scare factor, it more than makes up for it with the large degree of fun and suspense, and that the characters while not the best developed are far more likable than most characters in a SyFy movie and that the spiders are believable here is a further advantage. The acting is also better than average, amusing Steve Guttenberg and the other three Police Academy members are immensely fun to watch as is Patrick Renna and Nia Peeples brings some heart to the movie. They make their characters at least tolerable, and clearly know what movie they're in.

All in all, good fun if not necessarily a great movie. 6/10 Bethany Cox

More entertaining than expected.

[paulclaassen · 4/10 · 11 October 2020]

Yes, just as the title indicates, one shouldn't expect too much from this film. The script isn't great and the visual effects aren't mind-blowing, but then again, this is a TV movie. The only reason I decided to watch this, is because it is a 'Sharknado' spinoff (badly made films I enjoy very much!).

The film features surprisingly good acting. It is also very well shot, and the visuals aren't the best, but not entirely cringe worthy either. You know what you're in for from the very beginning, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. This disaster creature feature delivers lots of action and even a few rather suspenseful scenes with youngsters being pursued by giant spiders.

I loved the cameo by Ian Ziering, saying he has "shark problems". This just proves 'Sharknado' has become a cult classic. Steve Guttenberg - star of the 90's playing a has-been star of the 90's - leads the film, becoming the film's hero. If you don't take it too seriously, you will be entertained.

Would I watch it again? Maybe.

Ludicrous and idiotic but extremely entertaining

[sj_stewart · 7/10 · 9 March 2016]

This hilariously idiotic sci-fi horror TV movie from the SyFy channel, in which giant lava-breathing tarantulas are released upon Los Angeles by violent volcanic eruptions, is as completely ludicrous as it sounds.

Despite the obvious plot holes, errors, bad CGI and its lack of scientific accuracy, Lavalantula's typical separated family gets reunited in time to save the day style story, is both extremely entertaining and exceedingly scary for all those suffering from arachnophobia.

The film stars Steve Guttenberg from Police Academy and Short Circuit, as well as Nia Peeples from Pretty Little Liars.

For more reviews like this please visit: www.scifikingdom.co.uk

Fun Monsters, Nice Reunion

[Michael_Elliott · 30 July 2015]

Lavalantula (2015)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

90's action star Colton West (Steve Guttenburg) is having a pretty bad day. It starts off with a bar fight bringing him bad publicity and then it goes to him walking off a movie set, which was a cheap part in a cheap movie. After getting stuck in traffic and being late to pick up his son, his real trouble stars when an earthquake unleashes giant spiders who spit lava. Now the action star must try to rescue his family before it's too late.

LAVALANTULA works on a number of levels. For starters, it's a pretty fun monster that manages to stick out among the countless monsters that appear in SyFy movies. I thought the CGI effects, while very cheap and obvious, were actually pretty good and made for a fun villain. Their burnt design was a major plus and the fact that they could spit at lava was another fun aspect. I will say that these monsters needed to be in even more of the film but I'm sure the eventual sequel will work on that.

The second thing this succeeds at is reuniting four members of the POLICE ACADEMY series. If you weren't a fan of that series then you're obviously not going to care but as someone who grew up watching these movies it was pretty cool getting to see members reunited. In fact, I'd say it was excellent to see Guttenberg leading up a movie again and he manages to be quite fun here as he's sense of humor really works well with the material. Marion Ramsey, Michael Winslow and Leslie Easterbrook also appear as does another cameo from a SyFy series that I won't ruin. Nia Peeples was also fun as the wife. Patrick Reena (THE SANDLOT) is also on hand and adds some fun.

LAVALANTULA features a number of fun but gory deaths and overall it's a nice entertainment. For a monster feature it works and if you're a fan of POLICE ACADEMY then you're going to get an added bonus.

Spidey Nonsense

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 27 July 2015]

Washed-up 1990s action film star Steve Guttenberg (as Colton West) is bound in a chair and beaten. He spits out a tooth and breaks free, but Mr. Guttenberg knocks over some set pieces. The director yells, "Cut!" It's only a movie… In real life, Guttenberg is on the freeway going home when an earthquake strikes. Earthquakes are common occurrences in Los Angeles, but this one's different. It is accompanied by volcanic eruptions. Giant, fire-breathing spiders pop out of the earth. Soon, Los Angeles is crawling with spiders. Guttenberg uses his action movie acting skills to help his bosom-displaying wife Nia Peeples (as Olivia) and juvenile-acting son Noah Hunt (as Wyatt) defeat the "Lavalantula" menace...

This is essentially a re-make of G.E. Furst's "Arachnoquake" (2012), which followed in the tracks left most successfully by "Them!" (1954) and "Arachnophobia" (1990). But, getting back to "Arachnoquake" (2012) and "Lavalantula". The plots are so similar, isn't it likely the two Syfy TV Movies were crafted by some of the same people? No, the movies have a completely different cast and crew. So, maybe it's this...

If you were doing a spider movie, where would they come from? The earth, of course, as in earthquakes. They would be big, naturally. That's not enough of a scare, so let's have them breathe fire. Now, how do we get rid of them? How about having our action hero star go after the "queen" spider? There's your movie! So, it's logical the two separate teams came up with the same plot. The second team of writers and producers can claim they don't watch Syfy TV Movies and just came up with the same story. Probably not true, but it has the shadow of a doubt...

Those with their IMDb "Reviews & Ratings" set on "Prolific Authors" may see reviewer Wes Connors state (again), "Spiders don't have queens!" and wonder why the producers, writers and director of "Lavalantula" did not know spiders are not insects. They don't have a "queen" (like ants). This was also true in "Arachnoquake" (2012), so it must be common ignorance. Syfy movies should not depend on science, should they?

**** Lavalantula (2015-07-25) Mike Mendez ~ Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples, Noah Hunt, Michael Winslow

THIS is how a SyFy movie should be done!

[Seth_Rogue_One · 8/10 · 30 March 2016]

I have no idea what other reviewers are complaining about, have they not seen a SyFy movie before? Did they expect a new 'INDEPENDENCE DAY' or what? This is a TV movie okay, you can't expect 100 million dollar special effects in a TV movie by SyFy.

So yes the effects are not that great BUT that's a big part of the charm with these kind of movies, and it's most definitely one of SyFy's better efforts, cheesy good fun.

For Police Academy fans it's a extra special treat because the lead is none other than Steve 'Mahoney' Guttenberg and not only that there are smaller roles by 3 other Police Academy actors: Marion 'Hooks' Ramsey, Leslie 'Callahan' Easterbrook and Michael 'Larvell Jones' Winslow.

And there are also multiple Police Academy references which observant fans will get and of course Michael Winslow gets to make a lot of funny noises which is his trade.

And co-starring with Steve as his wife is Nia Peeples who was 53 when the movie was filmed but looks more stunning than most actresses half her age.

So yeah, if you like these sorts of 'so bad it's good' movies plus the Police Academy films then I don't see how you could not enjoy this movie if just a little.

The rating I gave it might seem a little high, and perhaps it is BUT really come on people when it comes to SyFy TV movies this is about as good as it gets.

A surprisingly nice creature feature...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 12 October 2016]

The first thing that comes into mind when you see a creature feature with big lava spiders and Steve Guttenberg is of course B-movie. And right you are, but it should be said that the 2015 "Lavalantula" is actually one of the better creature features out there and one of the more enjoyable of spider movies in a long time.

Sure, the concept is far fetched. But hey, an earthquake hits Los Angeles, unleashing erupting fissures and starts volcanic activity, and midst the chaos lava-spewing giant spiders scurry from the depths of the earth to wreak havoc on Los Angeles. Sure, it doesn't get any more generic and B-movie concept than this. But wait, "Lavalantula" is very, very enjoyable and is a fun watch.

I have seen many a creature features, most of which have questionable or laughable special effects. However, it should be said that the effects in "Lavalantula" were actually surprisingly good. The spiders looked quite cool and realistic, well as realistic as giant lava-breathing spiders can be. And that is one of the major things that really made the movie watchable and enjoyable.

Steve Guttenberg actually surprised me with his performance in this movie, as this is the first time I have seen him in a role that wasn't solely based on comedy elements. And for longtime movie lovers, then it was of course a treat to have "Police Academy" stars Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook and Marion Ramsey join in alongside with Steve Guttenberg. But there was another "Police Academy" reference in the movie, and it was when Pirate Jack (played by Ralph Garman) said "Oh, they took out the Blue Oyster. I loved that place."

I nearly tipped over when Ian Ziering made a short cameo in "Lavalantula" as Fin Shepard from the "Sharknado" movies, and he dropped a very lovely single line here. That was just candy for us lovers of the B-movie creature features.

The dialogue is as to be expected from a movie such as this. A lot of outrageous one-liners and dialogue to be heard and witnessed here, alongside with some equally colorful characters. But hey, we all love that in these kind of movies, right?

If you are looking for a serious movie, then "Lavalantula" is not the best of choices, because it is a creature feature after all. But if you enjoy a good laugh and a good action-packed ride in a city ravaged by lava-spewing giant spiders, then "Lavalantula" is definitely worth watching.

"Lavalantula" was a nice surprise of an entertaining movie, and it more than delivered beyond my expectations to it. It is a movie that you can watch more than once.

I am rating this 2015 movie a solid six out of ten stars rating, no doubt about it.

Bad,bad,bad

[judo3823 · 1/10 · 25 July 2015]

This movie is so bad, it could actually make the Sharknado movies look good, which would have previously seemed an impossible task. The SyFy movies can often be entertaining, but generally have very poor acting . This one has the poor acting, but is not even entertaining. Nia Peeples has probably set a new low for acting in these SYFY movies, and , again, that is saying a lot.It is actually sad to see an actress (Peeples)whose only contribution is running around in a revealing outfit that was made for a 20 year old (she is mid-fifties), and even her abundance of surgically enhanced cleavage is pretty uninteresting.Steve Guttenberg does the best with what he's been given for a script, but it is not enough to make this a movie worth viewing. As my summary said, bad,bad, bad.

This happened

[zman-07674 · 5/10 · 29 December 2021]

Me and my mentally challenged friend decided to watch Lavalantula. Now why did no one ever have the idea before to put spiders into lava, an excellent movie idea, this idea alone had me and my friend hooked. Now when one goes to LA, what do you expect? To go and gamble, have a weekend with your mates, even go and get mugged, BUT NOT IN THIS FILM!!!! This film presents to us a reality of which no one has ever imagined before, with multiple aspects of the film that will blow you away, and anyone else in a 10 mile radius. First of all, the fact there is a volcano under LA within the film makes this one that proves geology is a lie. AS people around the world know, movies such as these, which would have put hundreds of hours or research into the environment the film takes place in, they would know if there was a volcano under LA, or not. Without this information, the film would not be realistic, and with a movie of this standard, that simply isn't an option. Secondly, The movie portrays the motion that spiders have been evolving under our feet for potentially millions of years, waiting, for the right time, to claim their place on top of the food chain. If you thought my explanation about the rats in ratatouille was scary, you haven't read anything yet. These spiders can and will take over our world without hesitation. And finally, the final scene, a scene that you need to watch yourself. There are no words to explain what I saw in that scene. Only fear, fear for what is to come.

I have placed my order of a underground bunker, i suggest you do the same.

Meant to be bad

[teebear817 · 1/10 · 7 May 2021]

It supposed to be really bad. It succeeds. Ham acting from Nia Peeples.

Bad. . .bad. . .just bad

[horrormoviereviews-15751 · 2/10 · 13 April 2016]

Now, I have seen worse than this, but, this was pretty dumb. Giant spiders, spitting lava?! How dumb can these movies get? I just don't see the entertainment in this movie. And, the people being chased by the spiders, aren't even scared! They act scared, but aren't really scared. Sure the special effects and visual effects are good, but the storyline sucks. And then there's the acting. Now I've seen worse acting on the Syfy channel, but this movie's actors still need to work on it. Not to mention the ending. The ending was worse than the rest of the movie. It could have been so much better. So, with all that said, this movie is a true embarrassment to Syfy and to all the other production companies that were involved. The problems here are poor storyline, bleak dialogue, bad acting, and just plain dumbness.

A lot better than I expected.

[13Funbags · 6/10 · 10 April 2018]

It doesn't matter if you could have made better special effects in your basement, this movie is actually pretty good. There's lot's of action and plenty of silliness. I loved that the road was so hot it melted car tires but not shoes. See it.

Are they serious?

[christosyr · 1/10 · 25 July 2018]

What else stupid thing they think make? The best films not made anymore! Why we bother watch them?

So awful it's worth it

[lroyce-48163 · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

80's icon Steve Guttenberg lights up the screen in this epic film. Heading up a cast of unknowns, he bravely battles volcanic arachnids to save his family. I loved this movie for what it is. It harkens back to the great B-movie horror films of the fifties when we were treated to giant scorpions, giant ants and giant grasshoppers. All this movie lacks is commentary from MST3K

Cheesetastic

[one9eighty · 4/10 · 24 July 2017]

Wow! This is like Police Academy 12 vs awful CGI spiders who shoot lava. If you like cheesy films this is right up there with other Sy-Fy/ Horror channel classics, honestly! Guttenberg plays a down on his luck, over the hill actor, who now specialises in extremely low budget horror and disaster films - like the film you are watching. Soon chaos ensues as lava begins to explode from the ground all around him releasing lava spiders, or lavalantuas, if you like. Using all his acting experience Guttenberg sets about rescuing his family and escaping the unfolding horror. With OTT slapstick, cheesy narrative and acting, tongue in cheek and camp performances all around, terrible CGI, and a story which has already been previously exhausted.... meh, just sit back and prepare to ignore your brain for an hour and half. Don't expect an award winning film!

A fun ride

[eladale-90211 · 8/10 · 8 March 2016]

Yes. I gave the obligatory eye roll when I saw the title. Another disaster movie. Another low budget attempt to make a movie with meaning. A rubber stamp copy of a copy of a copy. I went into viewing this with low expectations, thinking I wouldn't get past the first 10 minutes. But I was wrong.

From the beginning, this movie showed it did not take itself too seriously. It parodied all movies of this genre with a tongue in cheek innocence that belied it's self effacing motive. It had me smiling from end to end.

The clichés came with regularity and predictability. It's kind of like sitting in a Rocky Horror Picture Show revival. You know the lines. You speak them out loud. You throw rice. It's great fun as long as you accept you are part of the joke and it's OK to laugh.

Guttenberg and Peeples looked like they had so much fun with their roles. Their campy caricatures of people with greatness thrust upon them by adversity couldn't have been played (or overplayed, if you like) any better. And who could ever resist Michael Winslow?

This movie was a hoot. Take it for what it is....a very clever play on the genre.

I admit it. It's pretty fun.

[ououzaza · 6/10 · 12 April 2020]

They know how to make a movie in this kind of genre fun. This movie is a fun ride. Although the story isn't good, logic is weird. But it's fun.

Police Academy fan here

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 9 May 2020]

There's only one reason why I watched this Sharknado-esque movie. It's right there on the poster: featuring the cast of Police Academy.

Yes, Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Marion Ramsey and Leslie Easterbrook are in this. Obviously, my devotion to you, dear reader, and the legacy of Carey Mahoney knows no limit.

Guttenberg plays Colton West, a former movie star stuck in direct to streaming movies, who is now facing off with spiders that have come out of a volcano.

This is one of those "full of people" movies, with Patrick Renna (Ham from The Sandlot), singer Nia Peebles, Ralph Garman (a familiar comedy face) and Danny Woodburn all making appearances.

Here's something that makes me happy. After the producers told Guttenburg he could choose any of his past colleagues to be in the film, he picked his Police Academy friends, along with Peeples from Tower of Terror and Patrick Renna from The Big Green.

There's even a Blue Oyster reference and a short crossover with Ian Ziering playing his role of Fin Shepard from Sharknado. Most of the cast would also return for the sequel, 2 Lava 2 Lantula. Martin Kove is in that as well, so it's like the filmmakers are basically demanding that I watch it.

Fun, throwaway non-horror about lava-based arachnid monsters threatening Los Angeles

[Wuchakk · 4/10 · 17 November 2017]

RELEASED TO TV IN 2015 and directed by Mike Mendez, "Lavalantula" chronicles events in Los Angeles when volcanic activity releases fire-breathing arachnids the size of people. Steve Guttenberg plays a B-movie actor who rises to the challenge of annihilating the creatures. Nia Peebles plays his wife, Noah Hunt his son and Michael Winslow his pardner. There are a lot of familiar faces.

This is a fun, tongue-in-cheek non-horror flick with great Los Angeles locations and the expected cartoony CGI, but it never becomes more than that. Peebles looks great, but the movie never really takes advantage of her presence. The Hollywood strip sequence is arguably the best part. The movie is entertaining to a point, but at the end of the day it's a forgettable throwaway flick.

THE FILM RUNS 83 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles and Hollywood. WRITERS: Neil Elman, Mendez & Ashley O'Neil.

GRADE: C/C- (4.5/10)