Kraa! The Sea Monster

Quite exceptional homage to the old Japanese Godzilla and Killer Beast style movies this family film from Full Moon contains unique humour and some great sets. Screenwriter Benjamin Carr (now a top Hollywood producer) provides a competent story and the cast do wonders with a tight budget and a frequently ludicrous stream of events. The movie seriously is good fun and is also notable for helping launch the career of acclaimed actress Alison Lohman. This was part of a short season of 'Monster' movies made by Charles Band and was originally intended to begin a successful sub-label of Full Moon though with the latter's financial trouble and sometimes dubious work ethics the 'Monster' label never really took off.

An interstellar villain named Lord Doom (Michael Guerin / voice of Jerry Lentz) unleashes a planet-destroyer for hire named Kraa on a hapless Planet Earth. But never fear: the young can-do team The Planet Patrol is on the case. One of their agents, an alien named Mogyar (voice of J.W. Perra) arrives on Earth, although he ends up in NJ when he really wanted to go to Naples. A flustered diner owner (Teal Marchande) and a tea-loving biker (R.L. McMurry) come to the desperate aliens' assistance.

Made by some of the same team that did "Zarkorr! The Invader", this is a shade better, with a more tolerable script and generally better acting. At least waiting for the inevitable scenes of destruction is not such a chore in this case. Of course, that still doesn't dispel the fact that this is Grade A cheese, probably of the most entertainment value to kids, who are usually less judgmental than adults.

The humour is pretty obvious - Mogyar speaks with a stereotypical flamboyant Italian accent - but it does elicit some chuckles. The special effects are agreeable, with an amusing design for Mogyar, who somewhat resembles a crustacean, and an equally fun design for the ferocious Kraa. The music score by Carl Dante is enjoyable, and pacing is generally not an issue - this silly B flick only runs an hour and 10 minutes.

The cast is fine; the most curiosity value here is in seeing the lovely Alison Lohman in what was her first on-screen appearance in a feature film. She plays Curtis, a member of this "Planet Patrol" who possesses psychic abilities that will naturally come into play eventually.

There is at least one major in-joke here concerning a major Hollywood monster movie from the same year; some creature feature fanatics may actually prefer this one over the other.

Six out of 10.

For people who have seen the box of the movie and thought it looks to be Krudd! the Sea Monster well I have news that it isn't! The movie really good. Sure is its one them bad films that I love but the Kraa looks awesome! I also really like Lord Doom and his voice! Some great note worth things in Kraa! the Sea Monster is when is bashing though the buildings it sounds like paper and just about every scene Kraa is in destroying the city you hear people yelling and screaming but you never see anybody! You can plainly tell that the cars and trucks were just toys and how the movie was made and such it reminded Me of the Power Rangers! For Godzilla, Gamera, and monster fans Kraa is in a lot scenes and destroys quite a bit to satisfy you! Recommended!

What do you get if you cross a big monster (more scarier than the 98 Godzilla, I might add), an alien with an Italian accent, an intellectual biker, a diner waitress, and a group of teenage intergalactic police officers?

Answer: A soon-to-be classic B-movie known as Kraa! the Sea Monster.

When renting this film, don't be expecting a movie that will send chills down your spine, cause it won't.

Don't rent this film thinking it will someday be an Oscar Award winner, cause it never will.

You SHOULD rent this film for a good laugh at a low budget film that has an award winning plot. What award that is, I'm not really sure.

The Italian alien always made me giggle, and the performance of Garth, one of the Intergalactic cops portrayed by Anthony Furlong is also very noteworthy.

Don't let this movie disappear from the New Releases shelves into the world of lost Sci-Fi. If you don't see it now, you might not ever have the will to see it.