Mega Python vs. Gatoroid

OK, here's the deal. Don't expect The Green Mile or Shawshank Redemption here. This is a B Grade Comedy that is very creative and fun. If you have watched the Mega Shark series and want more then this is by far the best of the lot. Its fun, silly and the dialogue is positively hilarious.

I suggest: Watching this with kids Watching it while high / stoned watching it if you are very forgiving of low budget fun movies.

I watched this with a 6 year old it it really is a great way to have fun with the family. Kids love the animals and Adults love the absurdity. People that rate this movie badly are equating it to big budget movies. That's hardly fair bu whatever, If you fall into any of the above categories then give it a try and be forgiving when rating this.

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (2011)

** (out of 4)

Another SyFy cheapie has Terry (Deborah Gibson), a snake lover, breaking into a lab and releasing several pythons so that they can find their freedom. Later on down the road the Florida Everglades are in trouble because the alligator population is dying and it appears they're being killed by large pythons. To return nature to its original course, the sheriff (Tiffany) gives the gators some steroids so that they'll grow and kill the pythons. The latest in the MEGA and VS. titles that SyFy seem to loved, this one here fits the bill for what one would want in a "B" movie. Those in the 50s had I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN and today's generation is greeted with stuff like MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID. It's sad but I guess it needs to be said but if you're expecting or wanting some sort of high art film then I'd recommend you go watch something by Kurosawa. You're certainly not going to witness anything ground breaking or Oscar-worthy but that's okay. If you're wanting a campy film full of silly moments then this will be just for you. Overall I had a decent time with the film and I can't help but give a lot of the credit to Tiffany and Gibson. Neither one will be picking up an Oscar anytime soon but I must admit that I enjoyed seeing them together even when their earlier SyFy films really didn't work. The two are obviously having fun together and the big cat fight between the two was actually quite funny. Not only to they break things, throw punches and roll around but they also get to rub cake on each others breasts, which I'm sure will have fans eating up. The two fit their roles good enough and neither give a "good" performance so we get some rather funny moments including the scene where Gibson is crying over her dead boyfriend yet I never once spotted a tear. I'm glad neither actress tried to pretend they were in some "A" production as it's clear both of them know they're doing something campy and they deliver the goods for this type of film. We even get a pretty funny bit where the dialogue between the two is actually from Tiffany's hit single back in the day. Director Lambert actually does a decent job with the material as she never lets things get too slow or boring, which is pretty much all you can ask for in a film like this. The one thing that I would say is that the CGI effects appear to be getting worse with each passing film and I'm starting to wonder if they're doing it on purpose or not. I really wish they'd try to have a bit more imagination so that these horrid effects wouldn't have to be used as much.

First off, i have got to admit that i have a slight obsession with these type of SyFy movies, there's just something about the outrageous plots, low profile actors and shoddy CGI that gets me every time.

The Plot: Trouble in the everglades becomes apparent after Dr. Nikki Riley releases pythons into the area which result in the dwindling number of alligators, and rising numbers in animal corpses. Tiffany who plays park ranger Terry swiftly takes it into her own hands to resolve the problem armed with chickens and steroids; for which disastrous consequences are lurking round the swamp door.

My Thoughts If you gave it a grade purely from it's technical side, well... let's just say it wouldn't be getting on the honor's roll anytime soon! The lead actresses, Tiffany Darwisch and Deborah Gibson's acting skill set, to put it more nicely, would not benefit any other channel but SyFy. If they were to leave the safety net of the souped up minds of the SyFy team, they just wouldn't be able to survive in the world of acting.

The pacing itself seems to be a bit slow in the beginning but soon grabs your attention with a vast array of humorous moments intertwined with suspense and thrill, you really are entertained from the start to the finish.. almost.

The Screen Stealers There were a minority in the film who definitely stole the show for me in regards to their acting ability in contrast to other various cast members, for instance; A Martinez did a fantastic job of playing Dr. Diego Ortiz, but unfortunately i believe he slightly let himself down in the aeroplane scene (or if you're American, airplane), his face just didn't really seem to convey as much pain as what he says he is in.. suspicious stuff.. eh?

The second of my shining stars has to be Kathryn Joosten, even though she doesn't have as much screen time as the majority, she is still absolutely brilliant at what she does, and what she does is she makes us laugh. It is entirely apparent why she has won two primetime Emmy awards. Bravo Kathryn.. bravo.

And the Conclusion is.. (Drum Rolls Please) Overall it's a bad film, yet still my heart tells me that it's completely amazing, in it's own special way. Even though it is quite terrible, you cannot disregard the pure entertainment value of this cracking movie and I would completely recommend watching this to any of my many friends cats.

What a "normal" person would think: 3/10 What an epic person with the whole SHABANG just like me would think: 7/10

As I have said many times, I have made no secret of disliking most of SyFy's output. I kind of knew that Mega Python vs. Gataroid was going to be bad, and it was. However, because the concept was intriguing, it started off alright and because Deborah Gibson and Tiffany were decent, it is not as unwatchable as something like Quantum Apocalypse, Alien vs vs. Hunter or Titanic II.

The special effects are crude-looking and in my opinion not used very well, as the film is often very silly and lacking in tension and atmosphere, while the camera work and editing are slapdash. As I said, Mega Python vs Gataroid has a good concept, it starts off well and has a quite enjoyable scene involving a meeting to save the everglades, but the sillier it gets the more meandering the storytelling becomes. The film is rushed, too short, has some really absurd dialogue and the acting excepting the two leads is painful especially from Micky Dolenz.

Overall, although it is a bad movie, I can't bring myself to entirely hate it. 3/10 Bethany Cox

In the Florida Everglades, animal rights activist Debbie Gibson (as Nikki Riley) appears to kidnap caged snakes and return them to the wild. "That woman's got a thing for snakes," notes one redneck. She is the opposite of park ranger Tiffany (as Terry O'Hara), who sees the snakes as a threat to local wildlife and orders hunters to kill them all. Debbie wants them to let nature take care of the problem. Tiffany wants to help nature along. The snakes eat alligators, so Tiffany decides to feed steroid-injected chickens to the alligators. When one eats the other, they should all die. Instead, they mutate into monsters. None of it makes much sense. Even before being fed bad chicken, the snakes get big and start attacking people, like Tiffany's cute boyfriend...

Debbie blames Tiffany...

Tiffany blames Debbie...

Former daytime TV star A Martinez (as Diego Ortiz) arrives to help. He is a scientist, reptile expert and pilot...

Alarmed by the size and viciousness of the alligators, Mr. Martinez wants to stop a local fund-raiser. Forgetting all about her friends being killed, Tiffany wants the event to go on as scheduled. Meanwhile, Debbie sees a friend eaten alive. You'll have to see if they can put aside their differences for diva friendly director Mary Lambert, and save the park. Tiffany and Debbie were pop recording stars in the 1980s and each contributes a new song to the story. Appropriately, the songs are snake-themed. The Monkees' drummer and lead singer Micky Dolenz is a special treat. But the best part is watching a knock-down, drag-out fight between the co-starring singers, especially when Debbie straddles Tiffany and applies cake frosting to her cleavage.

*** Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (1/29/11) Mary Lambert ~ Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, A Martinez, Kathryn Joosten