The Terror Beneath

(2011) Seeds Of Destruction/ The Terror Beneath SCIENCE-FICTION THRILLER

Straight-to-rental low budget movie about extremely rare seeds being discovered during an archeology tour, and is being suspected that they're from the biblical times of the "Garden Of Eden". As a result of some confusion and misunderstanding regarding some gov't agents, some of the seeds ended up into the ground spouting out-of-control vines similar to what one can see from Jack And The Beanstalk creating havoc amongst the people living around the area. While watching this it's like watching a really bad Roger Cormon movie which in this case "budget" would make a heck of a lot of difference since the CGI looks so fake as well as the second rate acting saying it might've been decent had it been financed by a big time studio such as "Warner Brothers" because while it's something I've never seen before it's one of those movies that has to be remade again but with a bigger budget this time, because the experience overall still sucked upon watching this, and some of the thought out dialogue itself can only hold this film for so long.

Militant environmentalists Kate and Joe witness, and videotape, the rapid growth of a gigantic root system that literally begins mowing through the country like an earthquake.

What we have here is another great performance from Jesse Moss in a film that is less than stellar. I have enjoyed his work in "Dear Mr Gacy" and the amazing "Tucker and Dale", and really hope that Moss rises up to the next level. He is an A-list actor who works in the B-movie world, and that is just unfortunate.

And then we have Paul Ziller. Trying to determine whether or not Ziller is a good director is hard to say. We cannot really blame him for the cheesy titles or the cheesier special effects of his films. He is working for SyFy, and that is clearly their decision. What happens if he breaks free of the bad graphics and is given a real budget? I think he might have potential!

Anyway, the film is neither good nor bad. It is a SyFy film. If you want to be entertained without having to think for 90 minutes, this is a fine choice.

This movie has its premise being that some archeologists discover seeds from the garden of eden which get released. While I will give props for this being a fairly original idea the film itself spends a lot of time proselytizing to the audience.

I wanted something entertaining not a sermon.

Its still not the worst film I have ever seen but it really ruins an otherwise decent premise for an entertaining movie.

Another silly SyFy Channel offering. Having run out of natural disasters, aliens, and monsters elsewhere, the producers turn to the idea of a gigantic, fast-spreading killer plant that proceeds to wreak havoc across America. Yes, this is an ecological disaster movie just as nonsensical as the one portrayed in M. Night Shyamalan's THE HAPPENING, although not quite as unintentionally funny as that movie.

The story involves some good-natured scientists who are ripped off by a renegade, who ends up unleashing terror upon the world. It's a little like the Nedry situation in JURASSIC PARK, except without even that film's level of believability. What this all boils down to is a repetitive series of scenes in which giant roots spring up from below the ground and smash everything to pieces.

The usual problems are present in this SyFy production: bad acting, a weak script, dodgy CGI effects, a general lack of realism. I guess most of us will expect these things by now, but SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION is just too repetitively staged to appeal to B-movie fans. It's root attack followed by root attack, with nothing to break up the monotony.

In a Nevada mining area, environmentalists Jesse Moss (as Joe) and Luisa D'Oliveira (as Kate) have staked out a position in order to catch polluters on camera. Instead, the young lovers watch as a man cuts himself and heals his wound with a leaf. Next, the healing plant's seed is procured. It grows a mammoth root that causes mammoth earthquakes. Nearby scientists are aware of the problem. There are more seeds, and more earth-shattering disasters. Secret agent Adrian Pasdar (as Jack Tompkins) learns from blonde botanist Stefanie von Pfetten (as Jocelyn Stein) that the seeds are from the Biblical "Garden of Eden". When banished from their blissfully perfect home, Adam and Eve stole the seeds. Presently, the giant roots ravage the land and threaten to extinguish all human life on the planet...

With some notable exceptions, God has a history of killing everyone on planet Earth. But don't let that ruin the story for you; perhaps, He is merely giving the characters in "The Terror Beneath" a very scary warning. And, if you want to say God was sleeping on the job when He let the seeds out of the Garden, remember He also let in a nasty snake. God may have some good seeds up His sleeve. Of course, it's also possible God has no active participation in story. Syfy director Paul Ziller should know for sure, since he was also part of the writing team. The credit "Produced by Raymond Massey" refers to the grandson of the original. The greatest special effect is a wobbly camera. The landscaping, before camera shaken, is nice. This dumb movie was retitled "Seeds of Destruction" for home video release.

** The Terror Beneath (2011-10-08) Paul Ziller ~ Jesse Moss, Luisa D'Oliveira, Adrian Pasdar, Stefanie von Pfetten