Lavalantula

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.

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 ..

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.

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.

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.