The Unknown

Reviews Of Unusual Size!

Re: Sasquatch is killing people in the woods, so a few drunk hunters and stereotyped high school kids decide to dink around in the woods for an hour of my life.

Outstanding: The Bigfoot costume was pretty decent for a B-Movie.

Unacceptable: The music was overbearing, the acting wooden, the story non-existent and even worse, the whole shambling mess was as boring as watching plaster dry in a footprint casting.

Summary: It's a bad sign when the most charismatic actor in a movie is the "blond bimbo" whose only purpose is to take her clothes off and act as a plot exposition device. Which would have been fine, if the Sasquatch had been cooler or acted less randomly. And really? The native American deputy was named John Eagleheart? Was the name Indian Plentywampum already taken?

1/5

"The Unknown " is not a particularly appropriate title for the movie as any experienced creature feature viewer will pretty much know what to expect virtually as soon as it starts .The set up involves a legend surrounding Echo Mountain where a mysterious Big Foot type creature is said to walk .The creature ambushes and slays most members of a small hunting party .This prompts the surviving member of the group to set up a revenge mission with some of his buddies ,to the displeasure of the local law .Also stumbling around on the mountain are a quartet of high school students seeking material for the term project on Endangered species ,and a Native American ranger The budget is obviously shoestring in nature but the director is able to disguise this by judicious camera angles and cutting .The creature is pretty convincing however and this does help .Variable acting and a rushed conclusion are downsides but if you approach this in the right frame of mind it is moderately satisfying and unpretentious movie making

2005's "Clawed" (aka "The Unknown") is not nearly as bad as some of these negative reviews here claim. No, it's not "Apocalypse Now" but it never pretends to be anything more than what it is -- a Grade-B made-for-TV Bigfoot flick.

THE STORY: In Washington state three poachers get killed on a mountain by what is thought to be a killer grizzly. The sole survivor returns with three more rednecks to get revenge; meanwhile a group of high school teens also go up to the mountain for a senior project. Add to the mix a couple of rangers and a Sasquatch creature.

WHAT WORKS:

• The Washington locations are great, filmed in Buckley and North Bend. - The villains here are the loathsome poachers; the rest of the cast are likable with the exception of the arrogant jock, who sort of redeems himself by the end. The lead redneck, by the way, is none other than Miles O'Keeffe who played the title role in 1981's infamous "Tarzan, the Ape Man" (beefcake hero to villainous hick, how about that?). - The two girls are quite fetching, especially the brunette (Chelsea Hobbs). One reviewer implies it's unlikely that the brunette would be attracted to Richard, the intelligent/woodsman type, but I didn't find it unlikely at all. Since when do pretty girls only find arrogant, obnoxious jocks attractive? (Arrogance shouldn't be confused with confidence). Richard is quiet, humble and skillful in his areas of expertise. The brunette obviously finds these traits attractive. Meekness isn't weakness, after all. - Although "Abominable" (2006) is an entertaining Bigfoot flick the creature in that film is nothing more than a monster of unadulterated horror (with a goofy face). I like the fact that "Clawed" portrays the creature in a more benevolent, almost noble fashion. Some reviewers have even gone so far as to describe him as the "brown Hulk." - Some Native American legends claim Sasquatch is a spirit-being that can come and go in the physical realm. This is touched on in the film. - Speaking of the creature, I thought they did a good job with the costume (He looks like he spends a lot of time in the gym). At least the creature doesn't have a goofy face a la "Abominable." - Speaking of goofy, there are thankfully no campy elements like "Abominable." Although there's some goofiness, this is essentially a serious Bigfoot flick accompanied by a serious dramatic soundtrack, not that everything's believable, of course. - I like the fact that the film only runs 80 minutes before credits. Films of this ilk shouldn't overstay their welcome.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

• Although the film's not bad, it never arises above the level of decent. (You haven't seen bad, by the way, until you've seen 2008's "Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon"). The set-up of the story is great but the final act fumbles the ball. It's like once they (the filmmakers) get the various groups up into the forest where the creature is lurking they don't know what to do from there. - I pointed out above that not everything's believable, which includes the poachers' antics. I also didn't buy the teens camping out on the mountain with a supposed killer grizzly on the loose (Wouldn't their parents object? Would the girls likely go, especially considering no one in their group had weapons?). - Most films like this HAVE to have one or more ultra-wise Native Americans who are "at one" with nature and all-knowing concerning the mythical creature at hand (e.g. "Man-Thing," "Prophecy," "Orca," etc.). Get real.

Some complain that they can't figure out certain plot points; read Willaim R. Hancock's Amazon review for an excellent explanation (from October 16, 2006).

BOTTOM LINE: This is a decent modern Bigfoot flick that should please fans of the Sasquatch mythos. Although the set-up is great, it's hampered by a weak last act. It's better than "Sasquatch" (2002) but it's no where near as good as "Sasquatch Mountain" (2005). I like the fact that the legend is respected and the creature isn't made out to be a bloodthirsty ee-vil monster. Although there's a little gore, gorehounds who drooled over "Abominable" will not be appeased by "Clawed;" in other words, stay away if you're solely interested in a bloodstained slasher/monster flick.

GRADE: C+

In the deep woods of Echo Mountain, Pine Creek, three poachers are slaughtered by a predator and the survivor, Ed, organizes an illegal hunting with three other hunters. Meanwhile, the teenagers Rich (Dylan Purcell) and Jay (Brandon Henschel) are assigned by their biology teacher to prepare a seminar about species in danger of extinction. Jay invites his girlfriend Shea (Casey LaBow) and his cousin Jenny (Chelsea Hobbs) to camp with Rich and him in the forest to research animals for their work. Meanwhile the Indian Ranger John Eagleheart (Nathaniel Arcand) is also in the woods tracking the Sasquatch. When Ed and his men are attacked by the Big Foot, the teenagers try to escape to save their lives.

"The Unknown" is a bad collection of clichés and completely disappointing. The story begins without any previous development of the characters, and we see a group of illegal hunters being chased by a creature. Then we see the Sheriff and his Indian Ranger trying to protect the locals while the Mayor preoccupied with the season of tourism, in a situation repeated in many movies ("Jaws", for example). The biology teacher joins a nerd with a bully in an absolutely illogical situation. The conclusion is silly and ridiculous. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "O Desconhecido" ("The Unknown")

Anyone who approaches a movie based on Sasquatch must know:

1) It is not going to be a large budget film 2) There are not going to be any recognizable stars 3) Nothing in the movie can be construed as complete fact 4) It's not going to win any awards

Thus, a movie such as this needs to be approached with an open mind and low expectations.

I read one good review here when I saw it was going to be on Showtime Extreme (542 on DirectTV), so I decided to watch.

What I saw was somewhat interesting. The acting was not bad and a few actors actually did a really fine job. On top of that, there was a good mix of some light-hearted humor, a couple times I laughed out loud, not out of sheer stupidity, but original humor.

The movie could have done less with the stupid rednecks. I did like the close-up scene with the bear, and not knowing what Sasquatch truly looks like, I had no problems with what I saw.

I guess if people go into this with high expectations, they're going to end up disappointed, but if you take it for what it is, it's not a waste of time.

I could see Hollywood making a larger budget film out of the Sasquatch legend and put a couple (somewhat) big(ger)-named actors in it. I mean, if some hacks can make the Blair Witch Project and manage to turn that pile of crap into a blockbuster smash, why not something that has some plausibility?

I gave it a 7 because I want to help see the rating of this film climb. I probably do not think it deserves more than about a 5 of 10, but it's certainly better than 2.3.

Like someone else said, grab a girl, and cuddle up with some popcorn. At times she'll hold you close, and other times you'll both laugh together.