Infestação: Insetos Assassinos

I caught this movie late at night on the SyFy channel. I expected it to be a terrible CGI-fest (like most of the movies they show that I haven't heard of before), but I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually very well written; kind of a second-string Shaun of the Dead (so, in other words, better than most movies I've paid to see in theaters lately).

The plot is fairly unpredictable for this genre, meaning that it goes basically where everyone watching it wants it to go in the end, but it gets there in a way you won't entirely see coming (I call BS on reviews that claim otherwise). But the real reasons to watch this movie are the genuinely witty writing and the subtle comic performances of the cast. The worst you could say about this movie is that it's derivative of Shaun of the Dead. Personally, I'm totally okay with that.

Infestation is a watchable movie. Let me begin with that because I have a lot of criticism for this movie, but most is constructive. This is a movie that with a few different touches really could have been the next Shaun of the Dead. Walking the tight rope between horror and comedy is tough because it's easy to lose both crowds. Some people don't find bugs funny and others aren't scared when the mood lightens too drastically.

The thing that this movie does best is separate the horror from the comedy moments without seeming choppy or displaced. You can be knee deep in a bug attack one second and be laughing the next. And it feels natural. Chris Marquette really brings this movie together. His quirky, lame attitude attributes to most of the comedy but believe-ability that the horror can be serious.

The major flaw of the movie is that many of the supporting roles are played well, but no one else really pops. If someone else could've helped carry the comedy load it would've really helped. Not to mention that the attempt at being sincere at the end is acted poorly. However, having Ray Wise in this movie was a big success.

I truly felt that if another funny character existed and the script was spruced up a bit, this movie could have become the cult classic it was meant to. The fact that it even accomplished what it did, given the difficult genre mix, is proof enough that they were close to greatness.

I would recommend this movie to everyone that likes HorComs or for those who don't like horror movies and need some levity to get through them.

The clumsy Cooper (Christopher Marquette) is called by his chief Maureen (Deborah Geffner) to be fired from his job. Out of the blue, they hear a shrill noise and they faint. When Cooper wakes up, the finds wrapped in a cocoon and sees a giant insect. He succeeds to escape and release Maureen. They find that the city has been taken over by giant insects and Maureen runs to the street to save her daughter Sara (Brooke Nevin). However a flying insect captures Maurren and Cooper and Sara runs to his office. They release a group from the cocoons and the strong Hugo (E. Quincy Sloan) that is deaf; the sexy and dumb weather girl Cindy (Kinsey Packard); and the janitor Albert (Wesley Thompson) decide to cross the street to visit Albert's son that is sick; Cindy's family; and finally Cooper's estranged father Ethan (Ray Wise). Cooper hits on Sara and when an insect catches her, he decides to go to their nest to rescue Sara and blow-up the structure. Will he succeed?

"Infestation" is a surprisingly funny and entertaining action film. The characters are stereotypes and the hero Cooper is an asshole; Sara is smart; Cindy is a dumb blonde; Hugo is a heartwarming strong man; Ethan is the stereotype of a military. The special effects are much better than anyone could expect. There is no conclusion; probably for a sequel that has not been made. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Infestação: Insetos Assassinos" ("Infestation: Killer Insects")

i wasn't to sure whether to watch this movie, the only decent movie like this that springs to mind is starship troopers, and yet i could name a million crap movies like this....but the IMDb rating told me to give it a shot....and im so glad i did!! its got a great storyline that doesn't need too much explanation, giving you the chance to concentrate on the characters! the movie keeps u glued and there's not a dull moment in it! its got a lotta comedy factor to it which is mostly brought to you by the main character! the effects are decent enough to look "realistic" and there's no stupid cgi that looks like a cardboard cutout floating across the scene!! i wont say too much but the ending makes you hope there's gonna be a sequel....i hope there is..and i hope its just as good as this!!!...7 outta 10 from me!!

No reviews yet for this little gem, so I'll go ahead.

I went in expecting a low budget campy horror B-movie and wow, I certainly did not expect a movie that good in overall.

Most of the actors are quite good, even the extras, and the main character and his entourage are surprisingly well developed for this kind of movie.

I wouldn't call the movie fast=paced, but the action in well maintained throughout and starts after less than 10 minutes, so no long buildup, the bugs are there at the beginning, you get to know more about them as the movie goes so there are no long boring explanations.

The CGI is very well done and keeps you in the movie and there are plenty of bugs of a few kinds.

But what really did the movie for me was the dark humor, think Shaun of the Dead, but with insects. Even if the movie has a serious tone, you always get some well done jokes here and there, mostly by the likable anti-hero that just seems to try so hard.

A must see for the horror/comedy fans and for the critters fans in general.