Mega Aranha

For a B-flick this was actually rather well done; I would even go so far as to say that this is more a lovingly made spoof of B-movies than an actual B-movie (although the budget is clearly B). A cameo appearance by Lloyd Kaufman (legendary Troma producer) seems to further indicate that this an homage to trashy horror and monster films.

Given the budget on this, the effects - especially the spider - are pretty decent. Don't expect the kind of CGI quality of films like "Starship Troopers" or "Mimic" and you'll have a fun 82 minutes.

I guess the version I just saw must be the R-rated one: there definitely are at least a few gory moments in this film, so the PG-13 rating here on IMDb could be misleading.

This film is a lot of fun and has some witty dialog and was obviously made by someone who loves this genre - apart from that, the two lead characters are very likable and have great chemistry.

It might deserve less, but I'll give it a 6

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Fun B-Flicks/Low Budget Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/YV1Lxq7WLkU/

BIG ASS SPIDER! is the story of exterminator, Alex Mathis (Greg Grunberg) and his extraordinary day. Upon receiving a bite from a Brown Recluse spider, Mathis winds up in the hospital. While he's there, by some unholy happenstance, another species of spider, a particularly large specimen, crawls forth. In seconds, the angry arachnid is on a deadly rampage!

If that's not bad enough, the military shows up, led by Maj. Tanner (Ray Wise), to "take care of things". The hospital is quickly locked down, and it's obvious that this is no ordinary spider. Can Mathis use his bug-killing skills to assist in the eradication of this fast-growing monster?

Grunberg is fantastic in his nebbish cum hero role. The movie is an excellent blend of sci-fi horror / creature feature and comedy. Not as hopelessly "zany" as one might expect, it benefits from well-written humor. The CGI isn't bad, especially later in the movie, when the BAS goes "KING KONG".

A low budget film that makes the best of its limited funds...

This movie achieves everything it sets out to do - very much like "Eight-Legged Freaks."

It's a send-up of the genre, exceptionally well-done, with great comic actors (even the ones who don't have lines- they definitely spent on talent) and homages to everything from Ridley Scott's original 1979 "Alien" to "The Matrix" to "King Kong."

Great production values as well. They market it as low-budget, but they spent on the important stuff.

And the title is hilarious.

This is a work of horror genre comic genius.

"Big Ass Spider!" has everything a monster movie needs, and the title of the movie basically speaks for itself. If you love gargantuan monster movies, then "Big Ass Spider!" is definitely worth your time.

The story is about a strange, outer worldly crossbred spider that escapes the clutches of the military and finds a nesting ground in a hospital, where it quickly grows larger and more aggressive. As it escapes the hospital, the spider turns the city into its hunting ground.

Storywise, then "Big Ass Spider!" is fairly much like many others of its genre, and that is one of the things that actually makes this movie well worth watching, oddly enough. And also the good amount of comedy and self-irony that the movie is spiced with really helps it along nice.

Most of the time, the CGI effects of the spider, regardless of its size, was actually quite good. And for a monster movie, then good CGI (or creature effects) is a must. And the CGI team behind "Big Ass Spider!" really pulled it off quite nicely.

If you have seen movies such as "Spiders" or "Eight Legged Freaks", then you know exactly what you are in for here.

It should also be noted that there is a good handful of acting talents on the cast list in "Big Ass Spider!". And as a special treat for us who are fanatic about the monster movies of the B-genre, then there is a great appearance by Lloyd Kaufman.

"Big Ass Spider!" is a fun 80 minutes worth of excitement, fun, action and creepy crawlers. Eight legs, uhm, thumbs up from me, and "Big Ass Spider!" gets a solid 7 out of 10 rating.

Alex (Greg Grunberg) is an exterminator working in Los Angeles, whose speciality is spiders – he can get inside their minds, you see. A minor spider bite sends him to the local emergency room, where he soon learns that something has infiltrated the place. Turns out there was a military "accident" and soon the hospital is taken over by a Special Forces Major (Ray Wise) and his crew, including lovely Carly (Clare Kramer). But it is up to Alex and his sidekick, hospital security guard Jose (Lombardo Boyar) to figure out how to save the day.... Really, a movie like this needs no description, as it says it all in the title – there's a Big-Ass Spider threatening downtown LA! Very funny, a little gory (but only very briefly), this film had rather more character development than I'd expect in an 85-minute popcorn movie – and it was a perfect film to see with the great FantAsia audience too!