Jurassic Tiger : Le Tigre aux crocs d'acier

.... Is what the opening credits read . I beg to differ because I was under the impression that the concept of a prehistoric being resurrected into the present day where it feats on modern man was a concept invented by Michael Crichton . I also doubt if the concept of people getting stalked in a dark forest by a creature with a taste of human flesh is Mr Vandiver`s idea

I`m prepared to ignore the above theory on concepts because SABRETOOTH is far more entertaining than it deserves to be . Vanessa Angel as a scientist ? John Rhys Davies as a Welshman with ambitions to become president of the USA ? You just know Scott Vandiver and co aren`t making a documentary and I`ll give them credit for making the victim list unpredictable . The first member of the hiking party we`re introduced to is a black teenager with a big mouth so right away I thought he`d be the first to get it , but then we`re introduced to a slutty looking latino girl which doubled the candidates for first person to become cat food , and then we`re introduced to the geeky Jewish lad who spends too much time on the computer and I bet you can`t guess who`s the first of this obvious trio to end up as lunch ?

SABRETOOTH is a silly film but an entertaining one , so entertaining I`m prepared to forgive the awful CGI effects

Still, it is much better than I anticipated, and a lot of fun to watch as it is pretty much a 1950s B-movie in plot and a 1970s eco-terror film in style. There isn't any letdown in action in this rather compact thriller, and not any moment was I bored. It's also nice to see David Keith use his considerable character-actor screen presence here, playing the part that would have gone to Patrick Wayne 25 years earlier, and doing it well. Everyone else is fairly adequate, though not at all outstanding, and perhaps it's because they're not supposed to upstage Keith and the creature. Though the creature effects are significantly lesser than what we now see from big studio productions, they are as good as many old-school animated or matte-effect creatures from 30, 40, and 50 yrs earlier. In the consideration of the time difference, this isn't much of a complement, but if this film can be enjoyed by a viewer on the level of such b-movies as, say, Monster that Challenged the World, it will be good entertainment.

I wasn't expecting too much from this film and in the end got exactly what I had expected. A by-the-numbers shaggy monster flick with some dodgy acting and some very wobbly CGI. But I'm a sucker for this kind of film. In my opinion, the cheesier the better. And they don't come much cheesier than this. Genetically engineered beastie: Check. Monster POV shots: Check. Dumb teens out of their element and in the middle of nowhere: Check. Unresolved love interest: Check. Money grabbing bad guys who are quite obviously next on the menu: Check. Big game hunter who seems to know the surrounding area like the back of his hand even though he's never been near the place before: Check. In fact, just check everything, because it's all there, dodgy CGI warts and all. But still after all that, I liked it. It's all a matter of "when", not "if" but familiarity is it's best asset. You've seen it all before but you're just along for the ride. Definitely a film to watch with as many drunk friends as possible and probably the easiest film to play the standard horror movie game of "Spot The Stiff". Don't take it seriously and it should keep your alcohol dulled, semi comatose brain amused for an hour and a half.

I only watched this cuz' Josh Holloway ("Sawyer")from "Lost" is in it. Other posters' negative comments are right on & more entertaining than the movie was. The part about tranqualizing the tiger SO INACCURATE!!!The writer should've done research on this at the very least. It'd take an average tiger or black bear 15 min. to go down from a trank gun. This thing's size, if you were to dose safely, might take up to half hr. for it to go down all the way. This movie makes it immediate, and not only that, it wears off in 2 min. ??!?!?!? Plus, the fur just made me feel dirty. It looked as fakey,tangled,fuzzy & worn as a hard-as-sandbag moth-eaten, mildew infested stuffed animal "prize" you win at a carnival busting an impotent balloon w/ a dull dart.

RELEASED TO TV IN 2002 and directed by James D.R. Hickox, "Sabretooth" chronicles events when a saberetooth cat, cloned via fossilized DNA, is unleashed into the Big Bear Valley wilderness where it preys on vacationers and a group of trainee guides (led by Jenna Gering & Josh Holloway). The two responsible for creating the creature (Vanessa Angel &John Rhys-Davies) hire a great white hunter to capture it (David Keith).

The beginning introduces the main cast and it's too goofy for its own good, particularly in regards to the trainee program group. But the story surprisingly gets compelling, despite the goofiness, and there's a great romantic scene between Holloway's character and Lola (Nicole Tubiola).

The cast is likable (rounded out by Lahmard J. Tate and Phillip Glasser) and there's a nice assortment of females but, for me, they all lacked genuine sex appeal, except for maybe Steffanie Busey (Kara), who is overlooked because her part's so peripheral. It's a fun flick and the locations are great, but the creature is too cartoony to suspend disbelief when its head or body is clearly shown. They should've limited views to quick, partial looks, like they did in the first half.

THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour & 30 minutes and was shot in Big Bear Lake area, San Bernardino National Forest, California. WRITERS: Scott Vandiver (concept) & Tom Woosley (script).

GRADE: C/C- (4.5/10)