Jurassic Tiger : Le Tigre aux crocs d'acier

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)

.... 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

(There are Spoilers) Your usual monster from the past coming to a theater, or DVD outlet, near you with a ferocious 500 plus pound saber-tooth tiger-minus its stripes-being brought back to life via DNA genetic engineering. The two persons responsible for the saber-tooth's resurrection multi-millionaire and presidential hopeful, or so he hopes, Anthony Bricklin, John Rhys-Davis, and his lover and assistant DNA and genetic engineer Catherine Vicly, Venessa Angel, have no idea in what a Frankenstein, or Tony the Tiger, monster they created until it was too late.

With the saber-tooth escaping from his confinement, when the truck that he was caged in overturned, he goes straight into he wilds of the Nortern California mountains and runs into this troop of outdoor guides lead by the beautiful and well built, she has to be in tip top shape for the job she's doing, Casey Balenger, Jenna Gering. Wanting to take the big cat alive both Catherine and Brickin get big game hunter Bob Thatcher, David Keith, to hunt the killer feline down but a with a tranquilizer, not a super elephant, gun.

The killer cat using his superior sense of smell and hunting ability has no trouble at all finding his prey, which seems to be exclusively humans, and in no time at all almost wipes out and eats the entire cast in the movie. Thatcher who's about the only person in the film who has a chance to bring down the saber-tooth is handicapped by both Catherine and Bricklin who want the beast to be taken alive not dead in order to get both rich and farther their careers in politics and science. Bricklin feels the cat, with the money he gets from exhibiting it, will get him elected president and Catherine, in her creating it out of 10,000 year old DNA matter, the Nobel Prize in biological research. The only thing these two deluded lunatics end up getting is having themselves served up as the big cat's lunch and dinner!

***SPOILERS*** Not as bad at it at first seemed with the killer cat after being practically invisible, we only get to see glimpse of him, for almost the entire film coming out into the open and really doing a number, with his foot long canines, on everyone that he both runs and bites into. Thatcher despite his best efforts as a big game hunter is stymied by both Bricklin & Catherine, in bringing the big cat down, who want to prevent him from doing his job not knowing, or even caring, that if he did they would live to see the end of the movie. It was Thatcher who finally put this indestructible killer away not with the modern and sophisticated weapons that he had at his disposal but with what the cave man used to both fend it off and kill it some 10,000 years ago!

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.

Interesting premise, not so good effects. I think they should have used the guys who did the effects for the History Channels Prehistoric Mammals show. And, as usual, really stupid characters...the only one with two brain cells to rub together was the hunter. I kept cheering on the 'cat to kill them all. (Due to the long list of stupidity, I won't bother trying to list them)

Notice the set up for a sequel. "What's wrong? Never hear two cats mating?" Bet that puma was a female.