User reviews

A title like Earth vs. the Spider is way too pretentious for a film of middling scale like this. What we have here is nothing more or less than a rip-off of the Fly. It feels shallow, pointless, maybe occasionally freaky, but hardly exciting. On top of that it has a majorly disappointing finale.

Quentin Kemmer is a security guard at a major biochemistry firm. He is a nice guy, and all he really wants out of life is a chance to be a hero. One afternoon there is a break in to the firm. Six people are killed, including his parter, and he blames himself for not being tough enough to prevent it. It a moment of hesitation he injects himself with the firm's latest top secret formula mixed from spider DNA. The next day he is a lot stronger, happier, and even gets a chance to be the hero he wants. As the days progress however, he gets hungrier, more deformed and dangerous to the point that he must stop himself before the beast within him gets loose.

The film is most involving when it explores the relationship between Quentin, and his lady friend next door, who he is shy of asking out. The entire film could've been based around this one thing and it would've been fine. However, another part of the plot concerns the investigation of Dan Akroyd's character which ends up amounting to nothing. What is more frustrating however is the total sloppiness of the climax. Like the film in its entirety, the last scene is random, rushed and insulting to the viewer. There is much to be explained when Earth vs. the Spider ends. The question is whether the story has gotten you involved enough to care, unfortunately no.

Neighbourhood vs. the Spider would be a more appropriate name. It is a small scale, not very effective creature feature, too short, and far too derivative. Monster fans will be disappointed I think.

Small-budget and lame. Quentin Kemmer(Devon Gummersall)plays a wimpy comic book fanatic who works as a security guard at a biotech lab doing research with giving humans the natural traits of spiders. At home Quentin would dream of being like his comic book hero The Arachnid Avenger and concern himself with wanting to ask out Stephanie(Amelia Heinle) his neighbor living in the apartment next door. After the lab is broken into, Quentin decides to inject himself with experimental spider serum. That way he may take on newfound powers and impress Stephanie enough to notice him. He finds himself foiling a store robbery and even fighting off Stephanie's muggers. And even solving a crime for an impotent cop(Dan Aykroyd). But all is not going that good...the once mild mannered nerd is becoming more and more spider-like and less human. Also in the cast are: Theresa Russell, Christopher Cousins and John Cho.

For some reason film reviewers have created and now perpetuate the myth that this is a remake of the 1958 Bert Gordon film. Apart from the title, the Arkoff connection and the odd "in" reference (the leading character's surname is Kemmer - see cast list for the 1958 film), this dreadful tv movie has nothing whatsoever to do with the cult classic original. A cross between "Spiderman" and "The Fly", this uninspired and boring time-waster has a weak script, poor sets and a barely adequate cast. The make-up is reasonable but, despite the gap of nearly half a century, the special effects are nowhere near as good as those of the 1958 version - and Bert Gordon's films were not known for their lavish special effects budgets. Don't fail to miss it!

Wow, this movie is just awful. First off, the spider isn't really vs. the world, the spider goes against Dan Aykroyd (giving a lazy performance). Secondly, the film has lousy special effects, and even worse voice acting.

The disappointing thing is, the film actually had me hooked for the first little bit. I like the concept of a man who thinks he is going to become a super hero, but ultimately ends up becoming a super villain. It's just too bad the villain is lame, and the hero is....well Dan Aykroyd.

2/10

When I first saw this movie, it appeared to be engaging, but it quickly became a cross between SpiderMan and The Fly, and that cross was not incredibly engaging. As an animal lover, especially beagles, I was happy his dog escaped his wrath, however, even that pacifying concept presented by the writers is trite. I don't recommend this movie in any capacity where you have to pay to watch it. The only possible exception is where you are up extremely late, with or without company.

The irony is, I love comic book stories, tragic and heroic. This one just flopped, period. Sorry, Dan Akroid, I love what you've done over your career, but this was, for lack of a better term, pooh.

You'd have this movie. It's about a security guard named Quentin who's an avid comic-book fan (which makes me empathize with him, so far). And, one night, masked gunmen (presumably eco-terrorists) raid the genetic research company where he works. His partner, Nick is struggling with one of them, after hitting the silent alarm. And when Quentin tries to help him, he is restrained by one of the so-called "real cops" who respond. As a result, Nick is killed, along with the cop's partner.

Quentin is ridiculed for letting that happen, and fired for being "negligent" in his duties (he was patrolling a different part of the building when the raid occurred). That's when he remembers that the shot-up lab is where they were injecting some mysterious red chemical into what look like pygmy tarantulas.

As his favorite comic book hero is the Arachnid Avenger (a thinly-disguised version of Marvel's Spidey, during his six-armed phase), he becomes a vigilante. The first enemy he defeats? A serial killer called the Mid-town Murderer, who makes the fatal mistake of targeting Stephanie, Quentin's pretty pre-med neighbor.

Enter "Detective Grillo," played--with very surprising realism--by Dan Akroyd. The Mid-town Murders were his case, and having someone else kill the perpetrator does not improve his current unpopularity among his fellow cops. Or, his unfaithful wife (played by Theresa Russell). Unfortunately, as Quentin's mutations increase, so does his appetite. And, he begins FEEDING on his (still less-than-sympathetic) targets!!!

*This includes Mrs. Grillo's lover, Officer Williams. The same policeman who accused Quentin of not being a real cop. I could be wrong. But, it looked as if he was fondling that webbed-up Goth girl, while supposedly untangling her.*

Unfortunately, after such a slow build-up, the show-down between Det. Grillo and Quentin is a little too rushed for my taste. We don't get shown if Grillo and his wife reconcile (assuming she merely fainted, instead of dying of fright, at the first sight of fully-mutated Quentin). Nor, do we see if Stephanie and Thor (Quentin's pet beagle) stay at, or move away from, the apartment building.

All we see is a ceramic model of Arachnoid Quentin exhibited by his Amerasian friend, the comic-book dealer (supposedly as a tribute). And, as if that anti-climax weren't bad enough, there's the misleading title itself. THIS IS NOT A REMAKE OF THE B/W 1958 MOVIE!

In fact, the only connection between the two is a TV clip of the latter. So, for those two reasons, I only give this a four-out-of-ten, rather than a halfway-decent five.

Quentin Kemmer (Devon Gummersall) is a shy and coward security guard and a passionate collector of comic books, who lives in a junkie building and has a crush on his next-door neighbor, the nurse student Stephanie Lewis (Amelia Heinle). However, he is too shy to declare his love for or invite her for a date. He works in a laboratory, which is studying and trying to develop a secret genetic weapon using the power and skills of the spiders. When the laboratory is robbed and his partner and great friend is killed with other persons by the criminals, Quentin feels under pressure with the situation and decides to inject himself the experimental vaccine. In the beginning, his strength and abilities increase and he feels like an arachnid superhero from his magazines. However, a couple of days later, he begins to transform himself into a giant spider-man hybrid, capable of throwing webs through his abdomen, developing claws in his mouth and prevailing the instincts and a non-stop hunger of the spiders over his will. Meanwhile, Quentin eliminates many persons, and Detective Jack Grillo (Dan Aykroyd) investigates the series of mysterious deaths in the neighborhood.

"Spider Vs. Earth" is a surprisingly good B-movie that recalls the horror and sci-fi stories of the 50's, inclusive with a noirish environment. The plot is good, with the exception of the unnecessary participation of Theresa Russell, in the role of an adultery and drunken wife. The slow transformation of Quentin into a spider slightly recalls the dramatic situation of "The Fly". My true and honest opinion is that the IMDb User Rating is totally unfair with this film. I bought the VHS and I do not regret. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Maldição da Aranha" ("The Curse of the Spider")

Note: On 09 May 2023, I saw this film again.

If your young or into comic book stories, I guess this movie is for you. I only watched it because Dan Aykroyd was in it, and I'm sure he did the move just for kicks. I must say I was a little disappointed.

This may not be the best film ever, but the writing and direction manages to be fresh around every bend. You'd expect lots of dumb noise-swell scares, cheesy one-liners, etc, but you'll find none of that here. Good old fashioned horror is alive and well here, and although this movie isn't the most involved or beautiful film you'll ever see, give it a chance.

The direction and cinematography is surprisingly good, and the transformation of the spider is done just right -- you don't see too much too soon, but just enough to keep it creepy and interesting. I really can't say enough about how this film avoided the pitfalls into which most big-budget movies stumble. Horror movies in particular, having made a big comeback in the last few years, suffer from cheap jump-out-at-you thrills, poor plot, and weak plot twists. This movie keeps it good and simple.

My favorite part is that you can sympathize with all the characters, which is especially awesome with the "villian." Oh, and the spider looks FRIKKIN AWESOME. But just as a forewarning, the ending is a little disappointing.

There are many sides to a script, what you appreciated was just I wasn't admired for. I vote this film for 6,even 7, cause in my opinion, I assumed that this movie tended to transform the topic to humanity. When the comic-addicted person injected some unknown blood-cell, you know it was illegal, but he wanted to be like spider-man, saved those people who were needy. It's normal to have these feelings. But the effects of the injection was getting more and more weird, he lost his sensibility and humanity. When his beloved woman recognized that this huge human-like monster was Queen, she shed a tear, to my delight, the monster didn't bite her or hurt her, because "he" could tell that he was still a human being, she was standing nearby, still. The plots might be a little bit cliché these days, but personally, I think that it's also a good film which is worth browsing around.

I should say i caught this little piece of gem the other day on tv and this tv movie was quite impressive.To begin with we have this kid who loses his job as a security officer at a research lab as he screws up a bust up by a bunch of crooks .To top it the kid injects himself with some potion say xxx which has something to do with spiders .So this kid will he become a super hero or some thing very sinister? thats for u to watch mucho. And well we have Dan akroyd as the investigating officer,and he gives a good performance.The movie builds upon the premise which we all dreamt when we were kids "to be a super hero with that special powers in order to save the world, save the girl and save the day". Quite a little neat movie i give it 4 otta 5.Have a good day.

in the beginning the film was really good. but then, when he got more and more a spider the film bored and sucked. no good qualitiy of special effects lame ending

It's hard to rate this film because I don't know what it's supposed to be: a horror picture, a comedy, a comedy-horror, a sci-fi flick, a sci-fi spoof or maybe just a bad movie. It's entertaining enough with decent effects. If these guys are being serious, it's a dreadful movie. If they're trying for a satire of drive in pictures, it's not bad. Is Dan Ackroyd doing good cop schtik or bad serious acting? Really is a dog's (a spider's?) breakfast.

Borrowing its name from a 1950s schlockfest, EARTH tells the tale of a nerd who is injected with a formula that slowly turns him into a spider-like creature. At first, he is a bit of a hero as he confronts criminals. But soon enough, he begins mutating into a truly hideous spider-like monster that will suck the marrow out of anybody and everybody. Nothing to write home about, EARTH has absolutely nothing to do with the original, which was about a giant spider on the loose. This low-budget TV movie actually owes more to the Jeff Goldblum version of THE FLY. Worth a look if you're a Dan Ackroyd fan. Ackroyd plays a detective hot on the trail of the spider guy.

Crossing Marvel's Spiderman with David Cronenberg's The Fly, Earth vs. The Spider sees meek comic book fan Quentin Kemmer (Devon Gummersall) injecting himself with a top secret serum developed from spiders, hoping to become a superhero. Imbued with super strength and the ability to shoot webs from his abdomen, he tackles murderers and thugs, but things go awry for Quentin when the spider's genes begin to take over, his body mutating and his hunger driving him to kill.

What starts off as web-slinging comic-book fun gradually develops into a tragic horror, as Quentin's transformation into a bug-eyed freak ultimately leads him to attack the apple of his eye, girl next door Stephanie (Amelia Heinle). Detective Inspector Jack Grillo (Dan Aykroyd) is hot on his trail, but will he be able to stop the Kemmerspider before it drains Stephanie of her bodily fluids? Made for TV, the film lacks the overall quality of a big screen flick, but solid performances, nuanced direction that achieves a pulp magazine atmosphere, and effective use of music make this more than passable fare for the duration. It's definitely worth hanging in there for the moment when Quentin goes full arachnid, with impressive FX by the always reliable Stan Winston Studio.

Earth vs. The Spider: 3/10: Earth vs. the Spider is a very slowly paced movie. How slowly you ask? It makes Larry Cohen (It's Alive, Q) look like a music video director on methamphetamine. It makes Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies) look like Michael Bay (Armageddon).

Director Scott Ziehl has a pretty good story idea to work with (What would happen if Spiderman took on the other spider attributes after his radioactive bite. You know extra legs, a thirst for human blood) and seems afraid to get to the obvious. Instead we have endless tangents about a cop that lost his nerve (Dan Ackroyd) and his alcoholic cheating wife(Theresa Russell).

Not just is this like skipping the shark attacks in Jaws to show an affair between the marine biologist and Mrs. Brody. But both Ackroyd and Russell are simply awful in their respective roles.

Add in a surprising amount of community theater level supporting work and a boring love interest. And Earth vs. The Spider gives us nothing to hold our interest. (In true comic book geek tradition our hero gets nothing but a chaste kiss. Needless to say there is no nudity gratuitous or otherwise. Kind of a surprise from a made for Showtime horror film.)

The movie, of course, has nothing to do with the pretty good monster movie from the fifties that share its name. And as a Spiderman parody Spiderbabe, a Misty Mundae soft-core porn film of all things, upstages it. The monster/superhero does make an appearance in the final ten minutes but I was really to bored to care and director Ziehl was still wrapping up boring love triangles instead of focusing on the good stuff.

Indeed if someone ever makes a Dogma 95 superhero movie I expect it to look like this.

Earth vs. the Spider was a pretty good film that gives the audience what they want.This film delivers good acting,very good make-up effects,and a well though out plot.There is a flaw that Earth vs. the Spider suffers from,and that flaw is that the special effects arent really all that great,and that the movie seemed to short.I really think that the make-up effects were terrific,and that the acting could have been better,but the movie is still great considering that it was made for TV only.I would recommend renting it before buying it,because this movie may not be appealing to some people.8 out of 10.