A shy, obsessive comic book fan gets injected with an experimental serum of a lab that is studying how to give humans the abilities of spiders. At first he develops minor abilities such as i... Read allA shy, obsessive comic book fan gets injected with an experimental serum of a lab that is studying how to give humans the abilities of spiders. At first he develops minor abilities such as increased strength, which allows him to fight local criminals and bullies, thus living out ... Read allA shy, obsessive comic book fan gets injected with an experimental serum of a lab that is studying how to give humans the abilities of spiders. At first he develops minor abilities such as increased strength, which allows him to fight local criminals and bullies, thus living out his dream of being a superhero, and impressing his attractive next-door neighbor. Things s... Read all
- Awards
- 1 nomination total
- Gutterpunk #1
- (as Zia)
- Lloyd (gutterpunk #2)
- (as Lloyd Lowe)
- Goth girl
- (as Lisa Piccotte)
Featured reviews
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.
As you can guess EARTH VS THE SPIDER owes more to Stan Lee than it does to the B movie that shares its name . Of course it has none of the massive budget of the recent Sam Raimi blockbuster , in fact the production values of this film are rather weak with cobwebs that look like used chewing gum and mixed standards of make up , but for entertainment value I probably enjoyed this more than the not too dissimilar THE FLY
I didn`t like THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED , but I liked EARTH VS THE SPIDER and I loved SHE CREATURE and I hope someone makes a few more " Creature Features "
Of course, it took all of 45 minutes for him to go bad and go on a killing spree. Did somebody think that was original? Aside from the fact that it was a blatant knock off of Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly" remake, though much less gory.
The acting was of the "not bad" variety, but Dan Aykroyd is wasted in a role that tries to have depth, but fails (chalk it up to comic book writing? I dunno).
I did get a huge kick out of the store owner using the Hasbro "Darth Maul Lightsaber" (of which I have on right next to me here) as his last line of defense. A total hoot! Classic!
I would be remiss if I didn't say the movie does a decent make-up. Pretty creepy.
Sadly, the ending falls flat and comes way to abruptly, and is also cliche, and confusing to boot. Did he want to kill her, or not? I leave that for you to decide.
** out of four.
Did you know
- TriviaAs an obvious nod to marvel comics, Quinton is a fan of the Arachnid Avenger (A play on Spider-Man & The Avengers) & also names his dog Thor (frequent member of the Avengers).
- ConnectionsFeatured in Troldspejlet: Episode #27.4 (2002)
- SoundtracksWalk the Walk
Performed by Poe
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 30m(90 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1