A set of vipers has been taken by the scientists, when the vipers escape into the woods, they do more than just bite. A set of vipers has been taken by the scientists, and they've mutated them to make a cure for cancer, Then their experiment goes awry, and all these vipers escape into the woods, and they're not only biting people, they're actually killing people, in a little town. Genetically altered CGI vipers go on the rampage on a small island in this SCIFI original film. The plot has something to do with a cure for cancer in the venom of the snakes and the evil company that tinkered with them to get better results.<br/><br/>Scifi has been churning out made for TV horror and scifi flicks for years now and they've become so generic that at least among my friends we describe films as the sort of thing they might run. Vipers is that sort of thing. Its a low brow horror film that gives you exactly what you expect from a film that premiered on SCIFI-and viewed in that vein worth a box of popcorn and a soda. What should one expect from the Maneater Series' latest "nature gone amok" feature, Vipers? Other than a bunch of flesh-eating snakes, not very much… but that's okay, because this flick certainly isn't trying to deliver anything but over-the-top serpentine carnage.<br/><br/>Corben Bernsen and his cronies at Universal BioTech are attempting to cure breast cancer with genetically-altered Horned Vipers (which, as we all know by now, makes perfect sense) when a batch of them escape and head over to the picturesque Oregon island village of Eden Cove. Things get ugly… and reeeally fast, but thanks to the dashing new doctor in town (Jonathan Scarfe), a cute-as-a-button botanist (Tara Reid), and the scientist responsible for the snakes' aggressive tendencies (Jessica Steen), these citizens might just have a chance at survival.<br/><br/>If one is willing to throw logic out the window almost immediately, Vipers is actually fairly fun little romp. Sure, the snakes howl like dying vampires when they're killed and there appears to be only one person in the entire town of Eden Cove under the age of 20, but it's relatively easy to overlook these simple misgivings. Even the fact that the vipers actually EAT their victims ends up becoming hilariously entertaining, effectively transforming them from typical snakes to slithering piranhas.<br/><br/>Keeping its forked tongue firmly in-cheek during one of Vipers' first scenes, a newlywed African American couple go to make love in their lakeside tent, only to be attacked by the titular critters. Of course, their racial identity calls for them to be the first to go, and the script (attributed to Scarecrow Gone Wild's Brian Katkin) allows them to note that it's "gonna be hard to go back to da city" - since it's painfully obvious that no minorities whatsoever live in Eden Cove.<br/><br/>The direction by Bill Corcoran (who is currently helming the Sci-Fi Original, Rise of the Gargoyle) is across the board, with several of Vipers' action sequences staged very well albeit a tad dark and most of its dialogue barely sufferable. When little Maggie's parents are presumably killed, she sobs to Reid's Nicky about what it's like to lose someone important. Watching Ms. Reid then almost instantly break down as she describes losing her fiancé to war is amusingly groan-inducing, especially in the midst of an all-out shrieking snake attack.<br/><br/>Thankfully, the practical gore effects are quite good, with literal geysers of the red stuff spraying out of anyone foolish enough to get within striking distance of the vipers. Unfortunately, the snakes themselves are comprised entirely of the lowest of low-rent CG effects. Whether they're squirming unbelievably down a gravel road or flailing almost vertically while chowing down on someone, they never once, over the course of the entire film, give the impression that they're actually "there".<br/><br/>Early on, a gun-toting dude is asked if it's hunting season. His response? "Almost." (cue ominous music) Reid later howls, "Homeland Security?! This isn't terrorism, these are snakes!!!" and, near the film's finale, our stunning doctor arms himself with a flamethrower that he names "the mongoose" (get it?!). If ever there was a hungry screaming snakes movie starring Tara Reid that you should not take seriously, this is most certainly the one and Vipers makes no pretenses at being anything but what it is.<br/><br/>At its core, Vipers is basically a Sci-Fi Channel Movie-of-the-Week with higher production values and similarly shoddy computer-generated beasties. It's got some tasty gore, just enough sex to keep the hard-pressed titillated, and some beautiful locations. Sure, it's far from theatrical-caliber film-making, but if you're looking for 90 minutes of dumb, slithering fun, this disc might just shock your skin off.
Nyalwamin replied
295 weeks ago