MANTICORE DVD Review

What's the difference between blockbusters like TRANSFORMERS and B-movies like MANTICORE? Budget, more or less. Better CGI, (sometimes) better acting, and better music. But they hit on the same cliches and cardboard cutout characters and basic plot points. MANTICORE is one of the latest in the line of many, many movies to use ALIEN and ALIENS for most of its plot points, but it has the distinction of using the war in Iraq as a backdrop.

An Army unit in Iraq is sent to retrieve an embedded reporter who's gone off to report at a supposed WMD site. When they arrive, they find that the town has been decimated by a manticore (sort of a lion with wings and a scorpion tail), revived by an evil cult of some sort whose leader is bent on ruling the kingdom of Iraq as his ancestors once did. The various characters get knocked off in various gory fahsions by the manticore, rendered as is typically done now in cheap CGI. It almost seems as if they couldn't afford to render 24 frames per second because many of the manticore shots have a herky-jerky, stop motion feel. And as these things go with Sci-Fi Channel movies, the design is muddled by poor choice of colors and textures.

For a Sci-Fi Channel movie, though, it's very efficient. After a prologue that tries to provide entirely inconsequential character development, the story gets to the point and features tons of action with virtually no character development. That's fine, though. That's what we're here to see. And hey, a bonus! The black guy isn't a walking stereotype (in your face, TRANSFORMERS) and does not die first. I could honestly see this movie being a big summer movie if given a much bigger budget. The story's no worse than SPIDER-MAN 3. As it is, it's a servicable movie to catch on TV. Not no Saturday night, though. For God's sake, find a date instead!a

The DVD like the movie is servicable. Good video, good audio. No noticable flaws. Some trailers but not much else in way of extras.

(Oh, hey! It starred Chakotay from STAR TREK VOYAGER. Thought he looked familiar...)