Straight-to-video monster flicks have always been a staple in the video industry, but the past few years have seen an explosion. From killer bee's, giant octopi, wasps, dragons, and sharks, and leeches, there seems to be no end in sight. It's a guilty pleasure of mine to force myself through the best and the worst, but my collection will never get smaller no matter how bad a specific film may be. For your reading pleasure, I have dissected some of this years feature's below. Some of the films were shot in 2K2, but all made it to DVD in 2003. There were more than this, but I have only seen these film below.

1. Python II: This sequel to the classic original (in which Jenny McCarthy has her head torn clean off) isn't all that bad. We get a double dose of the venomous title creature as a plane carrying a top-secret device goes down in Russia. Stuck with no choice, both Americans and Russians are caught in the crossfire, trying to survive. The effects are above par, especially for CG effects. Yes, they still look insanely fake, but given the budget, they work. The campy feel of the first one has been dropped, but it's probably for the better. Sadly, Jenny McCarthy remains dead and makes no appearance. The DVD offers up a nice 5.1 mix and a widescreen presentation. If you need a dose of giant snake and you've already seen the first one, this isn't a bad choice.

2. Crocodile 2: Death Swamp: Surprising sequel to the first, marred only by the most inept actors on the planet. That, and a script which has a word starting with "F" every 15 seconds. A hijacked plane goes down in a Mexican swamp which of course houses the title creature. It's a big ëun and the body count and gore factor remain quite high. Effects are slightly above average, but a few of the CG shots are laughable. Not for their quality, but thanks to some of the inane animation routines. The ending is standard fare but the entire package as a whole is a more than worthy edition to the genre. Again, we get a widescreen print and Dolby Pro-Logic soundtrack.

3. Dragon Fighter: Dean Cain takes us through this one, a fairly boring flick until the final chapter when things really get going. This one was made for TV (Sci-Fi channel) and has military scientists cloning dragons. Yeah, it's a far stretch, but if you can believe the dragon exists in the first place, there's no reason not to believe it can't be cloned. Special effects shots are recycled almost every time the creature is spotted walking down the same hallway with the same lighting and the same expression. The dragon itself is a great design, and it all works for the finale featuring an aerial battle between F-16's and the escaped creature. It's worth if for the finish alone. The DVD offers up standard full frame (I'm assuming it was shot this way so it's ok) and Dolby 2.0.