It COULD be terrifying if the guy inside the suit was able to move. While the design is adequately disgusting, it's completely immobile. The head can move a few directions and the arms flail about. Once the critter gets his wings, the films heads into cheap CGI territory. Not good, especially with a budget that was likely spent almost entirely on the suit in the first place.
Then of course you have the dialogue. For all ten fans this movie will have, certainly the line of the night had to be "Hey, Mansquito!" spoken perfectly straight by the lead just before sending a rocket (grenade?) towards the beast. More camp ensues as the next epic line enters into the film, "He's more mosquito than man now." The way it's spoken, totally dramatic in an attempt to be moving, is priceless.
So, it doesn't become a classic, it doesn't break new ground, and it has moments of unintended hilarity. Is it worth watching? Probably. You can take either as straight horror and enjoy the gore or just pull a "Mystery Science Theater" on it. Either way, you'll likely come out with a smile on your face, just maybe not for the same reason as the next person.
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
this obviously is the best title in cinema history. "mansquito!!!!" how has it taken so long?
Thank you Matt. this made my evening, most likely. "He's more man than mosquito now" hahaha
2 - Matt Paprocki
Ok, yeah, see.. sometimes I go on like these dyslexic fits and royally screw things up. That line must've came during one of those moments. It should be:
"He's more mosquito than man now."
There we go. Never seems to fail either. I re-read the damn thing 15 times and I always miss the obvious stuff.
*bangs head on wall*
I'm chaning that right about.... now.
3 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
ha! no probs, man. iwas actually thinking if it was a typo, but then i wasn't sure... maybe it was getttin all tender and they were gonna kill it, but no, you can't kill it. "why not?" "it's more man than mosquito now".
note to developers of sequels - maybe a mosquito could undergo a horrible transformation, and by the end of the film it's a civil servant working in Soho.
4 - DrPat
The title almost drew me in to watch -- thanks ever so much, Matt, for saving me from wasting time with this.
LOVE the main link item, BTW. If only they'd had a few BUG-OFF wristbands, the viewing public might have been saved...
5 - SFC SKI
Two hours of your life you don't get back, thanks for the warning.
Why is it SCI-Fi's programmers are so unimaginative in programming blocks of one shiow while ignoring others? Why does it even support obvious crap like this? Cheesy junk like this only adds to the disdain many have for SCi-Fi, and take away limited programming hours for better shows. For every rare great SCI-FI channel show, they hve a lot of filler, SCI_FI has never lived up to its promise.
6 - Chris Beaumont
That really is a great title. I couldn't bring myself to watch it. Sci-Fi's movie offerings are really slapdash, mostly goofy junk, but occasionally the gem will slip through, like Cube or Dog Soldiers.
7 - ZMethos
How surprised was I when I clicked on a link from Dave Barry's blog and found that he had linked to Blogcritics! Cool!
8 - Eric Olsen
great to hear! we are popping up all over these days
9 - jenthepartygirl
Okay, I have to admit it- I watched Mansquito not once, but twice. Was it scary? No. Was it well written and produced? Oh, no. Was it incredibly funny? You'd better believe it. It was definitely MST3K worthy, and was simple, silly entertainment. And really, that's all I ask of a movie sometimes. Every aspect was absurd and bizarre, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
10 - Alana
Classic Mansquito lines include:
Corin "Corky Nemic": "Hey, Mansquito!" in the hallway of the hospital
Corky, just before a member of the SWAT team (yuk, yuk) gets thrown through a plate glass window: "You don't know what you're up against!"
Pre-Mansquito'ed bad guy, while running across an open area brandishing and firing a handgun: "Die!"
It truly was as bad as it sounds.