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A monster movie often treats the monster(s) as the main focus of the movie. That's how its supposed to be. It seems, however, the makers of Cerberus didn't get this message, and that's almost tragic, because if the titular creature was the focal point of the film and not just an underdeveloped plot device, Cerberus could've been one heck of a creature feature.

Some rather nasty criminals attempt to exploit a museum curator (Emmanulle Vaugier) by holding her brother ransom in order to steal the Sword of Mars, the weapon once wielded by Attila the Hun. However, Emmanulle falls in with a group looking to put a stop to Cutter, the ruthless leader of the crooks. No worry, though, Cutter gets the sword anyway. Problem is, this releases Cerberus, the mythical three-headed dog guarding the Sword. Wait... Cerberus is Greek, Mars is the Roman god of war, and Attila the Hun is something neither Greek or Roman. How could three characters from three differant cultures come together like this? Only the writer of this dribble knows.

The main problem with Cerberus is Cerberus himself. Not only does he look like a demonic, three-headed Scooby Doo, the dog isn't even an integral part of the film until the final fifteen minutes. Hell, he's only in the first half-hour in a brief flashback. Seeing as how this is a Sci-Fi Chanel original film, it should go without saying the CGI is terrible. Occasionally it looks okay, but for the most part Cerberus looks quite fake. Gotta admit though, the final scene in the village was pretty cool.

The characters are, for the most part, underdeveloped, and most of the acting rather poor. Slow-motion is overused in the pedestrian action sequences. The dialogue could've used some work as well. I liked the music, though. One thing that did bother me, though, is Cerberus' snake tail. Other than one scene where it strangles someone, it would've made no difference if they gave the satanic mutt a normal dog tail. It did look sort of cool, though.

Now for the DVD part of the review. The transfer is pretty good, the image clear and the audio intact. But again, this is a Sci-Fi Channel original movie, so the only extras are some trailers. On the flipside, the cover art is pretty cool.

Cerberus may not be total crap, but I still wouldn't suggest letting this dog out.

SCORES
MOVIE:  :smile: 1/2 (out of five)
DVD: 1/2 (out of five)