Larva (2005)

[trekgeezer]

The new vet in Host, MO, Eli Rudkus (Vincent  Venstresca) gets a call from a  local cattle rancher Jacob Long (William Forsythe)  about one dead cow and one that is sick. Eli takes a stool sample from the sick cow for testing.  When setting up a microscope slide view one ot the parasites in the sample he breaks a beaker and cuts his finger. When he walks away to clean the wound the parasite jumps off the slide and drinks the blood., so when he returns its 5 times as big as it was.

The local economy is run by Host Tender Meats  which  buys cattle from the locals but requires them to use only feed provided by the company.  Genetically engineered feed which has mutated common intestinal parasites into something different.  Of course mayhem insues and the CEO protrayed by David Selby  tries to cover it up.

This movie has its good moments and Ventresca does a pretty good job as the outsider /troublemaker. William Forsythe does weel as the grouchy local troublemaker and closet survivalist. The gut busting, flying , scampering  mutated parasites are done pretty well . The main prroblems with the movie are  continuity and logic  gaffs.

People who have never handled a gun are suddenly expert shots.

People who are infected with the parasite (which feeds off of them and grows to outlandish proportions) never appear ill before the thing makes it's escape from their abdomen.

A couple are making out in the car, the girl removes everything but her panties, the boy friend is infected and when the monster busts from his gut, the girls jumps out of the car and runs, magically having had time to put her bra back on. Later when her body is found, said bra is again missing.  (This scene was obviously edited for tv, and probably is the gratuitis breast shot on the DVD).

Why doesn't Forsythe warn the janitor about the monster when he sees him in hall ? Poor slob buys it shortly after.

Why does a small idyllic town in rural Missouri have a hospital with five floors?

What has Rachel Hunter got to do with anything? She plays the corporation's lawyer and has one scene  where she smears Venstresca's character at a town meeting.  A day later Hunter, Forsythe, and Ventresca are running aroung like old buddies.

The ending is not done very well and the movies ends at the hospital with a shot of Rachel Hunter's stomach.  Prepare for Larva II.

Actually, I may rent this on DVD when it comes out to see how much was edited out for SciFi showing.

[Foywonder]

I wanted to like this movie. I really did. But there whole thing is utterly devoid of any imagination whatsoever and the directing wasn't very good either. Expect a full review from me on Dread Central Monday morning. It won't be nice.

[Cheecky-monkey]

I was looking foreward to the movie, thought it was okay. Some great gore, and impressive make-up effects, and the movie has a cool look t it, but it's very predictable. Not bad though.

Best line: "Um, sheriff, there's a bunch of aliens in my backyard, they look like kites."

[JohnL]

Not to mention that the big plan of leading the parasites into the sewers and blowing them up was completely impractical. No matter how many they destroy, they can never be sure they'd get them all. Any that were in the water or on isolated farms, wouldn't even know that there WAS bait. And even if by some miracle they did get all of them into the sewer, the explosion isn't guaranteed to kill every single one of them.

[Ozzymandias]

I'm interested in this movie because it was filmed in the area I live in. My parents have eaten at one of the resteraunts used as a setting.

[Foywonder]

My problem with the movie is that it was so generic and predictable that it just became a chore to sit through. It just lacked a spark. This is the kind of movie that New World Pictures or New Line Cinema would have had a blast with back in the 80's.

You can read my full review here.
Foywonder Reviews LARVA