Writer: D.R. Rosen (Screenplay)
Starring: Dan Cortese, David Keith, Kirk B.R. Woller, Jeff Fahey, Atanans Srebrev, Naum Shopov, Hristo Mitzkov, Julie Benz
Plot: A group of scientists try to stop a swarm of flesh-eating locusts that escape from a top secret government lab in the USA Midwest.
Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Easy to Watch Sci-Fi Special
Story: Locusts: The 8th Plague starts a scientist Russ Snow (Fahey) and businessman Gary (Keith) have been working on a bug eating locust that could help clean out crops in the state of Idaho. When their experiment goes wrong the flesh eating locusts escape into the local area.
Colt Denton (Cortese) and Vicky (Benz) must lead the military into finding a solution before the locusts who aren’t meant to be able to breed, continue a rampage through the state leaving bodies in their path, the race is on to stop them.
Thoughts on Locusts: The 8th Plague
Characters – Colt Denton has created a pesticide that is environmentally friendly and only need to be used once, he finds himself in the middle of the race to stop the locusts using his knowledge of them and what could attract them. Vicky is the daughter of Russ, she works for the USDA which is responsible for controlling the outbreak, she works with Denton to find a solution. Gary is the man running the company that created the Locusts, he doesn’t want to lose the money he has made through the years, he wants a cover up. Russ Snow the scientific mind behind locusts, he is trying to do this for the right reasons, even if things don’t go as planned, he is left in a position of wanting to stop the spread or taking responsibility for his action.
Performances – Dan Cortese in the leading role show potential in a leading role, his performance fits the style of film. Julie Benz does the best she can with what is basically the damsel in distress role. David Keith and Jeff Fahey fill the villainous side of the film well enough.
Story – The story follows an experiment to create flesh-eating locusts to help with crops, getting loose and targeting the locals as their neighbours continue to grow. This story does fill the classic b-movie style with ease, we have a creature, in this case locusts that are getting deadlier as they continue to spread across the local area that need stopping. There isn’t too much to talk about with the story, we know how things will unfold, making this a safe and steady story to follow.
Horror/Sci-Fi – The horror comes from the locusts and just how they will kill anything in their line of fire. The sci-fi side of the film comes from the locusts that have been created with the genetically modified to be the way they are.
Settings – The film is set in a small town in Idaho, this works because it shows how the problem could start in a small location, only to grow over time.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are low budget and they work for everything they are showing without being anything special
Scene of the Movie – The plane hangar.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Why is there a car on fire after an attack, the locusts are not flammable.
Final Thoughts – This is a simple and enjoyable sci-fi special movie, it checks all the boxes without doing anything special, one you can just switch on and enjoy.
Overall: Simple and Enjoyable.
Rating