Director: Mike Mendez
Writer: Neil Elman, Ashley O’Neil (Screenplay)
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples, Patrick Renna, Carlos Bernard, Michael Winslow, Noah Hunt
Plot: Volcanic eruptions in Los Angeles unleash a swarm of gigantic, lava-breathing tarantulas.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Pure Fun Creature Feature
Story: Lavalantula starts as washed up actor Colton West (Guttenberg) storms off the set of his new movie, like most washed up actors he has personal problems with wife Olivia (Peeples) and son Wyatt (Hunt). We have the conflict for our leading character now he finds himself in the middle of an Earthquake which just happens to be a volcano erupting in Los Angeles that is also filled with fire breathing giant tarantulas.
We follow as Colton races through Los Angeles to search for his son along with tourist Chris (Renna), his wife fights off the lavalantulas from home and Wyatt tries to keep his friends safe. United they must find a way to killer the lavalantulas once and for all.
Lavalantula is a creature feature you could sit and watch each moment unfold with a mix of fear, suspense and laughter. The overall story is one we have seen plenty of times but moments do have a wink, wink to the audience watching. We know going into this what to expect and it delivers on every single level, I don’t expect anyone to see this being a super serious film so for entertainment value this is something that hits all of the marks.
Actor Review
Steve Guttenberg: Colton West is a down on his luck actor that is storms off the set of his latest film, he finds himself in the middle of a volcano eruption filled with fire breathing tarantulas that take over Los Angeles, he must find his son and make it out alive. Colton is very much like the Bruce Campbell in My Name is Bruce where he comes off selfish while living off the fame of a previous role, this also plays into the fact that Steve was a biggest name in the past compared to his role in this low budget film. Steve is good in this role where he gets to have a lot of fun.
Nia Peeples: Olivia West is the wife of Colton, she is a kickboxing teacher who uses her skills as she joins forces with the army to fight the lavalantulas. Nia gives a strong performance in this role.
Patrick Renna: Chris is a tourist that happens to be on the bus with Colton, he becomes the sidekick on this adventure getting to live out a dream of fighting next to Colton. Patrick is good in this role which gets extra laughs for the audience.
Noah Hunt: Wyatt West is the son of Colton who feels let down but his father and goes off into the city. He is hanging out with his friends when the attack starts and has to use his skills survive until his parents turn up to save him. Noah gives your typical over knowledgeable teen character.
Support Cast: Lavalantula has a supporting cast which includes a few great cameos and well know actors poking fun at the Hollywood story.
Director Review: Mike Mendez – Mike gives us one of the most fun movies of recent years.
Horror: Lavalantula is a creature feature for the horror side of the story.
Sci-Fi: Lavalantula gives us a creature that comes from a world of nightmares.
Settings: Lavalantula uses Los Angeles for the location which works for how the film likes to poke fun at Hollywood.
Special Effects: Lavalantula has the special effects you would expect on this budget of film but they do add to the comedy level.
Suggestion: Lavalantula this is one for all the creature features fans to enjoy. (Creature Features Fans Watch)
Best Part: Final act.
Worst Part: If you go in looking for a serious film you will be disappointed.
Kill Of The Film: Spider Costume man.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: Maybe.
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes
Tagline: Fire Burns… Lava Bites
Overall: Creature feature that is just so entertaining.
Rating
