Director: Mike Mendez,
Starring: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Patrick Bauchau, Lin Shaye, Lloyd Kaufman,
Running Time: 81 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Look at that title! Interested? Then read on. Otherwise, you know where the door is. Like SHARKNADO, SNAKES ON A PLANE, or PIRANHACONDA, the title is the first clue as to how you are going to rate this film. BIG ASS SPIDER! Screams silly, budgeted, and fun, which is exactly what I got from it. It seems odd that some people still decry such things as “stupid” and “ridiculous” when that seems to be the entire point. Whatever next? Complaining that McDonalds doesn’t offer the same sort of fresh, healthy, and filling meals as fancier restaurants?
That’s not to give BIG ASS SPIDER! a free pass though. It still needs to fulfil certain objectives in order for it to be considered a success. First of all we have a short running time which is effortlessly filled with a number of entertaining scenarios. The spider doesn’t spend too long in one place, meaning that the film is rather ambitious, as it could have kept things contained for simplicity’s sake. This keeps the pace very punchy and removes any sense of boredom.
We’re also treated to a number of enjoyable characters that avoid clichés for the most part. Alex Mathis (Grunberg), the local exterminator, is a very likable protagonist who comes across as a very normal guy. He certainly isn’t your typical gung-ho action hero, but he is a guy with a lot of confidence and bravery. He’s funny, but he isn’t the joke, making sure he mixes competence without always knowing what he’s doing. He’s surrounded by the likes of a military general (Wise) who isn’t just about killing the beast no matter who gets in the way, and a scientist (Bauchau) whose only concern isn’t doing things “in the name of science”. Avoiding such tropes is one of the reasons why BIG ASS SPIDER! continues to entertain throughout. The humour is also much appreciated.
The effects are what you should expect. They’re never 100% convincing, but they don’t have to be. They are passable enough, that with some added imagination you’ll easily be sucked in. This is one for the fans of the cheap and the cheerful. If ignorance is bliss, then film is as blissful as they come, as it makes the most of its resources, never aiming too high, nor becoming complacent and predictable. It also begins with a bizarrely beautiful scene that contains slow-motion carnage and a decent cover of The Pixies’ classic, “Where Is My Mind?”. Now, not every monster movie can claim that.
BIG ASS SPIDER is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 23rd December.
