THE CURSE OF THE KOMODO is another regular cheesy giant monster B-movie in which scientific experiments have created an island full of hulking Komodo dragons that run around eating people. It's not great, but it's probably one of the best films in Jim Wynorski's career nonetheless because it's not quite as bad as the rest of his stuff. At least there's a lot of stuff here, as silly as it is. Aside from the giant CGI beasties, there are zombified people, JURASSIC PARK rip-offs, a lengthy and totally gratuitous skinny dipping sequence, and more wooden acting than you can shake a stick at. One for B-movie lovers only, then.

Once again genetic experimentation has gone awry. A group of casino robbers crash land on a tropical island where scientists are already living in fear. The Army has been experimenting for years developing new weaponry...things have gotten a bit out of hand. Genetic tampering has transformed Komodo dragons into giant, human-hunting monsters intent with wrecking the jungle as they forage for nourishment. The casino bandits don't have to think twice when it comes to helping the scientists keep the creatures from escaping and making the rest of mankind high priority on the food chain. The story is pretty lame and the cast is pretty shallow too. Melissa Braselle and Glori-Anne Gilbert are an eye full in different degrees. Also in the cast are: Tim Abell, William Langlois, Paul Logan and Gail Harris. A much better Komodo movie to check out is KOMODO(1999).

"Curse of the Komodo" isn't that bad of a creature feature.

**SPOILERS**

After the loss of a special military operation on Isle Damas, Professors Nathan Phipps, (William Langlois) and Dawn Porter, (Gail Harris) are assigned to clean it up before people find out about it. Trying to get away from a casino robbery, Drake, (Paul Logan) Tiffany, (Melissa Brasselle) and Reece, (Cam Newlin) crash-land on the island during the middle of a tropic storm. Going inland to find some repair equipment, they stumble upon Nathan's daughter Rebecca, (Glori-Anne Gilbert) and the rest of the scientific team encountering a giant attacking Komodo Dragon. After fending off the attack, they are welcome back to their compound and invited to stay. When the compound runs low on equipment, they try to leave to the island before a military operation blows up the island.

The Good News: Here we go with another Sci-Fi Channel creature feature, and here is actually a pretty good one. The one thing that really works is the connection with the giant monster films of the early 50s and 60s. Crashing-landing on an island conducting genetic experiments with creatures and then encountering the creatures along the way screams of a 50s B-movie plot, and it gives the film some familiarity. The look back to the past gives the film a charm that most similar films don't really have, and that's a pretty surprising feat to accomplish. However, there is a change that works out for the better over the other films. The giant Komodo in this film is a fully-grown animal, and isn't the baby of a larger creature that comes back later looking for revenge. That is a common factor in many similar films, and the fact that it's missing here with the Komodo being fully grown and attacking is a really original move that needs to be commended and recognized. The action comes across pretty frequently, and it keeps the pace going nicely. One sequence involving a chase in a fleeing truck is especially nice, and is easily a highlight that is quite exciting and a little thrilling in places along the way. Even more, we see the Komodo really and often, so even though they look really bad digitally, it isn't as terrible as it really should've been. And perhaps one of the greatest aspects is Glori-Anne Gilbert's extended topless scene.

The Bad News: The creatures here look so horrible that it's almost a travesty to call these computer generated creatures the same name as the Dinos created for "Jurassic Park." The fact that the same technique was used for the monsters in both films makes it all the more apparent that the Dinos will forever be the standard against which all CG creations will forever be judged. The results here are that bad. There are some pretty gaping plot holes on display here, and even though knowing them won't seriously undermine the enjoyment of the film, they are still there and pretty noticeable. The fact that the film is also just a giant cheese-fest doesn't help matters. There's really no shocks, jumps or anything, and the film plays out like a giant cheesy good time.

The Final Verdict: It's a giant cheese-fest, that's for sure, and Dinos from ten years ago still look better, but if you like the creature features from the 50s and 60s, then this isn't all that bad. Some kinks need to be either smoothed out or fixed, but there's far worse ones I've seen out there. Take it for what you will.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence and Nudity