Zaat (1971)

I consider myself a connoisseur of bad movies, but this one is really something special. Compared to this, Plan 9, The Room, Manos: Hands of Fate, and even Killer Shrews are all masterpieces.There are unanswered questions in almost all movies, but there are simply so many in this one:First and foremost, why exactly did crossing a man with a catfish seem like a good way to rule the world?Why do they keep cutting to a sea turtle during his attacks?What did the octopus have to do with *anything*?Why did the guy who was following him still need the Geiger counter *after* he had him in plain sight. While we're on the subject, why didn't he simply shoot him at that point?Why didn't the sheriff use the gun in his hand? Opting for a fist fight with a man/catfish really seemed like questionable judgment.While we're on the subject, where did that gun go?Finally, they rescued the girl *before* he did anything to her, so why did she decide to become a fish at the end? Was she bowled over by his charm?Anyway, all I can say is wow. Just, wow.

Wow! I watched this movie several times, because it was awesome. I really laughed throughout the entire movie! Fighting scenes without hitting, terrible soundtrack, people acting worse than the TNA Wrestling contestants, the lead actor visibly waiting for his cue AND a dragging, unconvincing sentimental scene at the end. This movie has it all. It really is THE flick for some late night entertainment with no suspense, only kick-ass slap-stick scenes put together. Of course this was not the intention of the makers, but with their budget, you can hardly expect anything more. This movie has an enormous cultural value. Although I agree with the IMDb's 1.7 for it's genre (horror/thriller) it deserves a ten for bringing joy and laughter in the world. Thanks Don Barton, I enjoyed every moment!

I really did not expect much from a film with a title like that and I was right. I guess the best that could be said for it was that at times, the location scenery was very nice and the print we saw on Turner Movie Classics tonight did not deserve to look so clean and pristine (that alone stunned me). The sheriff leading the hippies to jail was the only good moment in the film--I thought it was turning into "Pippin" or something for a moment.Of the monster, definitely a case where it should have stayed in the shadows but we get to see it for almost the entire film and in bright light and focus. It rather looked like a giant parakeet crossed with a wallet to me. Suspenseful music cues used at times when absolutely NOTHING suspenseful was going on and other gaffs and blunders that usually make these things entertaining, but not entertaining enough (if you ever have only an hour to live, watch this movie and you'll think you've lived another 9 days).I'm rather surprised I had never heard of this one until recently!

Dr. Leopold really has a lot of free time on his hands. Somehow in between bong hits he devised through twisted logic that he can dominate the world with fish. Exactly how humanity is going to be conquered by animals that can't survive on land isn't really hashed out. He had an idea and the mad doctor is running with it. At least he maintains a detailed itinerary that keep his looniness on schedule. Dr. Leopold, with some help from "the weed of deceit", turns into a catfish monster that more resembles one of the aliens from "Pod People". Next on his agenda is a mate to quell his raging fish libido drawing him to spy on an average looking blond woman that apparently lives in a van down by the river. An inept sheriff and his marine biologist assistant? friend? neighbor? Rex investigate a series of dopey fish related incidences by the local yahoos. When they realize that what they are after is a large fish-man-type-thing they try to capture it with the help of a husband and wife team of special "agents" that seem too interested in this case. Boredom aplenty as monster attacks locals, good guys follow, repeat makes this slower than a turtle with no legs encased in cement. At one point the sheriff stumbles upon some hippie vagrants, stops to listen to their dopey song, then like the Pied Piper leads them to jail for protection from the beast. Or maybe he was arresting them for the terrible song that was shamelessly played in its entirety. I do have to say that I was pretty impressed with the underwater shots for such a low budget film. That in itself saved this from getting a one. The incorporation of the various fish themed nature films with Dr. Leopold's inane dialogue dubbed over it just reeks of amateur hour film-making. I watched the unedited movie, which I recommend all MST3K fan's should do, on TCM and it really is a chore to watch. Trying to sit through this without the aid of Mike and the Bots quips is a task in itself. Not a fun bad movie but an extremely boring bad movie that could only be help by ingesting large amounts of a certain weed.