The Rats (2002)

The Rats is based on a horror novel by James Herbert of the same title. It is a remake of a low-budget 1982 movie called Deadly Eyes as well, both filmed in Toronto but The Rats takes place in Manhattan whereas Deadly Eyes takes place in Toronto (the novel took place in London). This 2002 adaptation follows the story of the book slightly closer than Deadly Eyes did, and the effects were better in The Rats (in Deadly Eyes wiener dogs dressed in rat suits were used to depict giant killer rats).I know it isn't really fair to compare a remade movie to its original, but this version of The Rats is bad enough on its own. It's kind of entertaining, incredibly cheesy and for the most part sort of enjoyable, but it doesn't deliver on many levels. Its soundtrack is pretty bad as well, as was the acting.Deadly Eyes had great soundtrack, it had decent acting and it was a hilarious, cheesy thrill-ride, very different from The Rats. Honestly I don't really think that this movie even needed to be remade, but watching The Rats wasn't a total waste of time. If you're a fan of the novel and original movie you may want to avoid it, but if you're into more modern horror, chances are you'll really enjoy this one.

While I was watching this I swore I would see a doctor if it was rated more than 3 on IMDb, and indeed it was rated 5.1! At least only around 900 people had rated it but anyway. I must say this movie is really bad even for a horror film. I chose it because it looked funny, and I thought that there would be some fun with all the cute rats. But as usual as in these movies it is all about different stuff than rats. There are lots of scenes that seem to have nothing to do with the plot but are just there for some weird reason. Anyway, the scenes with the rats are not bad, especially because not all of it is CGI, so the effects are actually quite good and credible.

Rats invade every place in New York...you get a B-movie plot. The beautiful, elegant, sexy Madchen Ammick stars in this cheesy Horror flick for cable.I won't talk about the plot because there isn't much to tell about it. In fact, I will only comment about the scenes that are worth the watch. The rat attack in the swimming pool is a must see as it's a little but tense moment as the rats almost bite the young Daveigh Chase.Near the end, when the beautiful Madchen falls and is attacked by thousands of rats really made me worry because I could only think about her beautiful face getting disfigured. To my happiness, she only gets some scratches and is rescued by Spano and other guy. The rat massacre at the ending is also a must see for the cheese factor. What a cartoonish ending! This is a must see for people who have a phobia for rats like me. This is what Horror is about, scare and make you feel tense. This low budget movie makes it's job and entertains B-movie consumers for about 90 mins.Watch "The Rats" for it's intention to entertain and to watch the stunning, incredible Madchen Ammick.

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*I didn't know Madchen Amick was in this flick when I rented it but I'm glad she was. The video box had a snarling rat on the cover showing off his fangs. Why not include a picture of Amick on the cover with the rat to sell your movie? I guess they figured a picture of a nasty, disease ridden rat was more eye catching than a beautiful woman. Out of all the "Twin Peaks" babes, Amick was the hottest. Of course she's a mommy in this movie so don't expect any hot Madchen action. But a familiar face is always comforting when embarking on a B-movie journey. "The Rats" was a decent B-movie. It kept moving and gave me the cheap thrills I crave. It only suffers from what any rat movie will suffer from: How do we get rid of all these dang rats? They come up with the usual preposterous plan to wipe them all out at the same time. But by that point you've settled into the B-movie groove and can let the movie slide to the end.