Altered Species (2001)

Altered Species (2001) * (out of 4) A professor is trying to cure cancer and of course doing experiments on rats who eventually escape and go on a killing spree. This is yet another film that deals with an animal going crazy and killing people but this one here is pretty bad from start to finish. The acting, directing and screenplay are all beyond horrid but thankfully the film gets so bad that you can't help but laugh. The director tries throwing all sorts of gore at the viewer but the killings are so bad that you can't help but laugh. We also get some nudity but not enough to keep the film moving. Go rent The Killer Shrews instead.

What a terrible film.It starts well, with the title sequence, but that's about as good as it gets.The movie is something about rats turning into monsters and going on a killing spree. The acting isn't so much poor, but the script is pointless and the film isn't even scary despite the atmospheric music.It really is amazing that some group cobbled together this bag of rubbish and thought it would make a good film.It isn't a good film. It's trash, and I urge you not to waste a minute of your life on it! One out of ten.

OK it's a low frills movie that makes me want to try my hand at making low budget flicks. But it was not all bad! The rats were cool and it reminds me of a fifties movie.A couple actors were pretty good...walter,Alicia and well that's about it. i liked the leads of this movie though the dialogue could of been much better.the ending was shot pretty well though technically the movie could of been better.i love the genre and it's on cine-max if you want to see it.the professor looked familiar.walter is on commercials and in other movies.artisan produced this filmwillard is a crappy film also.

"Rodentz" is an all-right creature feature.**SPOILERS**After discovering that his boss,' Professor Irwin, (Guy Vieg) new formula is a failure, Walter, (Allen Lee Haff) discards it down the drain. When Professor Irwin comes to check on him, and inquires about the work he's supposed to have done. As he continues working, his friends Alicia, (Leah Rowan) Gary, (Richard Peterson) Burke, (Derek Hoffman) Chelsea, (Alexandra Townsend) and Frank (David Bradley) go over to the lab where he works to take him out partying. When they get there, he informs them that the test rats have been acting weird all day. Worse, the staff at the lab is disappearing, and the lab rats they've been testing on have gotten bigger. Fearful that giant rats are on the loose inside the lab, Walter locks it down, much to their dismay. Splitting up to go find the lost rat, the group is slowly picked off one-by-one by a giant rat. Down now to only a few survivors, they now have to face off against the vicious rodent to get out of the lab alive.The Good News: It's weird to say this, but this wasn't an all that bad movie. What I really liked the most about it was that the film kept up some high level of suspense all the way through, once we've discovered the threat. The fact that all of the elements of suspense come together in these last twenty minutes are a rare fact that not too many films of its type are like: people you care about trapped together in a cramped area with a known killer. The actions of the group, the situations that they get into, and even the music itself all make it an effective amount of time. In fact, the last twenty minutes are easily highlights of the film. It has the traditional suspense scenes as well as plenty of action and tons of gore. In fact, there is lots of gore splattered throughout the film. I was actually surprised. We get several people eaten alive by the rats, one other has his eyeball pulled out, another has half their face eaten away, and another is decapitated. There is still more though, and that is what was so surprising. There is a great dignity in having a very low-budget film with an ending that comes completely by surprise. I really do enjoy the last thirty minutes of this great film.The Bad News: The low-budget really shines through in the special effects of the film. There are only a few gags that are believable in the film, and with so many of them, that can be a bit of a downer. It can seriously detract from the enjoying of the film. Also, the design of the giant rat and its execution is almost as laughable as the plot and the acting in the film. I really don't know what else I can comment on, as I did enjoy this one.The Final Verdict: I really don't know what to say; I liked this one. It definitely falls in as a guilty pleasure and it is a film that not all will want to see. Check this out if you're in the mood for a giant killer rodent film, as well as those that like a lot of cheese with their movies and don't take whatever they see with a grain of salt.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, and the after-affect of violence against animals