Creepy Crawly

No pun intended - actually this is the German title of the movie ... and I think it is more fitting ... or at least way more interesting than the one they use here (did not check if this is the original title or the international ... not too keen to find out either) ... but more important than the title is the movie ... and how good it is ... I don't think this is really good ... but I have seen worse too.

Interestingly enough some seem to like the cgi ... and while there is worse stuff out there (no pun intended here either) I would not call the effects here something that is ... exciting ... unless you suspend your disbelief ... and go with the flow! The horror of it ... and within! Just saying.

In the early stages of the pandemic, tourists forced to quarantine at a hotel in the middle of the city slowly realize one of the guests was possessed by a mystical centipede-like beast that needs human hosts to inhabit forcing them to find a way of stopping the creature before it can overtake them all.

For the most part, the film was rather fun, and had a lot to like about it. A lot of this starts with the central story which puts the film in an interesting cross-section of time yet still tells an intriguing story. The initial setup at the beginning where everyone is placed inside the hotel to quarantine and being forced to follow their guidelines despite the hotel being ill-prepared for that kind of service starts this off rather nicely. This is given a nice touch with the threat coming from the mystical centipede creature that shows up as the body-hopping abilities come into play rather nicely. With the folklore of the creature's history establishing it as the type of being that works really well in this type of environment where no one can be trusted already because of the pandemic protocols, this setup provides quite a lot of fun and suspense to have from the main setup. In addition, this has a lot of fun with the creature feature qualities. The use of the Tabongplum legend allows this one to generate some fun. The first attacks are nicely over-the-top with the possessed figure wandering around snatching victims in the dark corridors or remote sections of the hotel where it can use the sneak attack advantage and the extra-long grasp it has with the massive tentacles providing the killing blow. Since there's no witness and no evidence left behind upon investigating everything until much later on, there are some decent attempts at suspense with the patrons not knowing who or what is responsible even after more of them start to go missing. The ability of the creature to possess others and take them over to do its own killing makes for a great touch since not knowing who it is but still having to deal with the thousands of creatures crawling over every surface possible lets the final act flow heavily with some impressive visual effects for the creatures. It all gives this a lot to like about it. That said, the film does have some big issues. The main drawback centers around the film's focus on the hotel's guests and staff trying not to catch the disease rather than dealing with the creature on the loose. Far too much of this one is spent on the cleaning protocols and safety precautions being utilized at the hotel, so it never really makes the creature any kind of priority. It just shows up unannounced and begins its rampage seemingly randomly as a series of innocuous scenes show the crew trying to deal with the influx of guests they have. It has more time for the manager trying to get the staff in line or the guests going through their own personal issues while staying inside. This all ends up leaving the film without much in the way of a detailed story or investment in what's happening until the final act. The other issue here is that there's a huge discrepancy in the final half that goes off in a bizarre direction. Rather than provide a continuation of the idea that the creature has been going through the staff and guests to find a suitable host, instead we get a wholly confusing story about one of the guests featuring a blood type that will enable the centipede to become immortal with them as a host. Several flashbacks try to help this connection make sense involving how that comes into being and what caused the creature to try this but it only serves to be illogical attempting to bring everything together, so the film comes off rather weakly during this ending section. Lastly, the need to include several unnecessary subplots to try to extend the running time, most notably the hotel owner's extramarital affair that goes nowhere, is somewhat infuriating. These are all enough to bring the film down overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Brief Nudity.

Bang Average unfortunately, It starts out well enough and the first half hour keeps us guessing to who and what is responsible but after the mystery disappears so does any horror element and the movie dissolves into nothing more than a generic action with ''creepy crawlies'' showing little tension from one choregraphed CGI ridiculous fight scene reminiscent of every modern Asian & Hollywood movie to date.

In the end we're left with yet another film we have all felt we've seen a dozen times or more but done better regardless of the quality of the CGI ( personally I thought it looked ridiculous ) over the past few years.

Its such a shame, I had hoped that this wouldn't turn out this way and should really had been a better film if it concentrated more on the horror and not the overly convoluted back story of the characters, there also seems to be a bit of a general layout these Asian movies go throughout that they all seem to play out very similarly.

That said what's going on in Hollywood far out weighs the Issues faced here.

The CGI is very good, although perhaps they went overboard in some scenes. In fact, the scenes done practical are less impressive. Set in a hotel with guests under COVID lock down, one of the guests has brought something back with them. And that is a problem, because everything has to be learned through the subtitles, and that means background and nuances are often lost. So it can become confusing. At first, there are only a few centipedes, but then suddenly there are thousands crawling over every area. And for me, it was difficult for me to become invested in any of the characters. But it was entertaining enough so I didn't feel cheated.

Right, well I didn't have a clue as to what I was in for here, aside from "The One Hundred" being a Thai thriller. But I would deem this movie more of a horror movie than it was a thriller. But that is just a minor detail.

When I stumbled upon "The One Hundred" here, late in 2022, of course I opted to watch it, on account of it being a Thai movie that I hadn't already seen. And as I had never heard about it, prior to watching it, then I didn't know what I was getting myself into

Writers and directors Pakphum Wongjinda and Chalit Krileadmongkon managed to put together a fair enough script here. Yeah, it was pretty generic and straight forward, even for a creature feature. However, I have to say that the script was fairly weak, and "The One Hundred" does not require the audience to be overly alert while watching the movie.

The acting performances in the movie were fair enough, taking into consideration that the actors and actresses didn't exactly have the most layered script or character gallery to work with.

The special effects in "The One Hundred" were fair enough. Not spectacular special effects that will blow you away, but they served the movie well enough.

Now, what bothered me the most about "The One Hundred", was the fact that there simply was not point to the storyline. I mean, the movie came and went without leaving a lasting mark, and it was hardly a memorable or outstanding foray into the Thai horror genre. But there was just something hollow and lacking about the entire ordeal that is "The One Hundred".

While it was watchable, it is hardly a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, nor is it a movie that I would recommend to fans of the Thai horror cinema.

My rating of "The One Hundred" lands on a three out of ten stars.