Hyenas

Well, at least they tried.

One of the better aspects of "Hyenas" was the fact that they took the traditional werewolf cast mold, broke it and replaced it with hyenas. A bold move, and it might actually have worked, had they the CGI on their side. This approach was a much needed one, just a shame it failed.

The story told in "Hyenas", well there were two stories actually, was pretty simple and easy to follow. The main story was the one with Gannon losing his family to the flesh-eating shape-shifting hyenas, then being sought out by Crazy Briggs, trained and then seeking revenge. That part of the story was actually decent enough. The other half of the story, the one with the two rivaling street gangs, well that was just unnecessary and very strained to look at. Those thugs came off nothing more than muppets trying to behave like street urchins. That part of the story should have stayed in the cutting room.

As for the CGI effects, well I am not much of a fan of cheesy effects, and "Hyenas" was one big cheese effect fest. From the glowing red eyes on the hyenas (as well as their hybrid and human forms) to the downright eyesore CGI animated hyenas running around. The movie truly did not have the effects on its side. And I think, if they actually had a bigger budget for the effects, the movie might actually just have proved much more cool and would have raised itself up from below mediocre value. And the actual shape-shifting scenes, well, you have to see that to believe it, and seriously, try not to laugh when you do.

The cast was a sorted bunch to say the least. I was a bit surprised to see Costas Mandylor (playing Gannon) in this movie. He went from the "SAW" movies to this? Alrighty then. But he did a good enough job in this movie, though he was better in "SAW". Joshua Alba (playing Marco) was actually one of the guys putting on one of the better performances. I am not much of a fan of Christa Campbell, but wow, this performance was bad.

"Hyenas" truly had potential, but it was hindered by its budget. The CGI effects really brought down the overall enjoyment of the movie. Plus some of the acting and dialogue also helped tripping the movie along the way. It is a shame, because it was refreshing to see hyenas take it on to the scene, trying to kick the werewolves from their pedestal. This movie could have worked out so well, but it wasn't just meant to be. I am rating this movie 3/10 because of the story and because it had potential, it was just hindered in its wake.

How do you say something good about a film that has been universally panned?

Well, Christa Campbell (The Wicker Man, Day of the Dead) is in it. That is always a positive comment. There was definitely more than one skintastic moment before she changed into a hyena.

For the ladies, there is Costas Mandylor (SAW IV, V, VI).

Remember Meshach Taylor from Designing Women? He does a good crazy person who knows all about the creatures.

If nothing else, Amanda Aardsma will make you want to find out about Frisians. Her brother David is a Yankee pitcher, by the way.

A few surprises at the end as Crazy Briggs replaces his recruits.

All in all, it kept my interest and is worth another watch.

The one thing I can say for this movie is that the quality of the cinematography is fantastic. Being a Costas Mandylor fan, it was awesome to see great closeup shots of him with those sparkling blue eyes. The plot itself was alright, nothing to rave about. The subplot involving rival teens seemed pointless to me at first, but after watching the movie in it's entirety I can see why they put it in the film. The downfalls of this film were the CGI/special effects. The transitions from humans to hyenas were so blatantly obvious and unbelievable. Also the "hyenas" themselves were basically computer animation. The acting was fairly decent. There was a lot of predictability in the writing. I would watch this movie again sometime.

Hilariously bad take on the werewolf myth involving a clan of shape- shifting hyenas who hunt humans for food. Despite my one star rating, this is one of the most entertaining films I've seen in ages, albeit for all the wrong reasons! The worst acting and dialogue this side of Ed Wood and CGI hyenas that make Tony the Tiger from the Frosties commercials look like a real tiger in comparison, this production is incompetent on every level! The lame characters, cheap "Star Trek"-style underground cavern set and pant-wettingly funny plot twists combine to provide a perfect Friday night entertainment with a crate of beer and some like-minded mates. Highly recommended for fans of bad cinema,Elvira would have a field day with this one!

only i like the cover which seems like an horror movie cover but the movie is just awful, worse movie. I waste my time on watching this. very bad acting, no emotion on actors face, bad effects, complete non sense nude scenes from bad lady with crap acting, i was in the mood to see some horror movie but i really frustrate after see the non sense piece of horror.

It is horror to torture someone :)

i agree with this review by stratovarius_1996 "The story cant get serious since the acting is super bad. It has some good points like the woods in the dark are well directed but thats it. If u want to have a good laugh with your mates then this is the movie to see. I gave this film a 3/10 because of the laughs I had and also for Christa Campbell who is gorgeous.. although without nipples (!) Pass this crappy film and if you don't have anything better to do then go to bed."