If you can get through the dull first thirty minutes or so, the film picks up a bit. The opening sequence offers nothing to draw you in. It's a set-up for later stuff but it's so poorly done most viewers will shut it off. Some GI's have a boring pick-up football game, then some shooting starts. Then some tribal guy with warpaint and fangs jumps around making weird faces and noises. Then you're suddenly looking at a nerdy grocery store clerk with a geek customer. Hunh? Did they abruptly burst into a commercial? Where's Mrs. Olsen and her Yuban can? No, it's part of the movie, believe it or not. And then more puzzling stuff happens.
Dark shadows everywhere, and a loud soundtrack with music that doesn't fit and isn't balanced for tonal quality at all--and this happens several times. There's some ex-Baywatch girl extras creeping around and making trouble at a hick bar. Then some mumbling guy pays cash at a desert motel. So what? What is this for?
But about 30 minutes in, something strange happens. The director decides to tell a story. John Saxon, Adrienne Barbeau, and Tim Matheson suddenly show up and save this thing. Adrienne is some kind of prophetess or something. The others are vigilante monster hunters. Pretty cool old school stuff, and the fun begins. The Baywatch girls still can't act, but since they're the baddies--well, you know.
The creature effects are weak; were they inspired by the Twilight movies? Egads. But the fights are choreographed and shot well, to compensate for it. The ending isn't bad, and leaves the usual loose ends for a sequel. And they put on one last over-volume record. They might be trying to market the soundtrack CD, but I'm guessing nobody buys a copy.
Not great by any standard. But the last 2/3 of it are at least passable.
