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Released by: Camp Motion Pictures
Released on: May 14th, 2014.
Director: Peter Dang
Cast: Michael Harding, Sherri Box, Mike Gaglio, Matthew Easton
Year: 2012
The Movie:
Directed by Peter Dang, 2012's Lizardman ought to appeal to those with an affinity for low budget 'man in a suit' style monster movies. It may not be the most original picture ever made but you never get the sense that originality is what the filmmakers were striving for in the first place. Instead, we get a fun throwback to the monster movies of Hollywood's golden age done on a low budget but with an eye for detail that helps this one stand out from the scores of low budget horror pictures that are released every year.
The plot follows a billionaire named Bill Hansen who, as a wily teenager, somehow managed to survive a face to face encounter with a terrifying lizardman. As he got older and amassed a fortune, he decided to head out into the swampy area where he saw the monster all those years ago and attempt to capture this 'thing.'
Bill's no fool though - he knows he can't go this alone. And since he's rich, he doesn't have to! Instead he hires a team of grizzled mercenaries to help him out. He's also savvy enough to recruit a local TV host, Professor Reeves (Michael Harding), to go along for the ride, because hey, a little publicity can't hurt, right? And so our group of adventurers head off in search of a monster nobody but Bill believes to be real. When they catch him and decide to have a press conference, however, the monster proves he is no pushover and makes a daring escape, running free across the streets of Los Angeles…
Borrowing very heavily from both King Kong (in story and structure) and The Creature From The Black Lagoon (just look at that lizardman!) the film does a decent enough of job bringing the old school monster movie into a modern era. Tonally the movie shifts around a bit, not always to its advantage, so expect things to go from intentionally comedic to unusually straight laced at the drop of a hat but you've got to admire the movie for putting a guy in a suit and having him wreak havoc across California.
The acting is… okay. It won't blow you away but the movie generally avoids casting anyone who is completely terrible. The movie is also smart enough to avoid unnecessary subplots so we never feel like the movie is being bogged down by superfluous romance, a common misfire in some of the movies it obviously pulls from. This results in a fast paced and fun movie that, despite its very obvious budgetary issues, is actually quite a lot of fun to watch. Production values are decent too - the suit looks cool, the sets are effective and while the CGI blood spatter is fairly terrible, the camerawork is pretty solid too. All in all, a fun and quirky throwback.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Lizardman arrives on DVD framed at 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen and for the most part the transfer looks pretty good, so long as you go in with the right expectations. The colors are tinted and lean toward the darker side of things. Thankfully detail is pretty solid and skin tones look lifelike and accurate. The image, shot on digital video, is quote clean and there aren't any contrast issues to quibble over.
Audio chores are handled by an English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix which is properly balanced and free of any hiss or distortion. Bass response won't blow you away but the low end is there when the movie needs it to be and the score sounds fine as do the sound effects.
The only extras on the disc are a trailer for the feature and for a few other Camp Motion Pictures DVD releases.
The Final Word:
Lizardman isn't deep but it is fun. The movie wears its creature feature influences boldly on its sleeve and for good reason. The movie plays to its strong points - a cool monster and some decent action - and avoids getting too bogged down in talky stretches of drama. As such, it's brisk, well-made and good entertainment.
