Sequels are a tricky business. If you push them out too fast, you look desperate and cheap. Consider that auteur Jesus Franco made up nearly a dozen pseudonyms to cover up the fact that he pushed out four to five films a year. On the flip side, if you wait too long, the magic can be gone and nobody will care, i.e. Bad Boys II. Today's subject is the latter, a sequel ten years later to a film that needed none...
To fill in neophytes, the first film was about a mysterious ambrosia that got into the water supply and turned every animal huge. Famous former-minister Marjoe Gortner starred as a Football player (right!) who had to help save the day. I tell you all of this in spite of the fact that none of it matters. This is its own movie and only borrows the name and the concept. Ha ha!
This film ignores the 'ambrosia in the milk supply' finale of the first Film and just has some ambrosia loose somehow. A scientist at a local community college (they don't admit it, but it is) is experimenting on some rats. Why? A local woman has a kid that has begun to grow gigantic and needs his help. Duh. His girlfriend does not like the idea, but nothing can stand in the way of science! Faster than you can say 'Let's rip off the plot of Night of the Lepus,' some animal rights activists free the rats. However, the one with the ambrosia in him has grown large and kills one of the hippies.
In the wake of this incident, the movie follows into a really obvious pattern. Someone either tries to kill one of the rats (there are more now) or tries to do something that gets you killed in a slasher film. What follows is their bloody death at the hands of some fast editing and a puppet. Much like the Waxwork films, this is full of absurd 80's gore. Between these scenes, we get some bits with the doctor, some student and the 'I'll never listen to any warnings' authority figure. Yeah, he dies. They also slip in one of the most random and weird scenes of the entire decade...
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For no reason whatsoever, the lead begins to have a strange dream. He pictures an unknown woman (the only one to sign the 'no nudity' waiver) coming in and wanting to screw him. Naturally, he obliges. Before you see too much, his limbs start to go at an enormous rate. No, not that one though. She naturally freaks out as he grows gigantic, thanks to really lame photography tricks. He wakes up and never mentions it. It's like a Big-Lipped Alligator moment in a way. Moving on...
The big finale of the film involves a big Swim Meet, a bunch of rats and the worst example of ignoring nature's rules for the sake of drama. To attack the people, the rats swim up through the sewers and into the pool. Say it with me, people: Ewww. Oh and it's horribly inaccurate in every way. What follows is a mix of bad model shots, bloody puppet attacks and digital insertion. It's all so fun and stupid. Lots of people die for no other reason save for the love of big school functions. I believe that is the 8th Deadly Sin. One of them even tries to eat our hero's girlfriend, but he saves the day with a gun. That will solve all of our problems! In the end, the Principal dies, the rats die and the survivors are alive. The End...or is it? No, it is.
This movie is bad in so many ways. However, it is very easy to laugh at its attempts at dread, terror and murder. Nothing is really done well, but it is not unprofessional like other films. If you enjoy bad 80s gore and blood, this is a very good film to recommend. It is still not as good was Waxwork and Waxwork II though.
Next up is the first entry in my new series called 'Bi-Polar Cinema.' I'll kill you...i'm sorry, please forgive me. Stay tuned...
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