Infested: Attack of the Killer Bugs (2002)

So our little creature feature continues as we move on from giant beetles to some sort of mutated fly. Jeff Goldblum not included. Oh, and you know how Brooke Nevin didn't wear that outfit or hold that gun in 'Infestation'? Yeah, this girl on the front cover, as far as I'm aware, does not appear in this film. And the flies don't look remotely like the wasp-like creatures on the cover. Believe me, we see one up close.

With the death of an old friend, five people get together for his funeral. However they're attacked by a swarm of flies which like possessing humans. Now the group need to find a way to survive before they become the next to fall to the bugs.

And just like my previous review this film seems to follow the 'Night of the Living Dead' scenario, only the group seek shelter in the house instead of them being a ragtag group. The problem is these characters aren't really that...well written I suppose. They do have some recognisable traits, Warren (Zach Galligan, yes the one from 'Gremlins') is an actor, Mindy (Nahanni Johnstone)...doesn't wear a bra,...um...Eric (Robert Duncan McNeill) is a conspiracy theorist.......ummm.......Elliot (David Packer) leaves his phone in the car because the plot says so...um...there are other people there too.

Okay I suppose the only character given real depth is the recently deceased's girlfriend Jesse. That's, actually a bad thing, only really caring about one person from the whole cast. We're supposed to feel something for these people, but in the end, there's nothing really to like. We feel that Jesse is slightly awkward interacting with her recently deceased boyfriend's friends, having never met them before, but she's smart, she cares, and she is wonderfully played by Amy Jo Johnson. Wait, Amy Jo Johnson? Why do I recognise that name?

Holy crap it's the pink Power Ranger? The ORIGINAL pink Power Ranger? That is just weird.
And we don't actually see anything when Johnson has a shower scene so our childhood is kept intact. Then again she does swear.

The acting from the other cast members, well, is okay at best. From some of them anyway. Actually a fair few you can tell had a lot of fun with this, they knew this film wasn't going to be the next 'Titanic' and win loads of awards, they just went into it and had fun, whether or not they were good. Johnson was the best this film had to offer though.

Now let's get down to it, the bugs. They looked...well. Whenever you see however many flies on the screen doing NOTHING, they can look good. The shower scene where they start gathering reminds me of the crows gathering on the climbing frame in 'The Birds' which can actually create some tension, which is then immediately ruined when the flies start moving and the poorly CGI'd swarm appears. Basically, anything that requires CGI doesn't look good. And giving the flies an allergy to sunlight may explain why they like possessing human bodies and how the threat of nighttime can be tense, it doesn't explain how the flies seem to be able to move during the day.

Then again, you could tell from looking at the cover that this wasn't going to have good CGI. And for what it is, the film is actually enjoyable. Fine, everything is mediocre at best, the acting, the story, the CGI is awful there's no doubt about it, but it is actually a fun film to watch with a group of people and drinks. Give it a try I say.