THE MONSTERMAN, directed by Jose "Super Genius" Prendes is a harrowing tale of one mans struggle to save the planet Earth against an invading army of super lethal aliens using the fighting skills of the Ninja. The film is filled with so much range from director, writer, producer, star, Jose Prendes that you realize what people must have thought the first time they saw CITIZEN KANE, which was also the work of one brilliant man with a dream.
The film is a variation on Richard Mathesons story I AM LEGEND. That story has been filmes twice before as LAST MAN ON EARTH and THE OMEGA MAN, but never to the epic extent of this version.
O.K., enough, I think Jose has enough there to work with for blurbs on the box for this crazy film.
The film is another telling of I AM LEGEND, but it is done in such a wacky way that nobody in the cast can really keep a straight face for the extent of one scene. We start with meeting our hero, Jake (played with amazing skill by the aforementioned Jose) as he walks through the "forest"/"field"/bunch of weeds and is suddenly attacked by Ninja's. Yes, you read right, Ninja's. These Ninja's make a rather strange sound and have the fighting skills of entry-level martial arts students who look like they are unsure of if they really want to be attempting to fight. But make no mistake, fight they do. Jake, on the other hand has a little bit better fighting skills. To be fair though, these guy all do a pretty good job of putting all this together and I have to admit that I was amused by the "fighting".
Jake heads home after kicking some Ninja butt, and continues to kick Ninja butt anytime he steps outside. Then one day during a shopping trip to grocery store (where we see Jake comparing ingredients and prices!), he finds a lady about to be attacked by a Ninja. Well, our hero Jake gets down to business and kicks some butt…again.
Our female in distress is Katherine played by Denice Duff. Well, our lady Katherine ends up being captured by the leader of the alien force, Lord Gideon, played with grace and skill by Conrad Brooks. High drama and action soon break out and the film drags us along breathlessly!
THE MONSTERMAN is a spoof film done with a hell of a lot of fun. The budget is ultra-low budget, the script is silly, and you get so many fart sound effects that you get the idea that Jose was just hitting the damn sound effect whenever he felt like it. Squirrels fart, Ninja's fart, Jake farts, everybody farts!
Our fight sequences are not Jackie Chan fodder, nor are they geriatric Chuck Norris style. They are almost too silly to be fights at times. But they are the only kind that you could have in this film!
As our lead Jake, Jose Perendes is great. I mean it, he really is fun to watch and that is a big part of the reason why this film works. Is the script scary or even funny? Not really, but Jose handles his material and his scenes in a very good manner that will get you laughing for no reason that you can figure. The scene of him looking at the ingredients while in the grocery store is not a very funny scene, but the way Jose handles it, it made me actually laugh quite hard.
Denice Duff, who excludes this film from her filmography for some reason, is actually quite beautiful and seems to be having the time of her life with the film. Her acting works well with the film and she does bring a very nice view to the film.
Now, we meet Jakes Aunt and Uncle in flashbacks in the film. He remembers when he is looking for advice on what to do. His Aunt is old and is dying when we meet her, and she is played by Linnea Quigley! Yes, as she lays in bed talking about her age and impending death, we are looking at Ms. Quigley, looking just like Ms. Quigley.
Jake's Uncle is played by Tom Savini. His character in the film spends his time telling Jake what weapons to use and what to use them for.
I can recommend the film to those people who like indie film making and spoof films. I would take this film over most Horror-Comedy-Spoof films out there. It is 100% more likable than SCARY MOVIE or it's horrible sequel. You know that this film was made by a fan. Do not buy this film with expectations of high quality fight or FX. It was made on a budget of approximately 1 weeks allowance, but it is a very fun film. Check it out if you get the chance. If you want to buy it, get it from: www.lindenmuth.com and enjoy yourself!
Review by Carl Isonhart
'The Monsterman' can be ordered direct by clicking here.
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