Image Entertainment presents

Webs (2003)

“This is America. Anybody with a driver’s license and a little bit of cash can pick up an arsenal on his lunch hour.”- Ray (Richard Yearwood)

Stars: Richard Grieco, Jeffrey Douglas, Richard Yearwood
Other Stars: Colin Fox, Kate Greenhouse,
Director: David Wu

MPAA Rating: R for Violence
Run Time: 01h:27m:03s
Release Date: 2008-08-05
Genre: horror

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B-	C-	B-	A-	F

 

DVD Review

I have never been one for the Sci-Fi channel or their "original" movies. Until now I’d never seen one in its entirety, but there’s just something off-putting to me about making intentionally (unintentionally?) bad films. They have their fans, though, and when this title was offered for review, I jumped at the chance to check one out. Besides, it’s almost October and my favorite seasonal beer is out (Shipyard Pumpkinhead—best Pumpkin Ale ever). I gleam a certain amount of enjoyment out of watching stuff like Webs with a six pack at the ready. It can soften the blow of a really terrible film, or heighten the experience of a fun one.

Webs, in all fairness, is pretty enjoyable from the get go. It opens in present day Chicago with a team of electricians (lead by Richard Grieco) sent into a building marked for demolition. Despite the fact that the building has been abandoned for fifteen years, they stumble across a strange machine in the basement (which one of the guys hilariously identifies as being capable of inter-dimensional travel after rifling through a ring of notes) that whisks them off to another world.

This other word looks suspiciously like our own, save for the fact that it’s overrun with mutant spider creatures. Opposition lies with a band of underground rebels led by Dr. Richard Morelli (Colin Fox), a scientist with ties to the machine that opened the portal. It doesn’t take long for Grieco to meet up with these guys and join their ranks. Soon there’s a plot to assassinate the queen spider, which will somehow restore peace to the mysterious dimension.

Webs works almost in spite of itself. Grieco is so indifferent in the starring role that his monotone delivery enhances the film somehow. He hasn’t been in this new world more than twenty minutes before he’s delivering lines like, “has anyone ever killed a queen?” Amazing. Things get even better later on when his love interest asks him to explain what Earth’s like and he responds with, “it’s got birthday parties.” Again, absolutely amazing.

The film also benefits from a fast pace. For a low-budget made-for-TV movie, it’s not afraid to indulge in an endless string of action sequences. Nothing great, but it’s pretty fun to see a bunch of extras, sporting rubbery monster hands, explode into blue goo when shotgunned. The spider queen is a nifty-looking creation, though. It’s not entirely convincing, but I found the use of practical make-up FX a refreshing change in a film of this ilk (don't worry, you still get some awful computer generated action at the end).

It’s hard to say whether or not Webs was made as an intentionally terrible movie, or if the obvious low budget and likely rushed production schedule is the reason for its hilarity. Whatever the reason, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable experience for campy film fans. Bad dialogue, flat performances, and the flimsiest of stories litter every second of these 87 minutes, and yet, it's still a lot of fun. This isn't a good movie, but if this sort of thing appeals to you, grab that six pack and give this sicker a rent. I guarantee you'll get some chuckles.

Rating for Style: B-
Rating for Substance: C-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.78:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: Image's DVD is loaded with film grain—probably because the majority of this thing is set in a dark warehouse. It's not a terrible image, however. I noticed a bit of edge enhancement at times, but what can you expect. Fans are lucky to have this "sci-fi essential" on DVD at all.

Image Transfer Grade: B-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	yes
Dolby Digital 5.1	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is surprisingly robust for a title like this. Music swells are all-encompassing and some of the film's "jumps" really pop out. Dialogue is mostly relegated to the front speaker, but it's always crystal clear. Action and other sound effects mainly pop from the front side speakers, providing a much better audio setup than you'd ever expect.

Audio Transfer Grade: A- 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 9 cues
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: Nothing whatsoever.

Extras Grade: F
 

Final Comments

A goofy little title that's not without charm. Image's DVD is nothing special in terms of quality (and certainly not extras). The movie may not be a must own, but give it a rent if you're in the mood for low budget (and high camp) sci-fi.

Matt Serafini 2008-11-03