Film Review: BEHEMOTH (2011)

I don't know why everyone dogs out the Syfy Channel Original films. I know that some of them are atrociously bad but some are quite good while most are simply fun and an entertaining ninety minutes. "Behemoth" (2011) fits in the middle. The story is far from original as it follows the basic premise of "Jaws" (1975) mixed with any version of a post apocalyptic film except on a mountain. The film follows a small mountain town experiencing unusual tremors that we soon learn are caused by the title behemoth creature that has been dormant in the Earth's crust for millennia. It has now awakened and is pretty pissed off and causing world changing devastation.

You have to hand it to the people behind the Syfy Channel in that they never think small. Unlike other films in the company's coffers that spend too much time showing off the bad CGI creature, "Behemoth" plays it smart by only showing glimpses of the creature allowing the audience to slowing understand and see just how massive the creature truly is so that the huge reveal at the end actually does impress.

Unlike some of the other Syfy creatures from the past I actually really liked the creature design for this one and it actually looked like someone thought about the effect that the creature would have on the audience when finally revealed. Its revelation has the same effect on an audience as the creature in "Deep Rising" (1998), in which you also just get a small glimpse of the creature throughout the film until the big reveal at the end.

The acting is decent and the production values are better than most Syfy Original films and if you like giant monster films than this film is right up your alley.