Review of Infestation (2009) by Jesus A — 11 Dec 2009

Maybe it's because of my affection for 1950's and 60's b-grade science-fiction/horror films that tends to make me so loving of films that feature giant insects. Writer/director Kyle Rankin's Infestation premiered on SyFy a few months back and that is when I originally watched it. But I waited until its DVD release to actually get around to reviewing it since the film was edited a bit for television. I liked the film on initial viewing and found that Infestation still held up rather well after a second viewing. The film isn't much, but it still would rank among my favorite films of the year.

Infestation is a very simple story, a group of strangers awaken to find themselves wrapped in webbing, and the world around them has been over taken by large insects. Our central character is Cooper (Chris Marquette), a bored office worker who makes the most of his days on the job by playing silly games with fellow employees (one involves calling someone's name while their back is turned, and pretending like you didn't say their name when they turn around). Now this slacker must rise above his usual ways and battle for survival, and try to impress Sara (Brooke Nevin), one of the members of their small group.

Chris Marquette hasn't done a performance that has blown me away, but there is something about him that I've come to enjoy him as an actor. Earlier in the film, before the infestation starts up, Cooper is sort of a smart ass who doesn't take much in life too seriously. And even though the situation that he and everyone else is faced with is very dire, some of his old mannerisms still linger, allowing for some funny moments during some of the film's more bug-crazed scenes. Again, not a powerful performance in any way, but I enjoyed Marquette's performance in this film.

The designs on the various insects that have taken over were nicely done, especially the wasp-like ones. And for a cheapie flick the special effects are pretty good. Some of the best effects in the film are when humans (and at one point even a dog) are infected by the bugs and turn into this crazy half-human, half-spider creature. The showdown in the insect's hive could have been a little more, but at least the way the film leaves itself open there is the possibility for a sequel.

With so many crappy movies that premiere on SyFy lately, it is great to see one come along that appears to have a decent experience and actually delivers on that. Infestation isn't going to knock your socks off, but it should be able to entertain you if you are into campy-fun films, especially ones with giant bugs. It's a film with a good balance of cheese and seriousness, that makes for one heck of a enjoyable time.