Shakma (1990) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"]Official Score = 3 Devils Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know, it is rare to see a great environmental message in a Hollywood film, and some times it is hard to see, but when you do see it, that movie in my opinion becomes that much more impressive!

A great example of this is the movie, Silent Running (1972) about a Spaceship that has its own artificial biosphere, and how one man will do anything to preserve it, could be said to be one of the earliest environmental PSAs!

There are other such examples, but in my opinion, when Hollywood finds an entertaining way to enlighten people about the harm that this world is in, it can make a real impact, and for a fright fan like myself, it is even cooler to see something like that in a horror movie!

This thing is pretty rare, but they did a great job of it in, Shakma (1990)!

Written by: Roger Engle, Directed by: Tom Logan (What If) & Hugh Parks (Dream Trap). Starring: Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon), Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare On Elm Street), Ari Meyers (Dutch), Roddy McDowall (Planet Of The Apes), Rob Edward Morris (China Moon), Tre Laughlin & Greg Flowers.

Now first off I want to say that by itself this is just a fun B Movie about a group of students that lock themselves in to their college sciences building with one of their professors till the game is over with...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Two Members of the game that are about to have the time oft heir lives![/caption]

This game of course being a sort of real life, 'Dungeons & Dragons' style game... but the problem is, is that a fun night of mirth and merryment as the various players try to make it to the end of the game turns in to a real nightmare!

You see there is an unexpected visitor in the form of an, 'Ape' whom earlier that day had been experimented on and ultimately had gone from a tame sweet-natured Ape by the name of, 'Shakma' who was, 'Sam's' (Atkins) favorite test subject, to a blood thirsty psychotic monster who's sole purpose in life is to kill everyone in his path!

In the end though, with Shakma playing the game, this round will be a game that no one will ever forget!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Shakma is excited to play the game![/caption]

Now the truth is, is this movie kind of truly is a, 'B Movie' including some of the more dummer, 'why the fuck would they do that?' moments in it, and for the most part that is a part of this movie's charm, but in other cases it is kind of distracting and annoying!

But in the end, this movie is a well made B Horror movie, and is a lot of fun, with the main actors having done such a great job that you really end up rooting for them to survive! And as for being a B Movie with a message, I have to admit that until I saw this one that I didn't think I had ever seen one, and it was well worth it in my opinion!

http://youtu.be/D2tnp4QCKtk