There are several elements that set Big Ass Spider apart from the majority of creature features, monster movies, or however we’re going to label them. In a world where Sharknado not only exists but has given watery birth to a sequel this sub genre of film possibly produces more raised eyebrows and knowing guffaws than actually any genuine interest and respect. It is against this mocking negativity that director Mike Mendez has released his giant alien arachnid, and thank God he has!
Alex (Greg Grunberg) is an exterminator. While his ego may have him billed has the world’s best with the apparent ability to know exactly what a spider is thinking, his ageing clientele and willingness to accept unpleasant bakery products as payment leaves him a little broke. Upon being bitten by a small and relatively harmless spider he visits the hospital for a jab and after overhearing that some unknown beastie has escaped he offers his services in exchange for his treatment bill.
With the help of newly recruited sidekick Jose (Lombardo Boyar) he sets off in pursuit of the spider only to be thwarted, as Alex sees it, by potential love interest Lieutenant Karly Brant (Clare Kramer) and her boss Major Braxton Tanner (Ray Wise). As the spider becomes more and more aggressive and grows exponentially every four hours, they must join forces to prevent the spider from reproducing and threatening mankind.
There is nothing in the story you won’t have seen before but in a way this allows the characters to develop more rather than the need to focus on too much of the science stuff. While the giant spider must take centre stage, and you see if from the very first scenes, the interaction between each member of the cast is what you will remember the film for, and will definitely make you laugh out loud. This is a funny, witty boy-meets-girl / buddy movie that just happens to contain an alien-enhanced creepy crawly and with each performance delivered perfectly you find yourself wanting to see more of them.
It would be fair to say that some of the effects are a little on the suspect side but in Big Ass Spider this doesn’t really matter. After the first fifteen minutes or so, which for arachnophobes is certainly the more difficult part, the spider is of such a size that it doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s believable or not. This film is so self aware as to be almost mocking itself and while it does steer clear from offering the spider any kind of personality as seen in Eight Legged Freaks it is obvious that the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing. Too often do films try and present too much of an air of realism when really an audience just wants to be taken along for the ride.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Big Ass Spider contains nothing ground breaking but it may well be the funniest, most enjoyable scary movie you will have seen for some time. Everything in this film just seems to work and is brilliantly moulded by Mendez into is a film you should make sure you see.
