Bucket Head
I expected more from a film that had Savini as a main character. The idea of the movie was good, just the execution was poorly done.The one good thing I found in the movie was the FX makeup. It was surprisingly good. I looked into it assuming that Savini had something to do with it and was shocked to see it was led up by an artist Named Marcus Koch. Look into his work... it's rather good.The acting was pretty average from a low budget film (Yet with the amount spent on this film it shouldve been ten times better. But thats part of the experience of an upstart production company... the growing pains.) There were a few characters that should not have been casted in their roles. John Frans, Joe Davison, and John Bernath. I just didn't get the feel of any of them being comfortable on a set. The nubs actors I thought did a good job. X-Zanthia and Anthony Jackson were not amazing but gave the feel of them belonging to their characters roles. Id like to see more of them since they had that look to be steady actors in Hollywood.Overall the script was the best part and had potential if it were sold to a production company or studio that had the experience to turn this into a cult classic. I gave it 2 stars but it had the potential to be a 6 star if done right. If not for the makeup I wouldve shut it off early. It was my kinda cheesy. :)
Stephen McLellan (EvilAsh)
I feel compelled to comment on this movie, since the other comments presented here must have been made by people involved with the film. This movie is beyond bad. I saw a preview screening of it at Horrorfind Weekend back in 2004. Now, granted, it was an unfinished version of the film, but it remains the first, and only, movie that I have ever walked out of. I was not the only one thinking, "abort! abort!" either, as at least half of the audience had left by the time I made my way out.The plot (what there was of it) involved a construction crew uncovering ancient Indian artifacts, one of which is a metal tube of apparently alien origin. Two different sides then vie for possession of the tube, the first comprised of an archaeologist, a shot-first-and-never-ask-questions cop (Savini, the only "actor" of note in this film), and a "mysterious" (read: boring) vigilante who may or may not be an alien. The second is a gang whose members don't die very easily and their alien leader, though no one seems to really care or notice that he's an alien.The overall premise is okay, but the execution falls completely flat. The director, in his introduction before the film, stated that his intent was to make something of a "moving graphic novel set to music" (I'm paraphrasing). Well, one has to remember that, in a graphic novel, the sections with no dialogue or narration can be taken in in about thirty seconds, literally. In the movie, they drag on for about five to ten straight minutes. It's as if the movie wasn't long enough, so the director decided to throw in two or three music videos in order to lengthen this clunker.The script, while horribly convoluted and needlessly confusing, is bearable. The actors, however, fail to play their parts, but they more read them to the camera and each other. Savini, who we all know is not an actor by trade, is unfortunately the best one on display here. The rather ham-fisted editing further adds to confusion, with sequences ending to suddenly, settings changing without proper establishment, and events being referred to which the audience never saw take place (though, this may be since I saw an incomplete version).I sometimes question where filmmakers such as these get the money for there productions, as I'm sure a much better movies are floating around looking for financing. Do yourself a favor and track down a little known good movie, one that holds your interest as opposed to being so ridiculous and mind numbing as to make an avid movie-goer abandon ship halfway through.
SomeGoodWords
Unearthed was shot on digital video on a modest budget. If it had been filmed on 35mm, you'd be enjoying it in theaters already. It's science-fiction at its modest-budget best, with accomplished actors and great camera work by writer/director Craig Kovach. The locations and sets are first rate and the story is compelling.The Movie revolves around an Indian artifact 'unearthed' during a construction project. Strange characters (some good, some bad), populate nearly every scene as the hunt for the artifact accelerates through the highways and byways of Tampa. Flashbacks to previous lives drive the protagonist forward in search for the truth about the artifact. There are some unique scenes i guarantee will surprise even the most ardent IMDb fans and keep you interested through the final reel.A must-see for any sci-fi or horror junkie.
strangerfilms
Having seen an advanced screening of this, I think fans of sci-fi action will dig it. There is plenty to enjoy here, cars, guns, graphic violence and some good make-up work. Made in the same city as the crap-a-minute Punisher, Tampa Florida, you'd never know they were the same city based on the gritty night time scenes in Unearthed. Obviously they didn't know how to shoot the city in the Punisher, because it looks like a much meaner place in this one. Probably has to do with the folks who made this one live there so they know the city better. If you liked Albert Pyun's "Nemesis" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107668/) I think you will also enjoy this flick a whole lot. Give it a chance.
