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* SOME SPOILERS AHEAD *
"Project Metalbeast" (1995).
Director: Alessandro de Gaento
Starring: Kim Delaney, Barry Bostwick, John Marzilli, Musetta Vander, and Kane Hodder as The Metalbeast.
Plot: A plan to create a race of supersoldiers goes wrong when a man on ice, who injected himself with werewolf blood in 1974, returns to life during the experiment. When the tests continue, even after he became a werewolf, the experiments turn the already deadly beast into a supermonster with metal skin.
OK. This movie was just okay, but showed some imagination and creativity but was squandered with a somewhat complicated plot and a lack of action. First, our actors. Kim Delaney, Dean Scofeld (best known as the voice of Johnny Sasaki from the Metal Gear Solid series, and Musetta Vander, our main protagonists, do well with what they're given. They and the supporting cast are a likeable bunch. However, the main attraction here is Barry Bostwick as the evil and gleefully slimey antagonist, Miller. He is so good at what he does (being a bad guy), that he seems somewhat out of place with the rest of the cast.
The main problem of this movie was that it was slow. We are treated to a wickedly atmospheric prologue set in Hungary and a tense finale set in the bowels of the laboratory, with elements remniscent of the finale of "The Terminator". However, this adds up to maybe a total of a half hour. Inbetween, we are given filler galore, lots of talking scenes, several throwaway scenes, and a convuluted experiment subplot that is quickly thrown aside. Sure, much of it is used for characterization, but where's the pizzazz? It all feels so stale and unmemorable.
The highlight of this movie was the special effects. We are given memorable work from effects wizard John Carl Buechler, all old-school guy-in-a-suit FX. The first form of the werewolf isn't exactly anything special unfortunatly, as it comes off looking more like a pissed-off bunny rabbit.
However, once the werewolf mutates, we are given a far different and memorable beast. Gone is the bunny-wolf, replaced with a badass, pissed-off mutant brought to snarling, menacing life by Kane Hodder's towering presence within the suit.
Hardcore, no? Gore-wise, we're treated to blood splatteres, mauled throats, and an unfortunatly offscreen head-crushing. Lots of blood and nasty images during the experiments, but no real gore to speak of.
We're given over 40 minutes of filler and mostly worthless scenes that don't come out to much other than characterization, and the action level is low. However, it is balanced out with likable protagonists, a slimey, hateable bad guy, and a cool monster. 6/10.