The Rats
USA
2002. Director: John Lafia
Cast: Mädchen Amick, Vincent Spano, Daveigh Chase
Move aside all lame movie monsters, the scariest
of you all turns up again in this made-for-cable flick from the director
of Child's Play 2. This rodent flick kicks off with a really dirty one
finding its way into a huge Manhattan department store and into the
dressing room where it bites Kim Poirier from Decoys
in the finger. "Rusty spike" says manager Mädchen Amick. "Rat problem"
says hunky exterminator Vincent Spano. Nothing to be bothered about
says the Health Department. As it turns out there's not only one rat
but zillions of rats nesting between the store and the subway underneath
it. Mädchen and Spano finds out that the rats are also a special colony
of test-animals and fugitives from an old laboratory just around the
corner. Oh the horror mankind creates for itself.
Thankfully there's no gigantic mutation here, no man in suit, just miles and miles of rats. The blend of digital effects and real (trained) rats are mostly fairly convincing and sometimes even impressive. Some of the set-pieces are a bit exaggerated, though, but effective and entertaining, like the public swimming pool invaded by swimming rats. Or the ending blow-out where Mädchen is thrown into a pool literally filled with millions of rats (and in close-up it looks like real rats too). The characters may be television stereotypes and the story may be slightly predictable but the entertaining script and the lead actors make it work. I don't think Mädchen Amick have been better ever and Vincent Spano is a good match. The motive for the rats suddenly attacking people is a little vague, though, but as some character says, "I guess they're just not afraid anymore". All in all, The Rats deliver all that's expected from a rat-movie and for a small-screen genre movie it's more than fair enough. Although if you have rat-phobia you are advised to pass. Otherwise there's a good chance you won't go near a toilet again ever.
© The Inzomniac's Movie Madness Review.