Mongolian Death Worm (2010)

Very disappointing...

Sadly Over-hyped

People are voting emotionally.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

RELEASED IN 2010 and directed by Steven R. Monroe, "Mongolian Death Worm" chronicles events on the Mongolian steppe when W.H.O doctors are forced to team-up with a treasure hunter searching for Genghis Khan's tomb (Sean Patrick Flanery) to face huge worm-like creatures aroused due to the drilling of an experimental oil plant.Monroe is a quality horror-budget director, as witnessed by "Sasquatch Mountain" (2006), "Wyvern" (2009) and "I Spit On Your Grave" (2010), so there's nothing wrong with the overall filmmaking in "Mongolian Death Worm." Speaking of the title, it should be "Mongolian Death Worms" seeing as how there are a lot of 'em, unless it's referring to the main (bigger) worm shown at the end.In any case, the movie worked for me because of (1.) the unique location and situation, (2.) the quality protagonists and their budding relationship played by Flanery (aka Powder and Young Indiana Jones) and cutie Victoria Pratt, who was 39 during filming and looks jaw-dropping in her safari outfit throughout, and (3.) the CGI worms, which are well-done for a TV flick.A couple of armchair critics dissed the film for "not looking like Mongolia," but the Texas prairie basically looks the same as the remote Mongolian steppes (which is all we see in the movie, no villages or cities). True, you usually see vast mountains in the distance in Mongolia, but not always. As far as the police vehicle with "POLICE" written in English, that's the way it is in Mongolia due to the fact that, although the main language is Mongolian, English has been gradually replacing Russian as the second language.THE MOVIE RUNS 90 minutes and was shot entirely in central Texas, with studio work done in Dallas. WRITERS: Neil Elman, Kevin Leeson & Monroe.GRADE: B-

MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM is a typical SyFy Channel TV movie about a group of characters being terrorised by, well, giant death worms. Of course, a corporate company conducting drilling in the area is responsible, although I have to say that this film's Mongolian setting is ill-realised and no amount of Asian-American actors are going to convince as genuine Mongolian characters.This is essentially TREMORS on a low budget and with CGI worms. Saying that, it's pretty decent for what it is, and certainly a lot better quality than you usually get from The Asylum. The film is action-packed and features plenty of scenes of the worms chomping bloodlessly on various 'red shirt' characters; the special effects aren't amazing, but they're serviceable enough. The cast give wooden performance - not least lead Sean Patrick Flanery, who was once young Indiana Jones back in the day - but when there's enough mindless violence and routine action scenes as here, you won't really notice.

Where as "Tremors" was entertaining and brought something new to the world of movies, then "Mongolian Death Worm" hardly manages to step up to even half of what "Tremors" managed to do - even with its questionable sequels.The story told in "Mongolian Death Worm" is about huge, subterranean worms that have been brought out from their slumber from far beneath the surface of the Mongolian steppes, brought about by a commercial oil drilling company, of course. As the worms ravage the countryside, it is up to a treasure-hunter, a police officer and two volunteer health workers to put an end to the subterranean terror.Right, well the storyline is just about as cliché as they come in this particular genre. But as every bit cliché this movie is, then it is equally predictable. But yet there is something about the semi-bad monster movies that is alluring. The storyline is lacking anything challenging to the audience, it is just simply put your mind on autopilot and sit back.The dialogue is forced and not really delivered with enough conviction to fully buy into it. And you never really for a second thought that anyone was in any real danger from neither worms nor earthquakes.And it was really, really hard to buy into the attempt of making it seem like this was actually taking place in Mongolia. Especially when everyone was speaking English, and even the local police vehicle had 'police' brandished on its side.One of the carrying factors of the "Mongolian Death Worm" was the worms, as they were actually nicely made. Sure, this wasn't top of the line CGI animation, but it worked out well enough to suit its purpose."Mongolian Death Worm" is the type of monster movie that is hard to take seriously, but still it is fun to watch because it is just that cheesy and campy.

Mongolian Death Worm is set in Mongolia where Daniel (Sean Patrick Flanery) has spent the last six years searching for the legendary lost tomb of Ghengis Khan & the treasures it supposedly holds, while following up a lead in the middle of the Mongolian desert Daniel is persuaded to give a lift to two young volunteer doctor's Alicia (Victoria Pratt) & Phil (Nate Rubin) who were on their way to an isolated village to treat the sick when their car broke down. Meanwhile the workers at a nearby oil refinery plant have started to mysteriously disappear, local Mongolian legends point to the Death Worm & fear spreads through the workforce. Daniel discovers that the unearthing of the tomb has awoken a nest of Death Worms that are now eating everyone they come across & breeding at a fast rate, Daniel & Alicia know that they have to destroy the Death Worm nest even if it means Daniel sees his search & treasure go up in flames...Co-written & directed by Steven R. Monroe who recently helmed the rather brutal & better than expected I Spit on Your Grave (2010) remake as well as other Sy-Fy Channel 'classics' such as Storm Cell (2008) & Ice Twisters (2009) this made for television creature feature has all the associated negatives but none of the positives. The script is as lazy (an entire oil drilling planet can be shut down & blown up by simply turning three valves?) & boring (hardly anything happens) as they come & just feels like a straight rip-off of the infinitely better giant Worm under the ground flick Tremors (1990), all the usual clichés are here with dull character's & a plot that relegates the Mongolian Death Worm to little more than a subplot. The majority of the script concentrates on the effort to get help to the sick village, Daniel's treasure hunting with a volt meter & the problems facing the boss of the oil plant as his workers leave & the Death Worms cause havoc for the machinery underground. It's all really dull stuff, at just over 80 minutes long Mongolian Death Worm feels twice that, there's no sense of urgency or excitement & the various plots about lost tombs, giant Worms & sick villages never really come together with any purpose. Mongolian Death Worm is just a very unsatisfying, boring, predictable & clichéd low budget creature feature that doesn't even have any decent monster action. Pair this up with Sand Serpents (2009) for a really horrible double bill, if you dare!The Tremors comparisons don't end with just the plot, the Mongolian Death Worms themselves look a lot like the monsters from Tremors with the expanding mouths & grabbing tongues that draw it's prey into it waiting mouth. A few people are eaten but there's no gore & there's no build-up to the attacks or anything special about them. It's all rather bland as a Mongolian Death Worm will just appear, roar a bit, grab someone & them just slither off again. The CGI effects vary from average to very poor, I have seen worse computer effects work but I wouldn't exactly call the effects good. In fact Tremors made some twenty odd years previously has more impressive effects work than this. I've never been to Mongolia but I am sure it's nothing like this, I mean wouldn't some Mongolians actually live there? Would the local cop drive around in a brand new four by four with 'Sheriff' written on the side in English & wear a stupid cowboy hat?Apparently shot in Texas you can tell the makers never went anywhere near Mongolia, the whole thing has that cheap Sy-Fy Channel look to it & is instantly forgettable. The acting is pretty bad, Sean Patrick Flanery is the name in the cast but is probably only here for the money.Mongolian Death Worm is a bad film, it's a bad Tremors rip-off that feels dated even though it was only made last year. Throughly predictable with bad CGI & a boring plot Mongolian Death Worm is one to avoid.