Sasquatch Mountain (2006)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Admirable film.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

DIRECTOR: Steven Monroe. WRITER: Michael Worth RUNTIME: 90 minutes. LOCATIONS: Williams, Flagstaff and Coconino Nat. Forest, Arizona. YEAR OF RELEASE: 2006. THE PLOT: After an unfortunate auto accident, a woman (Cerina Vincent) is taken captive by a gang of bank robbers who are forced to flee into the Arizona timber by foot. They are followed closely by a posse made up of policemen and old Vietnam vets. The two groups ultimately team-up (sort of) when they encounter a Bigfoot creature who is picking 'em off one by one. Although I doubt the creature exists, I'm fascinated by the Bigfoot legend and enjoy films on the subject. "Sasquatch Mountain" is one of the better ones. It was originally titled "Devil on the Mountain" and, in fact, that's the title that appears in the DVD version of the movie (but not the DVD cover). To be expected, some people smugly laugh at the picture, calling it unintentionally funny and cheesy, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is actually a character study using the Bigfoot legend as a stage. The story and characters are taken seriously and there's no camp to be found. The reason some automatically laugh at the movie is because the idea of Sasquatch has become a big joke, which is understandable. I should point out that if you're expecting a mindless slasher flick with Bigfoot in the evil Jason role you'll be disappointed. The film "Abominable" (2006) is a film along these lines; and it's a good film for what it is. There's nothing wrong with this approach, it's just that "Sasquatch Mountain" shoots for something deeper. The screenplay was written, believe it or not, by Michael Worth who stars in the picture as one of the bank robbers, Vin. The guy comes off as a 35-year-old adolescent who is more likable than scary, even though he has a slight dangerous edge. NOTEWORTHY ITEMS: Although the film is a low-budget straight-to-video flick it's a well-made film, unlike "Sasquatch Hunters" (2005) and "Sasquatch" (2002), which both have some amateurish qualities.The score is great, sometimes even moving, giving the film a palpable reverent quality.Although the set-up is a bit contrived (the way the bank robbers get a hostage and flee on foot), the story starts to pull you in at the half-hour mark when the posse pursues the gang in the woods. There are numerous well-written character-defining episodes that successfully capture the viewer's attention.For instance, the lead bank robber, Travis (Craig Wasson), laments how his father never paid him any attention growing up. I know what you're thinking -- aw, poor baby -- but the movie successfully shows the correlation between adult wellness and healthy parental relationships, in particularly with one's father-figure. Often children from dysfunctional families spend their entire lives trying to make up for the damage done by clueless parents.I also like the way Travis (Wasson) and others are shown not totally poisoned by evil, despite being bank robbers, e.g. Travis does a selfless deed without hesitation later in the film. It's a good scene. Not to mention, Vin (Michael Worth) comes off as more misguided than malevolent; though Harlan (Lance Henriksen) doesn't give in to his charm one bit.To be expected in a character study, the screenplay has some great dialogue and lines. For instance, Travis states: "No matter how hard you try or how high you get there's always some devil on the mountain waiting to knock you back down" or the Asian girl to Cerina: "Everyone has scars, but not everyone has the option of hiding behind a pretty smile."The film features no less than three beautiful women -- a Brunette (Cerina Vincent), a redhead (Lance's daughter in the story, played by Melanie Monroe) and the Asian bank Robber (Karen Kim) who comes off unattractive only because she's so bitter. Both Cerina and Melanie are magnificent. Melanie is the definition of spirituality.There's a good subplot about Lance Henriksen being a laughingstock for the past dozen years. His wife had recorded a vague video of the creature on the day she was killed by a hit-and-run. The video put the town on the map as a tourist attraction but made him an object of ridicule. Will he ever be redeemed?Although the Sasquatch kills in the story, he is shown in a sympathetic light (unlike "Abominable" and "Sasquatch Hunters").The DVD features a worthwhile 20-minute "Making Of" Documentary. FINAL ANALYSIS: While "Sasquatch Mountain" is a low-budget TV movie with the requisite flaws it's worthwhile for all the above reasons. It should be given credit for not being another mindless monster flick; the Bigfoot legend is simply a frame for something deeper, which is relayed in a veritably venerable manner. Not everyone can look beyond the Sasquatch trappings; I understand this. I could and found it quite entertaining, and even moving.GRADE: B

My review could be summed up by the above title, but IMDb demands more, so more I'll give you. Not that this film deserves it. Despite some promise, it's another off the Sci Fi Channel assembly line. This means that you should expect to be subjected to a recycled idea, one borrowed from a far better and more influential film or TV show, battered into submission when it should be pushing the envelop.I'd like to be surprised. I'd love to turn on one of the channel's movies and find that my low expectations were unfounded. This was not that case. SAQUATCH MOUNTAIN is a load of bullocks, top to bottom.Despite the star power of Cerina Vincent and Lance Hendrickson, the cast is rounded out by cardboard bad guys. But the biggest crime here is the film's contrast level. For those unfamiliar with the term, this means that the film looks intentionally (I must assume) like a photographic negative. The blacks are overpowering, making everything dark and sinister (which is a great feature for the monster, but horrible for the actresses). On the flip side, the lighter colors "blow out." This means that lighter colors in the frame look like someone threw a can of bleach at them.The question becomes, why would they want the picture to look like this? Was it to distract from the acting? To conceal bad cinematography? To hide the horrendous monster suit? I'd like to tell you I cared enough to contemplate this, but I've got better things to do.

OK so we all know its a SCIFI film so its gonna be cheesy like allot of the scifi movies. But this one wasn't. it was actually a very good movie. i agree with allot of you, when you expect a Bigfoot movie you expect to see gore, the beast killing all the minor actors and leaving the main ones alive. And this one didn't have any gore at all, i was disappointed because i love gory movies. Now i haven't seen any other Bigfoot movies but one Bigfoot hunters. which was your average Bigfoot movie gory, all the minor actors die, they barely escape the Big foot's grasp. But out of ten i would rate this movie nine out of 10 simply because its one of the better Bigfoot movies out there and the acting is good. Being a Bigfoot believer i enjoy these movies and even if they are bad I'll still watch it. so ending with this note, if you don't believe in Bigfoot fine, but don't go around saying that its all a hoax when you probably don't even know what your talking about, just because there have been hoaxes in the past does not mean that they all are hoaxes so just shut your mouth and let the people who are into this kinda thing to enjoy Bigfoot.

This film has many gritty crime-drama motifs, a healthy amount of comic relief and a blown- out exposure to the cinematography to lend an edginess to the proceedings. It's not scary, even remotely but it is highly amusing. So far, this and "Abominable" (ironically also featuring Hendrickson) are the premiere features in this Bigfoot subgenre that no-one asked for, but we'll take it. For seasoned viewers of this brand of film, the presence of vets Tim Thomerson and Lance Hendrickson lends a sense of giddy fun. The two have been paired before but this time, they share screen time and each have witty dialogue. Also, the seldom-seen Craig Wasson is featured prominently (he and Thomerson both appeared in the Robbie Robertson directed "Carny" back in 1980). If you like to see character actors having fun, you will too.