Mega Python vs. Gatoroid

Review

Common Sense Media says

Two monsters + two '80s pop stars = one skippable movie.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this creature feature -- one in a series of successful TV movies made for the Syfy Channel -- contains a good deal of monster violence, with blood and body parts, although the special effects are quite terrible and the scenes often fail to convince (or frighten). Language is mild, though the women call each other "bitch" at least half a dozen times, and there's some mild sexual innuendo and drinking. Even if teens enjoyed the other monster movies in this series, this one is far too awful even to be a "so-bad-it's-good" guilty pleasure. 

  • Positive messages1
    Despite everything, the movie has a pro-environmental angle, with one character attempting to protect the wildlife; in the end, an estuary is established.
  • Positive role models1
    Characters who previously disagreed team up to work together to solve a big problem. The women characters are in positions of intelligence and authority, even though they sometimes behave in childish (and not-so-intelligent) ways. They're actually the driving force of the movie, taking leadership roles and going up against impossible odds.
  • Violence3
    In more than a few scenes, giant snakes and/or gators devour innocent victims with huge, single bites. There's some blood and some screaming, plus body parts and severed heads, but the special effects are fairly awful, so none of it is very convincing. Some local hunters carry and fire guns fairly often -- creatures are shot, and viewers see little splashes of blood -- and one character slices up a snake with a knife. Snakes and gators attack and kill each other, and in one scene, a dog is killed (off screen). There are also explosions and a helicopter crash.
  • Sex2
    Some sexual innuendo (a snake-related joke about penis size), and a woman kisses her fiancé. In the climactic scene, the women wear somewhat revealing dresses.
  • Language2
    The women call each other "bitch" at least half a dozen times. Otherwise, language is light and includes a few uses of "hell," "damn it," and "bastard."
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    Some of the local hunters are seen swilling beer from cans while they're out hunting, and one cracks open a beer and drinks to his fallen buddy in a comical way. A hunter drinks from a flask.
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What's the story?

In the Everglades, Chief Ranger Terry O'Hara (Tiffany) is charged with taking out a killer python after her fiancé's death. She meets opposition from animal activist Dr. Nikki Riley (Debbie Gibson), so Terry responds with a new plan: She gives steroids to the gators so that they can take out the pythons. Unfortunately, the plan goes awry; all the snakes and gators grow to enormous size and begin snacking on nearby humans. Accompanied by an expert reptile hunter (A Martinez), the women must team up to save the planet. Can they set aside their differences for this common goal?

Is it any good?

 

The main selling point of this entry in the Syfy Channel's monster hybrid series (previous films include Sharktopus and Dinocroc vs. Supergator) is the teaming of two 1980s pop music icons, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany (the movie includes a new song from each), as well as a female director from the era. But even though Mary Lambert is a 20-year veteran -- having made the successful Pet Sematary (1989), among many other movies and TV shows -- she comes across as a rank amateur here. Almost every aspect of this movie is atrocious, from the sloppy visual effects to the lame jokes and lackadaisical logic.

Yes, it's refreshing to see two 40-something women as the lead characters in a movie, especially since they're painted in strokes of gray: neither is the hero or the villain. But the actresses are forced through some absurd situations, from pie fights to a sequence in which Terry feeds steroid-filled chickens to the alligators. The other monster movies in the Syfy series could possibly be viewed as "so bad they're good" classics, but MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID too often calls attention to its own badness, which prevents an audience from doing the same. Skip this creature feature.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. Was it scary? Did it make you laugh? What do you think the filmmakers' intention was?

  • Of the characters played by Tiffany and Debbie Gibson, is one the hero and one the villain, or are they painted in more complex shades of gray? Does one come to see the other's point of view?

  • Does the movie have a clear point of view? Does it convince viewers of any particular argument?

  • Why do you think the two singing stars from the '80s agreed to be in this movie? What's the appeal of having them in it?

This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Teen, 14 years old
April 3, 2012
AGE
8
 
Don't even bother
It was stuipid they kill all the main characters and the pythons and gators team up. It is so stuipid don't even bother. The special effects are awful and badly thought out skip it. COME ON GIANT GATORS AND PYTHONS TEAMING UP REALLY!! stuipid and just don't even think about renting or buying it not worth your time
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This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Studio:Image Entertainment
Director:Mary Lambert
Cast:A Martinez, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany
Genre:Science Fiction
Run time:91 minutes
DVD release date:June 21, 2011
MPAA rating:NR
This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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