Bats (1999)

User Rating:

3.3/10   

Director:

Louis Morneau

Writer (WGA):

John Logan (written by)

Release Date:

22 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

Where can you hide?

Plot:

Genetically mutated bats escape and it's up to a bat expert and the local sheriff to stop them.

Plot Keywords:

Bat | Experiment | Closed Mine | Bitten In The Throat | Sliced In Two

Cast

Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Sheriff Emmett Kimsey
Dina Meyer	...	Dr. Sheila Casper
Bob Gunton	...	Dr. Alexander McCabe
Leon	...	Jimmy Sands
Carlos Jacott	...	Dr. Tobe Hodge
David McConnell	...	Deputy Wesley Munn (as David Shawn McConell)
Marcia Dangerfield	...	Mayor Amanda Branson
Oscar Rowland	...	Dr. Swanbeck
Tim Whitaker	...	Quint
Juliana Johnson	...	Emma
James Sie	...	Sergeant James
Ned Bellamy	...	Major Reid
George Gerdes	...	Chaswick
Kurt Woodruff	...	Major #2
Joel Farar	...	Bartender

Also Known As:

Blood Moon (USA) (original script title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some graphic, bloody bat attacks.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 | USA:R (DVD version) | Australia:M | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:TE | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Mexico:B | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37019) | Philippines:PG-13 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

American Fork, Utah, USA

Company:

Destination Films

Trivia:

The original two bats in the film were brought from Indonesia.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Sheriff is smoking on the bridge, the position of the cigar is constantly changing.

Quotes:

Jimmy Sands: Clip their wings? Man, could you just shoot their damn heads off? And don't miss.

Movie Connections:

References Apollo 13 (1995)

Soundtrack:

One Less Fool

I'd rather eat a diseased chicken

can't this director get a life, let alone a job? God! He's so bad! I feel bad for the screenwriter, John Logan (Gladiator, Any Given Sunday) who seemed to have a frightening idea in his head and, low and behold, Louis Morneau, acclaimed director of Carnosaur 2 and Soldier Boyz (which sounds like a band), says, "me first!". I can see this loser smiling as he directs this movie, thinking, "ah what sheer brilliance!" (if he's capable of that big a word) as he watches the most suspenseful scene of the movie, the credits. And then for his way to handle the actors. Spare me the horror. Dina Meyer needs a job, a friend, or a psychologist because she's pathetic. Lou Diamond Phillips better go start playing drug thieves again in a Steven Seagal movie if he wants to stay alive. Oh and how about the police rookie who looks like John Rocker? Hmm, he was fantastic! NOT! Kudos to the special effects for their mastery of cardboard and 8 feet wide pixels that try and compose bats, which more look like globs of mud. And the sound effects. Haven't heard that much shrieking from flying creatures since Cher came out with a new album. And the editors. Some guy wrote way up above me that the editing was good. Let's analyze the editorial brilliance. In the second scene, Meyer and Leon, some creepy dude, are examining harmless bats. A helicopter sneakily comes up on them and makes them jump (DEN DUN!) which adds to the sheer horror of the scene. You see them argue and moan before they get into the helicopter, and in the next scene they're leaving in a plane. What is this? The helicopter have Firestone tires or something? The cinematography is more erratic than Kaminski's brilliant "Saving Private Ryan", or something through the eyes of Ray Charles. Oh one more thing before I leave. Some extra gets killed when he's riding a bike, humming to himself. Does he notice the swarms of cardboard mudglobs flying above him, hitting everyone, and hear the splatter of their corn syrup blood against the windows. No! Because LOUIS MORNEAU IS TOO DUMB TO NOTICE! AIIIIIIHHH!