How to Make a Monster (2001 TV movie) from Tuna
This is a self proclaimed Sci-Fi Horror Thriller, that was made for the Creature Features HBO series. Too bad, as I saw a few things of merit when I thought it was a comedy.

NUDITY REPORT
Julie Strain is topless, and has what amounts to a g-string in the telemetry suit, but never shows her backside.
The basic premise is that a game company has already announced the release of a scary new POV game, and the rug-rat FOCUS group trashes the demo, saying the monster looks like it came from Sesame Street, etc. The company fires the programmers, and brings in a "really scary" new team, including Tyler Mane as "Hardcore". He is a weapons expert, and has way too much adrenalin. Next is Jason Marsden as "Bug" - typical pimply-faced nerd, and sound expert. Last is Karim Prince, "Sol", who has all the warmth of an avalanche. He is a hardware and software expert, and is working on an AI module, so the game will learn. The team is lead by Steven Culp. The owner of the company promises a $1m bonus to the person who makes it scary, and gives them 30 days to finish.

After spending much of their time fighting with each other, and overloading the electrical system in the building, they succeed, but too well. They bring in Julie Strain (who plays Julie Strain) to take off her clothes and wear a telemetry suit, so they can digitize her movements to provide the motion for their animation. Later, the game itself starts controlling the empty suit, and tries in earnest to kill the players. 

Special effects were good, and the monster was especially effective, but the film itself is in the so-bad-it's-good category. If Strain's monsters and poking fun at a bad film appeal to you, go for it.  

The Critics Vote

  • no major reviews online.

The People Vote ...

IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C. (Genre: entertainingly bad movie)

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