Vipers – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Sep 29, 2008, 16:06 GMT

A group of genetically enhanced vipers are on the loose after a break-in at a medical research laboratory. They don\'t just bite. They eat. Reproducing at a rapid rate, they now outnumber the locals of a nearby remote island who have barricaded themselves in an increasingly vulnerable hotel. With help on its way - or not-- the lone survivors have one chance to stay alive: make it to the shore--and ...more

Hiss.  A one-word review?  Could be.  Some CGI snakes take over an island and the folks have to get off the island or become snake chow.  

Cal Taylor (Jonathan Scarfe) is an ex-GI that served in the Iraq war.  He’s out of the army now and is heading for the isolated Eden Island to visit Dr. Silverton (the late Don S. Davis, his second to last film –sadly), the father of one of his buddies. 

The man is the island’s doctor and he wants Cal, who was a medic, to take his place so he can retire.  The island is a veritable Peyton Place as one couple has split up and the husband has taken up with a younger woman making their child rebellious. 

Nicky Swift (Tara Reid) is the ex-fiancé of Cal’s buddy and also grows pot (for medicinal purposes only) in her nursery.  Into this island paradise comes the slither of genetically enhanced horned vipers.  It seems a nefarious company has been tinkering with the genetic code of the snakes developing a cure for cancer (huh?). 

Some industrial espionage gets the nasty critters loosed on the island and the carnivorous creatures and now if the folks don’t get off the island the wicked company has plans to gas the whole place if the snakes don’t get ya.  

This flick will probably turn up edited and on the Sci-Fi channel eventually (if not already).  Vipers continues the “Maneater series” formula.  Take some characters, some of which are some famous faces that you’ll recognize, and throw some monster at them.  This time the beastie of choice is some rather nasty vipers. 

The critters have been Frankensteined enough that they have voracious appetites and basically gnaw you to death.  The problem is, not that genetically screwed up vipers weren’t enough, is that the snakes are rendered in laughable CGI. 

The famous face this time around is Tara Reid.  Poor Tara appears to have fallen upon hard times if she’s appearing in this dreck.  She doesn’t look healthy at all and sometimes it sounds like her speech is a bit slurred.  Not to mention the lame hat that she’s saddled with for most of the picture. 

The whole concept is poorly presented and the laughable special effects.  You’ll be cheering for the snakes.

Vipers is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  There are no special features save for some previews of the other Maneater series that play when you put the disc in your player.  If you’ve seen one of them then you know that you’re in for.  

More of the monster of the week fare with a sad-looking, slumming Tara Reid.  How the mighty and once good-looking have fallen.  The formula is wearing thin and the stories keep getting sillier.  I wonder what critter they’ll CGI next, maybe killer penguins?  The snakes in the film certainly lack bite [insert rimshot here].  

Vipers is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.