The acting was horrible, the special effects were horrible, the plagiarism of the original was horrible. Only good things about this film were seeing the old cars and finding out that Don Sullivan (Chase in the original) is still above-ground.

Seriously, I love bad monster movies - things like Killer Shrews, the Giant Claw, and the Beast of Hollow Mountain. I love newer campy monster movies, too, but this was just a complete waste of time.

If you want to watch a movie about a giant lizard and have seen Lake Placid too many times, then watch the original Giant Gila Monster from 1959. The acting (for the most part) is much better, they used a live lizard and miniatures (so there's no awful CGI), and hey, it's original, not plagiarized!

I've been disappointed lately with all the movies I've watched and that includes much of my collection of 50's sci-fi movies, most of which are B-movies. Even with the nostalgia factor factored in I haven't enjoyed them like I used to. Historically, I love big monster movies, new and old. So I decided to watch this one hoping it wouldn't disappoint... and it didn't.

The best thing about it was the soundtrack - classic 50's rock; no covers, all original artists.

The movie is very low budget with the special effects about 20 years behind the times but they are serviceable. A plus for the ancient CGI in this movie is that sometimes it's used cleverly, I won't give any spoilers but the old maxim holds true here "it's not what you got but how you use it".

The actors are hit and miss, some are competent and others marginal. The plot... your basic rebel teens help save a small town from an environmentally overgrown lizard. The dialog is surprisingly intelligent and clever and a much higher cut above low budget movies.

The bottom line is if you like 50's sci-fi and big monster movies then give it a look.

A giant gila monster terrorizes a sleepy small town. It's up to local hot rod racer Chase Winstead (a solid and likable performance by Brian Gross) to save the day. Director Jim Wynorski, working from a compact and eventful script by Steve Mitchell, William Dever, Jim Nielsen, and Paul Sinor, relates the entertaining story at a zippy pace, maintains an utterly engaging good-natured tone throughout, stages the monster attack set pieces with flair, and offers an affectionate evocation of the 50's period setting (the vintage cars and the 50's rock soundtrack in particular are both spot-on). Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast: Terence Knox as the amiable sheriff, Jesse Janzen as surly bad boy Waco Bob, Christina DeRosa as Bob's slinky hussy main squeeze, Madeline Voges as Chase's sweet girlfriend Lisa, the ever-adorable Kelli Maroney as the cute and bubbly Deputy Wilma, Gerad Pauwels as uptight jerk Mayor Wheeler, Julie McCullough as the mayor's bitter booze-sodden wife Vera, and, in a delightfully robust scenery-gnashing turn, Rick Komenich as gung-ho survivalist Compton. Don Sullivan, the star of the '59 original "The Giant Gila Monster," has a nice bit as helpful lizard expert Daws. The titular CGI beast looks pretty cool. Kudos are also in order for Ross Headley's sharp cinematography and the spirited score by Al and Jon Kaplan. An immensely fun flick.