Gila! (2012 TV Movie) User Reviews

A fine Indiana film in color

[yonhope · 6/10 · 27 October 2016]

A choo choo train and a big lizard or two or three and an exclamation point in the title. Some 35 year old teenagers and some really good special effects make for a great movie. They could not get Matt Damon or Justin Bieber so they went with what's his name and the guy from the movie about the thing.

The monster is well done with CGI or whatever. Some great old rock and roll fifties hit songs and lots of very nice vintage cars. The steam locomotive looks legit but I do not know.

In one scene there is a map of where the monster might be. It has a golf club called The Legends marked on the map. If you search that it is in Indiana.

The story is very lame but it remains fun until the end when a last laugh awaits the audience.

Looks like the budget was under one million so they did a good job giving us a potential cult flick for pennies. It usually costs much more to make something like this.

It has a jeep but it needs an airplane and maybe a military officer and a cat.

Big Surprise!

[finetunes · 6/10 · 14 January 2023]

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.

"That Young Man's About A Hundred Miles Of Bad Road!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 3 August 2021]

GILA! Opens with the death of a young couple by the rampaging beast of the title.

Enter Chase Winstead (Brian Gross), and his fellow 25 year old "teen" hotrod enthusiasts. In keeping with the original GIANT GILA MONSTER, these "kids" are engaged in harmless hijinks, until the creature starts eating them.

In this update, there's an actual reason given for the lizard's large size. Not-so surprisingly, toxic waste is to blame.

Director Jim Wynorski shows great restraint, as he omits his usual nudity and violence (no boobulars are unveiled, and the CGI blood just isn't that revolting). As for the CGI Gila itself, well, it's serviceable enough, though it does suffer from a clunky walk.

What sets this movie apart from other computer-generated monster epics is its sense of humor. It also wears its low budget proudly, featuring a sheriff with the cheapest, most oddly-fitting hat in existence!

Co-stars the awesome Kelli Maroney as Wilma. Fans of the first film will see Don Sullivan himself if they don't blink!...

The original was much better!

[whitetommi · 1/10 · 13 May 2017]

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!

Another Worthless Remake

[mhorg2018 · 1/10 · 3 July 2018]

Jim Wynorski is a hack. No one can deny this. He's talentless for the most part, but must work cheap since he makes crap like this. Gila! with it's horrible effects (the CGI makes the original, which used a real Gila Monster, look good). Barely competent acting (it was nice to see Night of the Comets Kelli Maroney), and lets just get the shot directing, help make this the crapfest it is. How can anyone make a remake of a film that was already bad and make it worse? I give you Exhibit A.

Inept CG

[crazyferret-03421 · 3/10 · 21 July 2022]

My opinion if it matters. The 1959 original is better. The lizard on this one looks like a cartoon . Bad CG, although Don Sullivan makes a cameo ( yes he was chase Winston in the original) could've been better but the low budget shows . Playboy playmate Julie. McCullough has a small part, and. Keli Maroney from the 1986 chipping mall as a deputy.ok the 1950s setting works. The cars are cool.i think Jim Wynorski could've done better.

Hava Na-Gila? Yes Please

[mr-thousand · 7/10 · 24 August 2016]

There might be a minor spoiler in my review.

Why remake "The Giant Gila Monster," one of the cheesiest teen drive-in flicks of the late 50's? Well, it has name recognition. Even with the name alteration, it's still marketable. The original story is in the public domain, so there're no royalties to pay. Maybe just for fun? My guess it all of the above. Make a few bucks and have fun. Why not?

The original 1959 film has little going for it other than it's nostalgic cheese factor and for it's collection of great hot rods. So what's the harm in a remake? Absolutely none! And this update, still set in the 50's, is better by far, which is rare and a minor miracle, if you ask me.

As bad as the acting is, which might be deliberate, the characters are more complex and interesting. The story is also a little better, the direction is much better and the cinematography is totally competent. Totally. And, even though the CGI title character is so obviously animated, that's completely predictable, so no real harm done. Besides, with a film like this, ya laugh, let it go or get angry. Viewer's choice. Convincing giant monsters in low budget films are hard to come by, anyway. All that's decent praise for a low budget, straight to TV movie.

The only thing that the original has over this one is that wonderfully ridiculous opening narration, which lacks any facts or logic. It's priceless. The toxic spill accounting for the giant lizard's existence in the remake is too cliché to be any fun. No explanation would have been better, I think.

The hot rods are still very cool and a couple of the chicks are an upgrade from the original. And, the soundtrack of rock n' roll oldies and contemporary rockabilly is very good, maybe even the least flawed aspect of the film.

Even though it is forgettable low budget garbage, it's still pretty fun. I'll probably give it another look, one of these days.

It was not as painful the first time around in 1959!

[berleecrawford · 1/10 · 13 January 2015]

I have to admit I am a person that looks for horrid movies for humorous value and I was not disappointed in this film when I saw the creature right off at the beginning of the movie. But I also enjoy drinking syrup of ipecac on the rocks.

This is an incredibly lame re-make of the 1959 film "The Giant Gila Monster". The original directed by Ray Kellogg. The special effects in the original included a real gila monster and miniature sets. This movie includes a CGI gila monster created by "Billy" on his PC in the next door neighbors basement. He is all of 9 years old.

What is even more stupefying is that it took not one, not two, not three, but four writers to steal almost the same lines and slightly modify them.

The most mysterious aspect of this film is why anyone would take credit for ANYTHING in it! We are all a bunch of plagiarist and are NOT afraid that you know it.

The original was mistied on MST3K and is extremely enjoyable and quite memorable. Want to learn what "blocking" is in a movie? This is the example for you.

One overwhelming reason to remake this movie was someone had access to vintage cars!

It is perplexing that someone thought this movie was worth remaking. If you wish to inflict intense pain upon a person you dislike, force them to view this movie. It could be a life changing event!

I do not think I need that ipecac!

Saturday afternoons at the theater.

[skyguy1369 · 7/10 · 3 December 2021]

Good slick remake of a classic '50's b-movie, brings memories back in color. I recall all the kids there and the smell of popcorn, hoots and hollers, just a nice relaxing afternoon at the movies without supervision.

There is a fine line between "Parody" and "Homage"

[JoeB131 · 3/10 · 13 December 2021]

...and unfortunately, Jim Wynorski and the SyFy channel didn't know where it was...

So this movie is set in the 1950's, which mean every character is a bad 1950's cliche. They got ahold of someone's vintage auto collection, as long as none of them appear to get wrecked, because you know anyone who owns one of these cars isn't going to wreck on for a SyFy movie.

The weakest part is the Gila Monster itself. Unlike the 1950's movie, which used an ACTUAL Gila Monster, no Gila Monsters actually were used in this film. Instead, they use some of the *worst* CGI I've ever seen. It meets the same fate. As it's 1950's counterpart.

Is there a reason for this movie. It's not funny enough to be a parody, and not lovingly referential enough to be a homage.

Let's go lizard hunting

[jlynch-68708 · 10/10 · 12 June 2022]

Oh well. Where do I begin, I have no idea where this Sudden obsession with low budget movies has come from but by god have I watched some brilliant stuff. Gila definitely delivered on so many levels, the cheesy CGI, the questionable acting, the fact that the townsfolk can shoot a large amount of ammo without the need to reload. I want more.

"Gila!" Review.

[NerdBat · 2/10 · 16 February 2018]

I'm going to agree with what another user said and say, yes! The original was a million times better. When I first picked up this film, I didn't even know it was a remake, I thought it was one of those Syfy originals, but no, even though it's virtually just as bad. They were on the right track with the creature design, but some of it, especially its back end, get all awkward and weird looking. Also, the truck the guy drives says the company he works for is in Indiana. It doesn't take a herpetologist to know that Gila monsters live in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. Not the north. The acting is horrendous, and it's as if the characters are played by high school students instead of experienced and skilled actors. Along with the inaccurate distribution of Gila monsters, the movie supposedly takes place in the 1950's, which is when the original was made. The only thing making that obvious is the automobiles. The actors dress as if they are from the present time. They could have done a lot more with this movie. I fail to accept that a venomous lizard the size of a house doesn't cause people to look out their windows. It seemed as if no one knew the creature existed, except those who were hunting it. It was a pretty big disappointment, but I feel like it could have been molded into a really good one. Too bad it didn't happen.

Also, Gila monsters don't use their tongues to capture prey. Just sayin!

So bad you can't look away...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 10 January 2023]

Right, well truth be told, then I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations to the 2012 TV movie "Gila!". Wait, let me correct myself here; I was not harboring any expectations at all.

So why watch the movie? Well, simply because I had the opportunity to do so and because I hadn't seen the movie before. So I opted to give writers William Dever, Steve Mitchell, Jim Nielsen and Paul Sinor the benefit of the doubt.

The storyline in "Gila!" was fairly straight forward. I mean, you know you're not in for an evening of Shakespearian cinema when you sit down to watch a movie such as this. But in all fairness, then the storyline was actually fair enough for a movie such as this.

Now, hold on, I am not saying that "Gila!" is a good movie. Because it most certainly wasn't a good movie. Nay, "Gila!" is one of those creature feature movies that is so bad that it is actually sort of oddly enjoyable to watch. I kept hanging around for the entire 91 minutes to watch what laughable effects was coming up next.

The acting performances in the movie were a mixed bag of nuts. Some of the performances were adequate for a movie such as this, while others were somewhat cringeworthy to behold. The only familiar face on the screen here was Terence Knox, as I had seen him in the "Tour of Duty" series back when I was a teenager.

Visually then "Gila!" is a horrible movie. Hard to comprehend how such laughably bad CGI effects made it to a movie, even back in 2012. The CGI in "Gila!" looks like something straight out of an early 1990s computer game. But it was these horrible CGI effects that actually kept me sticking around to finish watching the movie.

If you enjoy creature features, then I wouldn't exactly recommend that you sit down to watch "Gila!", not unless you have a thing for really, really bad CGI effects.

My rating of "Gila!" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Only good about this is the cars.

[PontiacGA · 2/10 · 4 March 2022]

Aside from the vintage auto collection, this movie has nothing really going for it. Bad acting and a really bad CGI monster. If this is suppose to be a remake of the original 1959 movie, it doesnt hold a candle to the original. Find the original, sit back, eat some popcorn and enjoy. Try to forget about this flop.

This movie isn't worth your time

[kevin_robbins · 1/10 · 7 May 2023]

Gila! (2012) is a movie that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a small Midwestern town under the attack of a giant Gila monster. The local law enforcement and towns people will need to band together to save their community from the gigantic menace.

This picture is directed by Jim Wynorski (Chopping Mall) and stars Bryan Patrick McCulley (Dreamer), Brian Gross (Killer Island), Jesse Janzen (Cry Wolf), Christina DeRosa (Bad Moms), Julie McCullough (The Blob) and Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet).

This is a remake of the 1950s science fiction classic The Giant Gila Monster...and it's real bad. This felt like a made for television movie by the Syfy Channel. The CGI is painful. The CGI monster, explosions and fire are all terrible. The only redeeming elements were the cars used in the movie to depict the era; however, the storyline, writing and acting are all atrocious. It was cool that Don Sullivan from the original movie had a cameo.

Overall, this movie isn't worth your time. I would score this a 1/10 and recommend skipping it.

Hugely enjoyable creature feature

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 May 2014]

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.

Retro sci fi better than original, did it right

[drystyx · 8/10 · 15 October 2021]

This is a throwback to the old style of sci fi films with giant monsters. Much needed with the past 50 years being all about "Hate".

While most movies of this time frame are written with "hate" and alienating the audience. The old sci fi movies had a sense of camaraderie instead of everyone thinking they had to be the last survivor on a life raft.

This one takes us back to that era in a good way, and to its credit, does this as a "comedy" instead of a scary film. It's clearly written as a comedy, and when you write a comedy, you can get away with the cheesy lines. In fact, you want the cheesy lines.

Lots of good things in this film, but I really can't reveal them without spoiling the film.

A joy ride, with plenty of humor, plenty of drama, plenty of likable characters, plenty of love instead of hate. I would give it a 9 instead of 8 if not for the last clip which I thought was too over the top, but I understand why they did it, to keep with the cheese.

Far better remake than expected

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 14 October 2019]

Living in a remote town, a teen caught up in a feud with a rival is forced to assist the sheriff to investigate a series of strange accidents to the residents, and when they find the cause to be a giant Gila monster released and rampaging through the area must try to stop the creature.

There was a lot to like with this one. Among the finer qualities on display is the old-school atmosphere of a feature set in that period. There's a lot to like with the 1950s culture setup here, with the loner and town outcast with a grudge against the perfect kid who has the perfect life as well as the hot-rod racing culture and the early beginnings of the lifestyle that would come out of their framework all manage to make for a really engrossing experience featuring the various subplots that help to engrain everything together in that period. That makes for a fun time as the overall atmosphere of the 50s small-town vibe meshes nicely with a more modern-day series of influences with the creature action. Featuring the constant short interactions that focus on utilizing the shock of the creatures' size and presence for a wholly enjoyable series of action scenes, with the creatures' first appearance, an attack on a farming couple and the derailing of a train which is a fun and over-the-top action scene, the majority of the film combines together into a wholly fun and exciting time with a great pace here. As well, that leads to the finale where it has a lot more to like. That they launch an initial attack on the creature by going after it in the cave hideout, but the resulting ambush doesn't stop it allowing for a big confrontation later on where the team confronting it blast away with all the gathered firepower which has a lot to like. The explosive finale is a fine if somewhat underwhelming based on the previous action but still manages an explosive take on how they destroy the creature. These here are what manages to hold the film up. Whatever's wrong with this one can be traced back to the genesis of the effects work used with the creature being the usually atrocious CGI. The classic complaints and features usually associated here pop up once again, from the constant size and dimension changes within the scene, never completely looking or moving at all like a real creature and never interacting with the rest of the live-action taking place whenever it's on-screen. As this is to be expected and not a surprise, there's not much detrimental about this feature, which when combined with the finale's underwhelming fight with the creature are what do lower this one.

Rated Unrated/R: Language and Violence.

Cute remake

[Bernie4444 · 8/10 · 28 November 2023]

People missing and if you keep your eyes open you will know why. Will the authority's figure this out before you become Gila-chow? Kibitz if you like but they will not listen.

Ooey gooey Gila! (2012) is a cute remake of The Giant Gila Monster (1959). This movie was made in the era of campy remakes of favorite 50s movies. We get the theremin music for the monster and lots of oldies on the radio for ambiance. You may not recognize the actors but they are old hands at 50s era type and monster-like movies. There are lots of campy statements. We get autos of the era. At one point a deputy (Kelli Maroney) uses a six-shooter to shoot about 11 shots.

One character exclaims, "Next time people tell me pigs can fly, damn I am going to believe them"