Plot: What’s it about?
In a small town where things seem to have hit rock bottom, a darker force has arrived to make things even worse. As a military plane flies over the town with a dangerous payload, a problem surfaces with the cargo and the plane crashes into the mountains. Of course, the men on board die instantly, but the live payload manages to survive and escape from the crash wreckage. A couple of teen lovers happen to be in those same mountains and after some oral satisfaction, they end up on the wrong end of this mysterious creature from the crash. As the search for the truth behind the deaths is explored, evidence points toward John Cooper (Frayne Rosanoff), who works in the only place in town where acid in held, which was found on the victims. His girlfriend, Kristen (Dana Barron) and two other friends know he is innocent, but with Kristen’s exboyfriend and no other options, it seems like John is in deep trouble. As more bodies begin to turn up and John’s less likely to be the killer, the snake’s former owner (Robert Englund) and a special agent (Casper Van Dien) show up to close down the creature once and for all. But will they be able to take down this vicious creature, or will they all be consumed before this experience is over.
This film features ham handed performances, a weak storyline, and some pretty cheese laden special effects. In other words, this is a fantastic example of how much fun animal attack movies can be, with approached with a sense of humor. No one in search of classical cinema will be pleased here, but those looking for a wild, fun ride that has some excellent camp elements, then Python should deliver on all counts. You have to like movies where some creature runs amok and kills a load of folks, but if you do, then this one is well worth a look. The snake is made with computer graphics and it doesn’t always look that impressive, but hey, when it’s out of focus, it looks pretty good. I think a few scenes look bad, but most are up to the normal computer generated creature stuff. Due to the camp nature of the film though, it never detracts from the film and in truth, I think it works well enough. The acting here is good for the nature of the film, but is over the top, so don’t expect traditional style performances. If you’re a fan of animal attack movies like Lake Placid, Anaconda, or Komodo, then I recommend Python, it’s a lot of fun and worth a look.
This was Richard Clabaugh’s first film as a director, but he had worked on several other films in other aspects of production. His roots in cinematography (Phantoms, Escape Under Pressure) shine through in this film, as the shots are well designed and some cool visuals sparks can be found at times. I know some will find many flaws with his work, but you take into consideration the budget and time limits, I think Clabaugh is more than effective in his position. Python was shot in just under twenty days on a very low budget, so I feel the film more than delivers under those circumstances. The cast here is over the top and campish to be sure, but that is just what this film thrives on. You won’t see those roles bringing home any awards, but all the performances work just as they should for this material. The cast includes Jenny McCarthy (BASEketball, Scream 3), Frayne Rosanoff (To Protect And Serve), Robert Englund (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Urban Legend), Sara Mornell (Plan B), Casper Van Dien (Modern Vampires, Starship Troopers), Sean Whalen (Jury Duty, Twister), Wil Wheaton (Stand By Me, Deep Core), and Dana Barron (National Lampoon’s Vacation, City of Industry).
Video: How does it look?
Python is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a very solid overall transfer, but some elements seem a little below the rest. A few of the darker sequences don’t come across that well, with inconsistent black levels and a little too much grain evident. But these instances are infrequent and not too extreme, so I won’t knock the score too much. The colors look terrific all through the film, with bold hues and natural flesh tones, no real issues there. As far as contrast, some exceptions do surface, but on the whole, the black levels are correct and detail is at proper levels. This is still an above average transfer, but I have to lower the score a notch, thanks to the darker sequence flaws.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc includes a 5.1 surround track, which provides a solid and atmospheric experience. I loved the use of audio during some sequences which enhance cheap scares, which adds a lot to those scenes. There is some cool subtle use also, which is good and I was pleased with the overall impact level of this track. The music also sparks the surrounds, which piles on the audio presence and who doesn’t like that? The dialogue is not sacrificed however, as it sounds clean and crisp here, with no volume problems I could detect. The disc also houses a 2.0 surround track and subtitles in English & Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes two trailers for Python, some talent files, a selection of still photos (with python factoids), a brief outtakes reel, and an unadvertised audio commentary track. The track features director Richard Clabaugh and two visual effects supervisors, who provide a fun and informative track here. You can tell they know just what this movie is and isn’t, which adds to my enjoyment of this disc a lot.
