Review: Infestation (2009)

“Prepare for Global Swarming”

Director: Kyle Rankin

Starring: Chris Marquette, Brooke Nevin and Kinsey Packard

Writer: Kyle Rankin

Combining both an awareness of its genre origins, as well as tongue in cheek approach to it all, Infestation is a surprisingly fun movie that doesn’t ask for a lot. A lot of it does come down to Kyle Rankin keeping the movie simple and aiming for the Saturday monster movie feel. He’s certainly helped by a cast that seems to be oozing charm all over the place.

Chris Marquette as the lead Cooper is a lovable schlub, a slacker but not annoyingly so. He gives the movie it’s drive, and having a likeable character means it never really get’s to us cheering for the bugs. Ray Wise is also great as his ex military father. Yet again he infuses the character with enough likability that he doesn’t come off as a bastard that we want to be killed.

Finally while the CGI isn’t all that, in fact it’s on the level of bad Sci Fi channel movies, there are enough imaginative practical effects that will entertain. The movie also blends both giant bug attacks and zombie movies. That’s right even in a bug movie we can’t escape the zombie craze, but the spider/zombie/human is actually pretty damn cool, with the transformation looking particularly painful.

If you’re not expecting something too transcendent, then there is a bit of fun to be had here. Characters to root for, creatures to be disgusted by, and a plot that never tries to be overly complicated. If you need a silly monster movie you could do a lot worse, really do recommend you give Infestation a try.