Search - Maneater on DVD

Not your everyday wild animal movie

J. Revay | Virginia | 03/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As another reviewer commented, I loved this movie. Most of these low budget animal-gone-wild-killing-people movies are very predictable, and much of this movie is highly derivative of Jaws. However, Gary Busey is plays the sheriff in a wonderfully understated way. The movie also injects humor at exactly the right times. An example was when the mayor gets upset about possibly losing the next election because of what was going on and one of the deputies deadpans that two of the dead weren't voters. And Ian Clark is superb as the experienced British tiger hunter. But what makes the movie different from so many others of the genre is the role played by Ty Wood. While Tony the Tiger seems intent on eating everyone else, Roy seems to connect with the tiger. There is a wonderful scene with Col. Jim and Roy discussing tigers. The action scenes were very well done and the ending is very exciting. All in all, one of the best and unknown movies of this type. Thanks to the Sci-Fi Channel for showing this great movie."

Surprisingly Good!

Andrea Culbertson | Phl, PA USA | 02/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've always been a fool for the "animals gone bad" movies.Everytime I go into a movie with high expectations,and am always let down.Except for Maneater!The plot was fun and not completely unbelieveable,the casting was good, and well acted.

Gary Busey as the small town sheriff who was used to dealing with small town problems,until a Bengal tiger starts to reduce the population.The Sheriff acknowledges this is nothing he's seen befoer and seeks help. A pleasant change from the "Super Sheriff" who does it all at the cost of many lives.

Ian D. Clark is a wonderful surprise as an experienced tiger hunter,trying to do what he does best and save face after being kicked out of his home whan the Queen mum gave India back to the Punjabs.You feel for him as a character in many ways.And many of his words are profound.

Ty Wood is the little boy who's God fearing mother shelters him from the outside world.You have little choice but to sympathise with this little boy.

Maneater is not only a fun film,But surprising good.Give it a chance.You wont regret it."

"For The Inexperienced, Stalking A Man-Eating Tiger Is An Ex

Robert I. Hedges | 11/14/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Maneater" is a made for TV movie about a tiger loose in the woods of Appalachia. The film is highly derivative of earlier films in the genre (notably "Jaws") but is actually better than most of the other comparable films. Understand that this isn't Academy Award fodder, but for a low budget horror movie, it works and is enjoyable to watch.



The film begins with several gruesome killings in the woods surrounding a small town. A local vet quickly examines the bite radius of the cast made from a victim's torso as being from a Bengal tiger. If that wasn't enough of a homage to "Jaws", the mayor also pleads that the sheriff not interrupt the "Corn and Apple Fest" due to concerns about the ravenous tiger. Gary Busey plays the sheriff, and exceeded my expectations, though he still has that kooky patina that makes him so interesting to watch. The tiger likes one boy (Ty Wood) who lives in a trailer, and therein begins the weird, mystical tiger-whisperer subplot that runs throughout the movie. Also making a peculiar entrance is Ian D. Clark as a Punjab tiger hunter. This at first struck me as utterly pointless, but actually his performance was one of the true highlights of the movie.



Needless to say, the carnage must continue for the film to work, and feeding grist into the mill is the Army National Guard, who show up with an arrogant smirk on their faces that doesn't last long. Aaron Hughes plays Sgt. Howe, and has a terrible accent that detracts from the generally good performances surrounding him. Fear not, his contingent is not part of the story for long. Throughout the film there are numerous confrontations with the press, and by the end I was praying that the Channel 8 Action News reporter could be eaten, preferably in slow motion, two or three times. Like the actual media, she was that annoying.



The film concludes with its final homage to "Jaws", an impossible gunshot to a tank of compressed gas. I was extremely amused despite the obvious derivation of the scene. The end of the film ties up several loose ends in a predictable, yet improbable manner, but seeing Gary Busey getting chased by a tiger was worth the price of the DVD by itself!



The film is a fine examle of contemporary B-cinema, and is one of the better made for TV creature-run-amok films I have seen; the cat is beautiful, the acting is good, the story is well-paced, and the price is right. What else could you want?"

O-Oh Here She Comes...Watch Out Boy, She'll Chew You Up!

Stanley Runk | Camp North Pines | 08/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's an enjoyable piece of nonsense from the Sci-Fi Channel's "Maneater" series, a modern updating of the classic "Nature Strikes Back" subgenre of horror films. In Maneater, a tiger is loose in the woods surrounding a small community where Gary Busey is sheriff. It goes about hunting and killing and making the townspeople dreadfully uneasy. What's even worse is that the damn tiger is a threat to the success of the annual Apple and Corn Fest. There's also a boy who lives with his religious zealot of a mother that seems to have a kind of friendship with the tiger. It's even hinted that he might have some slight psychic connection with the beast. A British tiger hunter and the National Guard show up to kill the tiger, but since Busey is the star of the film, we're all pretty sure that in the end it'll be him in the final face off with the tiger.

I gave this movie a high rating of four stars. It might be a tad too much, but three seemed too low. It's not one you'll be wanting to watch frequently or purchase, but it's good popcorn entertainment. It's got a bit of gore, but this is mostly aftermath stuff like big pools of blood, body parts and eviscerated corpses lying around. Not much as far as actual animal attack scenes go. And they use a real tiger!! No CGI junk here, no sir! It actually looks like an animal instead of a friggin' video game! The cast is decent enough, though the script doesn't ask a lot from them. Busey is his cool, kooky self. He's a bit more "normal", but has a few funny lines here and there. I will say the guy gets creepier looking as he gets older. It's a performance on par with his portrayal of the Gingerdead Man(that was an attempt at humor, but it probably just sounds dumb).

No real complaints about the film coz it is what you'd expect a film like this to be, and as long as it meets expectations, it can't really disappoint. My only complaint would be the tiger/child connection. It's unnecessary, cliched and lame. Thankfully is isn't expanded on too much.

All in all, a good waste of time. I just bought a puppy tonight and he watched it with me(then peed on my chest), so I guess it'll hold some sentimental value for me."