REPTILIAN (aka YONGGARY) is a South Korean film that is a remake of Yongary, Monster from the Deep. It was made by the same director of the original and was originally released in 1999. The first release was met with poor reception because the CGI in the movie looked unfinished. It was re-released in 2001, but this time with some improvements on the CGI. Apparently, the international release made major reshoots and was retitled, REPTILIAN. REPTILIAN used the original version that had the unfinished CGI and the updated version never saw a DVD release. I remember watching this on the Sci-Fi Channel and I remember being excited when they would release their own feature films on weekends. REPTILIAN looked very on par with those movies and had no idea that this wasn't a Sci-Fi Channel original film.
The story is about a prehistoric monster named, Yonggary, that was resurrected from the dead and being controlled by aliens to destroy the Earth as according to a prophecy. Paleontologists, Dr. Wendel Hughes and Holly Davis, would have to find a way to stop Yonggary from rampaging before it's too late. Like I said before, I thought that this was a Sci-Fi Channel original feature film because of the poor CGI and the acting done in this movie is very poor. There were even parts of the movie that didn't look consistent and jumps around everywhere. The characters were all annoying, but in a comedic sort of way. There is another monster that Yonggary fights called Cykor which looks like a mix between a scorpion and a dinosaur. The monster fight was alright, there is nothing in the fight that deems a highlight of the movie. In a way, it just seems like it parodies the 1998 Godzilla remake and Godzilla 2000 with cheap special effects and horrible acting. In the movie, there is even a line that takes a jab at making fun of Godzilla. Fans took this as an insult to the Japanese Godzilla, but I want to say they were trying to insult the 98 version. To make it more obvious, the DVD cover even uses the same logo for the 98 Godzilla film.
It is sad that the one monster that would have been the Godzilla of South Korea is no longer talked about. I honestly want to try to find the original South Korean version just to see what that version is like along with the updated CGI. It just seems like Yonggary has such a hard time with keeping originals that they become lost. REPTILIAN is a pass and not even watchable.
I apologize for this review for being late. I have been sick for four days with a cold, but I am all better now. Stay tuned for next week for The Host.
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