Animal attack horror movies truly are a dime a dozen, and sometimes they can get extremely cheesy and crummy, often knowingly so, and sometimes they really aren't so bad. "Kaw" may overall be routine and unremarkable, but it handles its outlandish premise better than one would think, and refrains from doing a lot of winking at its audience. The special effects are never so awful that they just take you right out of the movie, either. Granted, the characters are clichés, and the movie isn't without silly moments, but it does deliver some decent thrills for undemanding B movie fans. Hell, it even works in a subplot about strained relationships between the "English" and the local Mennonites that fortunately doesn't detract too much from the basic storyline. The story, working as one big homage to the Hitchcock classic "The Birds", sees a ton of ravens literally tearing into the citizens of a small town; nobody can figure out why this is going on nor can they think of what to do about the situation. The actors in the lead roles are likable and reliable as always: Sean Patrick Flanery as local sheriff Wayne, who was actually about to leave his job, and Stephen McHattie as reformed drunk / school bus driver Clyde, who's one of the first to realize that the birds are going crazy. The supporting cast is capable if rather nondescript, but it is an absolute joy to see Wendy Lyon, the lead of "Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II" as the dispatcher, and the presence of veteran actor Rod Taylor, who'd actually starred in "The Birds", as the local doctor, is extremely welcome. Filmed on location in Ontario, the movie has an appropriately gloomy look about it, and director Sheldon Wilson keeps it moving forward at an adequate pace. The most striking scene has the sheriff's wife (Kristin Booth) stuck in a well with an animal carcass. The ravens are portrayed by a combination of well trained avians and a generous dose of digital effects. There are some twists that are amusing to say the least, such as the ravens manipulating rocks in order to break glass. The ending falls short of really being satisfying, though, and the inclusion of a last-second jump scare is completely unnecessary and annoying. It's understandable how some viewers could find this tiresome, so just judge for yourself should you decide to watch. Five out of 10.
Review of Kaw
