As far as low-budget sci-fi thrillers go, Man vs. is certainly passable, in fact, I found it rather enjoyable at times. The film opens with the main character, Doug (who's character takes obvious cues from Les Stroud and Bear Grylls), engaging in some downright cringeworthy dialogue with the rest of the cast. Luckily, the obviously forced banter is short- lived, and the film gets a lot better.
As time goes on, the suspense grows. For the majority of the film, you'll be on the edge of your seat (or peeking out from behind a pillow, like me) just waiting for Doug to discover the next inexplicable occurrence. The film is genuinely suspenseful and creepy -- and if you're weak-hearted like myself, genuinely scary -- for most of its runtime.
However, all good things must come to an end. The suspense is immediately cut when you catch sight of the monster. Poor CGI and an unoriginal design straight out of Alien vs. Predator or Battle: Los Angeles neuters the film's creepiness. The monster redeems itself slightly at the end with a satisfying death scene however. Like Jaws, the monster is a lot scarier when you can't see it.
All of this aside, Man vs. is an obvious ripoff of the Predator franchise mixed with an obvious ripoff of Les Stroud's Survivorman TV series. Together, they make something rather interesting, but throughout the film you're vaguely reminded of Predator 2010, so it ultimately feels unoriginal.
Good lead acting, interesting practical effects, and genuine creepiness are Man vs.' biggest strengths, but the film is neutered by a laughably bad CGI monster, unoriginality, and unlikeable supporting actors. Overall, not a bad way to spend an hour and a half. It's worth a watch if you see it on TV, but probably not worth your money if you're looking at renting or buying.
As time goes on, the suspense grows. For the majority of the film, you'll be on the edge of your seat (or peeking out from behind a pillow, like me) just waiting for Doug to discover the next inexplicable occurrence. The film is genuinely suspenseful and creepy -- and if you're weak-hearted like myself, genuinely scary -- for most of its runtime.
However, all good things must come to an end. The suspense is immediately cut when you catch sight of the monster. Poor CGI and an unoriginal design straight out of Alien vs. Predator or Battle: Los Angeles neuters the film's creepiness. The monster redeems itself slightly at the end with a satisfying death scene however. Like Jaws, the monster is a lot scarier when you can't see it.
All of this aside, Man vs. is an obvious ripoff of the Predator franchise mixed with an obvious ripoff of Les Stroud's Survivorman TV series. Together, they make something rather interesting, but throughout the film you're vaguely reminded of Predator 2010, so it ultimately feels unoriginal.
Good lead acting, interesting practical effects, and genuine creepiness are Man vs.' biggest strengths, but the film is neutered by a laughably bad CGI monster, unoriginality, and unlikeable supporting actors. Overall, not a bad way to spend an hour and a half. It's worth a watch if you see it on TV, but probably not worth your money if you're looking at renting or buying.