tom-1712 This is one of the most terrible movies I have ever seen. Even for a TV-movie, it's bad. After throwing all shreds of realism out of the window (3 programmers creating a game in a matter of weeks?), they have a few short action sequences before bringing the movie to a close. It felt like some scenes has been cut out of the movie, as Laura immediately going back on her decision was unlikely, to say the least. Horrible acting, bad video game sequences (it felt like Doom or Quake by the graphics and gameplay, which was probably the idea), and a fundamentally flawed idea made this go from a bad movie to a terrible movie very quickly.I wouldn't recommend it, in fact, I'd recommend just about anything else if you were to choose.

Boba_Fett1138 This movie obviously doesn't take itself very serious, which is the reason why this movie still remains an entertaining one to watch. The movie is filled with some extreme stereotype characters (you know, the kind that's so over-the-top that it misses its mark and looses its effect) bad dialog and an of course silly concept and bad written story to begin with.It's especially hilarious to see how more important the game, rather then their lives is to all of the characters involved. Even real freaks aren't that freaky! That's a serious and gruesome computer-monster that is killing them one by one in a horrible way but who cares when a game its development and a million dollar bonus is at stake...They just hide the bodies and go on with their work for as long as they can.But to be honest, the ridicules concept isn't as poorly developed or handled as you would expect from a movie like this (even though of course the movie is obviously filled with some highly unlikely and ridicules events.) I liked how well the game-world translated into the real world. Yes, that really is how PC games looked like in 2001. Guess people will have a good laugh at it in 10 years from now. The in-game effects are certainly better looking than most movies ever normally try to bother to.Seems like they seriously did some research and were advised correctly and spend some real money on it. It's certainly refreshing and good to see after so many failed and just plain bad attempts from Hollywood to let video-games- and the computer world in general play key parts of the movie.However big problem with the movie remains that's not scary or serious enough for a horror, not science-fiction/fantasy-full/original enough for a science-fiction movie and not bad and/or campy enough for successful cult-classic. It is also hard to tell what the movie actually tried to achieve and in which category it wanted to be put under. Because of that all, the gore also doesn't work out. I mean, the movie is pretty gory in parts, since it features more than 1 cut of limb or head but yet the movie just never strikes as a gross or gruesome one. For these reasons alone you just can't regard this movie as a successful- or great one.Still amazing to see how many great actors are in the movie. It's however an uneven balance of actors who knew that they were cast for the B-movie value of the movie and actors who try to make the movie look as authentic and realistic as possible. Tyler Mane and Jason Marsden are great as the stereotype characters but it was quite sad to see Clea DuVall. I mean, I see this as an actress who will most likely win an Oscar within the next 7 years. Same goes to some extend also for Steven Culp. He's the guy who played Robert F. Kennedy in "Thirteen Days" for goodness sake!The movie is definitely not a great one but nevertheless it remains an entertaining one to watch, since it obviously also didn't took itself very serious to begin with in the first place.4/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Paul Andrews How to Make a Monster starts with Faye Clayton (producer Colleen Camp) firing her team of software programmer's when the latest game called 'Evilution' that they are working on receives disastrous test previews & the search is on for a new team. This is where Peter Drummond (Steven Culp), Bug (Jason Marsden), Hardcore (Tyler Mane) & the obligatory black guy Sol (Karim prince) step in & take over. The brief is they need to turn 'Evilution' into a really scary game in one month, if they succeed they will earn a $1 million bonus, Clayton also gives them intern Laura Wheeler (Clea DuVall) as a general dogsbody. How to Make a Monster then cuts to 'Three Weeks Later' as the game nears completion, Hardcore has designed the weapons & monsters, Bug has developed the music & sound effects & Sol has programed a new form of artificial intelligence while Peter does what bosses do. One night a lightning strike causes a power overload which in turn makes a motion capture suit come to life & start acting out 'Evilution' as if it were real. Peter, Laura, Sol, Bug & Hardcore all become targets of the killer game & it's robotic suit...Written & directed by George Huang I personally thought How to Make a Monster was a very poor attempt at horror. The script has no relation to the original How to Make a Monster (1958) apart form it's title, there are so many things fundamentally wrong with this film it's untrue. The whole concept sucks & Huang obviously doesn't know anything about technology as How to Make a Monster has no factual basis or notion of reality at all, motion capture suits coming to life? How can it walk & operate before it kills Sol? How can the mainframe computer control it with no visible wires? Radio control, I don't think so. Only three people to program one game? These days it takes dozens of talented programmer's to develop a good game & a hell of a lot longer than a month. I could go on, but I won't. The title How to make a Monster refers to the films hidden meaning, the moral message if you will. You see How to Make a Monster is all about people turning into monsters because of greed, jealousy & ambition. I bet Huang thought he was really clever coming up with that double meaning title. The characters are uniformly unlikable & clichéd, Sol & Bug in particular are highly irritating to endure. Technically How to Make a Monster isn't too bad considering it's TV limitations, director Huang fails to create any sort of tension or atmosphere which is what a good horror film is all about. The kills are all off screen & have no build up whatsoever, when at the end it finally looks as if we might get a decent sequence involving the monster the film keeps cutting to awful in game computer footage, maybe to save money? It breaks up & dilutes any sort of excitement the climatic fight might had, very poor. There are a few computer game/film references, an Evil Dead video game poster keeps turning up in the background, a Tales From the Crypt pinball machine & a scene where the monster rips someones head off complete with dangling spinal cord which obviously is meant to pay homage to Mortal Kombat & it's infamous gory 'Fatalities'. As a whole the violence is restrained with the aforementioned head & spinal cord ripping, another severed head & a cut off hand. The monster itself as it adds bits of human bodies to itself looks pretty cool but is barely used, it's past the 40 minute mark before it does anything. The acting is poor from all involved & watch out for actress Julie Strain who complains about having to go nude, again considering her other work I suppose director Huang thought this would be a funny in joke of some sort. It isn't. Overall there really isn't anything by which I can recommend How to Make a Monster & in actual fact I think it should be retitled to How to Make a Monstrosity of a Film. One to avoid.

jennyann1975 I am a huge fan of B movies but this was absolutely terrible. I only rented it because I think Clea Duvall is a great actress. I think the movie is trying to make a point but the only one I got was that you need to be utterly ruthless to make it in the gaming world!?! ***SPOILER ALERT*** Basic plot is three game programmers, a manager, and an intern are locked in an office building with some electronic suit that comes to life because of electricity. It proceeds to kill everyone but the intern who all of a sudden develops sword fighting skills and kills the monster. Clea Duvall is the intern who starts out as a nice girl with an abusive boyfriend. But for some odd reason she turns into a money hungry software company boss. I think there is a plot somewhere but I got distracted by a wrestler trying to act like a computer geek. Anyway, the movie is a complete waste of time and even Clea Duvall's great acting can't save the movie. Oh and someone needs to tell Julie Strain she doesn't look good topless anymore.