Of all the cold-blooded animals to get a starring role in a horror movie, Komodo dragons are the least likely. In the past, they’ve received more attention than frogs and turtles, but even still, these giant lizards tend to be overlooked in the genre. More often it’s snakes and crocodilians that run amok in reptile horror.
All that changed, albeit briefly, back in 1999. That was when one movie saw the potential for Komodos as monsters. Unfortunately, this effort went unseen by most, and apart from two unrelated movies directed by Jim Wynorski, these dragons have all but vanished from the screen.
For most of the world, the abovementioned Komodo went straight to video; in the mid-2000s, Sci Fi Channel/SYFY also aired it alongside their made-in-house movies. Back then, though, video store patrons’ hesitation toward renting Komodo was understandable. The cheapish, vague cover we got in the States not only concealed the beast within, but it also didn’t convey the movie’s actual quality.
Having said that, those who took a chance on Komodo were in for a surprise. They may even agree that it’s a bit of an underrated creature feature.
While Komodo was primarily shot in the wilds of Queensland’s Gold Coast, the movie is set in the Crystal Coast. Neither location, though, is a natural habitat for these dragons. No, the Varanus komodoensis is native to a number of Indonesian islands, including its namesake, Komodo. Before accusing screenwriters Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell of relocating these animals to America, just to suit their story—lest anyone forget how Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid decided anacondas suddenly live in Borneo—there’s a good reason why these voracious lizards have now taken up residence in North Carolina. Their unfortunate misplacement reflects the sad reality of wildlife smuggling.
Returning to the scene of the crime, especially for cathartic reasons, is an evergreen setup in horror. In Komodo, a mildly arrogant therapist named Dr. Victoria Juno (Jill Hennessy) thinks she can fix a boy named Patrick (Kevin Zegers). Her work is cut out for her because this tight-lipped, traumatized teen saw his family be devoured by mysterious creatures, and ever since then, he blames himself for their deaths. Patrick’s aunt (Nina Landis) is vocally opposed to Juno’s confrontational form of therapy, but nonetheless, she accompanies the doctor and her nephew to that accursed summer home where dragons dwell.
Patrick’s visit to the island where he spent his vacations, and where he last saw his parents alive, is barely peaceful before the monsters reveal themselves in gruesome fashion. The cast pruning seen in other horror movies is comparatively spaced out, whereas in Komodo, those insatiable lizards are itching to kill. Here the early victims are more of those closest to Patrick. First it’s his aunt, whose agonizing demise is among a few that challenge this movie’s PG-13 rating, then eventually the kind boat captain (Michael Edward-Steven) who ferried Patrick to and from the island every summer. So, indeed, the body count reaches a decent size before the second act can even begin.
In exchange for those somewhat premature deaths, the story introduces more human fodder. These new characters are nothing substantial, but they do prevent this from becoming a two-hander. Creature features typically need more prey—not less. On top of that, ex-biologist Oates (Billy Burke), who got roped into exterminating the Komodos with his more relaxed partner (Paul Gleeson), is the movie’s additional villain; the entity responsible for all the needless carnage in this movie is a greedy businessman (Simon Westaway).
Komodo boasts non-indigenous animals as the main antagonists, yet that doesn’t stop it from expressing ecological concern. That messaging, however, is more undercooked than anything found in the classic cycle of these kinds of movies. The Komodos having to locate new food sources because of a local oil company’s operations is neither original nor belabored. Needless to say, the company covering up the dragons’ presence resembles the mayor’s actions in Jaws.
Special effects guy Michael Lantieri had a pretty stacked résumé well before he signed on to direct his first, and so far only, feature film. On top of the first two Jurassic Park flicks, he had previously worked on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Hook, Death Becomes Her, Dracula, Congo, and Mars Attacks!. So if anyone was to helm an effects-driven movie like Komodo, perhaps there was no one more capable, or enthusiastic, than Lantieri.
The premise of Komodo is rather simple, and the execution is even simpler. For what it lacks in storytelling and character work, it makes up for in action and effects. Mind you, Lantieri never delivered anything here along the lines of Spielberg’s T-Rex/Jeep scene; the closest is Burke going full dark and seemingly setting himself ablaze to kill off a dragon. Seeing as how Lantieri’s main goal was to insert higher-grade effects into a relatively smaller, cheaper movie, Komodo is something of a success.
It’s worth noting that the budget here was said to be $15 million. That’s a sizable chunk of change for what’s labeled an indie horror movie, yet for the most part, that money went to good use. Even through today’s lens, the effects hold up better than expected. Just go watch Deep Blue Sea, also from ‘99, and see how hit-or-miss that era’s CGI could be—and that movie cost way more to make than Komodo did. Sure, shooting nearly everything at night, and in the rain, helped hide the imperfections, but that method doesn’t account for the entire production.
On the special effects front, Phil Tippett, John Cox and Don Elliot all filled in for Lantieri, and their combined work is easily the highlight of Komodo. The digital dragons do outnumber the tangible ones, and you’re bound to notice the obvious head prop that routinely creeps into frame. Overall, that craftsmanship is certainly flawed, but it’s never so much so that you’re pulled out of the movie.
Komodo’s general intensity and gloominess would be a lot less bearable without its big bag of tricks. Those, of course, being the visual feats that distract from the slight script and the cursory characters. To its credit, though, Komodo does make the most of its concept.
Until modern nature horror branches out and looks elsewhere in the animal kingdom for inspiration, this remains the best movie about these living dragons.
