I have loved giant monster wreaking havoc on cities movies since I was a kid, but as I get older, I empathize equally with the people and the creature. While I don’t kill spiders because they kill insects, I think that they are rather smart and creepy so with no danger of empathy ruining my viewing enjoyment, I was psyched to see Big Ass Spider!
Big Ass Spider! is a mix of sci fi/1950s monster era movies meets comedy. Greg Grunberg, who is best known for his work as an affable and unlikely spy in Alias and an affable and unlikely person with powers in Heroes, plays an affable and unlikely savior, an exterminator, against the Big Ass Spider! In order to defray the costs of exorbitant medical bills, he offers to take care of a sudden infestation that is not as innocuous as he initially thinks. He teams up with a hospital security guard as his job intersects with a top-secret government experiment gone awry. Will he finally achieve success and love or will he still be an impoverished entrepreneur?
Big Ass Spider! was amusing, and I really enjoyed the camaraderie between Grunberg and Lombardo Boyer, who plays the security guard, but it was not as funny as I thought it would be. When the Big Ass Spider! goes on the rampage, it is not gruesome so sensitive viewers should not be scared to watch it. The kick ass chick turns into a damsel in distress in order to bolster the hero’s fortune, which was predictable, but not enjoyable. The cast of Big Ass Spider! is pretty amazing. Patrick Bachau, best known as the psychiatrist in The Pretender, plays the doctor in Big Ass Spider!. Ray Wise also makes an appearance as the head of the military operation, and he is always fun to watch.
If you are a fan of the cast or adore monster movies, give Big Ass Spider! a chance, but it is not funny enough or terrifying enough to be memorable, only a mildly amusing and entertaining diversion.