BOA (2002)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *drama*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *cosmological*

After 2000's PYTHON garnered some measure of popularity, its producers at UFO International tried to duplicate that success with another giant constricting snake, BOA. An alternate title for the film is NEW ALCATRAZ, the name of the site of the conflict, a "black ops" prison located in Antarctica and clandestinely maintained by thirty unnamed world nations-- which is at least a more creative locale than one sees in colossal critter flicks. However, director/screenwriter Philip J. Roth-- also a producer on both monster-serpent movies-- doesn't take maximum advantage of his script's elements.

The film's opening moments, in which a "new fish" to the prison is informed that his new home is totally off the international grid, offer some potential sociopolitical conflict, since it's a given that all of the inmates are absolute rotters, guilty of numerous acts of terrorism. The best use of this potential would have been to have the prehistoric Boa come to life and start preying upon the prisoners, who would be in the position of "undesirable heroes" as they sought to survive against both the monster and their guardians.

However, Roth sucks away that potential by using more sympathetic figures as his viewpoint characters, a married paleontologist couple, the Trentons (Dean Cain and Elizabeth Lackey). I suppose Roth, a veteran of dozens of DTV films, brought in Cain in a sympathetic role in order to help sell the film to vendors. But though Cain is as charismatic as possible here, both scientists are fairly dull when they're not reeling off factoids about prehistoric snakes, all for the benefit of a troop of American commandos sent in to rescue the inmates.

The titular monster, by the way, is not as formidable as the Python. The latter was supposed to be a genetic creation, which provided at least a mild rationale as to why the Python ignored gunfire. But the Boa's just a big snake that's been hibernating for centuries, so why does it shrug off rounds of automatic fire? 

There are a few basic "who's the snake gonna kill next" thrills to be had, but the convicts, who are billed as the "worst of the worst," aren't adequate foes for the Boa. Go back to CON AIR if you're in quest of "demented super-convict" jollies.