Uncaged

With movies like Uncaged, the trick is to find a workable balance between the horror and the tongue-in-cheek. While not as successful in this regard as Anaconda, Uncaged does a more than adequate job of thrilling its audience while maintaining that monster-movie twinkle in its eye (a dog is named ‘Simba,’ for example. Wink-wink.). Uncaged knows what it is.

The script by writer-director, Dick Maas, is a little heavy on expounding the relationships between the characters, which should be of secondary concern in a movie like this. As a result, the film feels a little talky at times. Von Winden, Looman, Krul, and Frost infuse the film with lots of energy and charm, yet their characters are all one-dimensional placeholders, so none of them really deserves any more than the most perfunctory attention in terms of character development. The real star of Uncaged, as with any worthy movie of this ilk, is the carnage that the wild snake, shark, alligator, lion, what have you, causes to the citizens of whatever city, village, or town that the story takes place in.

“The animatronic lion is convincing and menacing as hell…”

The big question remains, though, is whether a lean, mean, quickie like Uncaged brings the giddy fun? The answer is an emphatic, yes! The animatronic lion is convincing and menacing as hell, quietly scoping out its prey before the kill. Those kills are appropriately cartoonish and gruesome, particularly the wonderfully gory finale: bloodhounds and thrill-seekers alike will squeal in morbid delight.

Uncaged is the kind of movie that we need every so often: an unabashed funhouse existing for the singular purpose of entertaining the ticket buyer. One thing is for sure; you’ll never look at The Lion King the same way again!