merklekranz
First the good news, the movie is only 93 minutes long. Now the really good news, you can turn it off after the first half hour and spend the other hour watching your clock tick. It will prove more interesting than finishing "Unearthed". Scenes with a frantic wobbling camera that are illuminated only with flashlights and glow-sticks, will leave you in the dark about what is going on. Not that you will be missing anything, because you've seen this monster on the loose plot dozens of times already. It goes something like this, people and animals killed, more people killed, monster killed....................................... end of story. - MERK
Claudio Carvalho
In the desert area of Hat Creek, cows are found partially devoured and the farmers believe that a wolf is attacking the cattle. The alcoholic Sheriff Annie Flynn (Emmanuelle Vaugier) is called by the local farmer Rob Horn (M.C. Gainey) to witness the remains of an animal to request reimbursement from the government and for an accident with a tank truck that is blocking the road. However, Annie sooner discovers that an ancient alien creature sent to annihilate life on Earth hundreds of years ago was released by the Indian Kale (Luke Goss) during an archaeological excavation in the desert. The Indian Caya (Beau Garrett) and a group of travelers stranded in the spot without gas together with Annie and Kale try to find a means to destroy the alien and save mankind.Watching "Unearthed" is a waste of time, since the forgettable story is nothing but a collection of clichés. Most of the characters are unpleasant and non-charismatic and the lead character is actually the anti-heroine Annie Flynn that is a drunken sheriff tormented by the accidental death of an Indian girl. The scene of Caya and the alien creature is another ridiculous rip-off of the classic scene of "Alien" with Sigourney Weaver. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "Aniquilação" ("Annihilation")
couchfry-2
You mention similarity to the film Relic but it seems to me that Unearthed is a slightly altered form of the story line of the popular film Tremors. The doughty townsfolk of a small, isolated town band together to battle creatures that suddenly appear from underground. The town is conveniently cut off by something blocking the only road. The creatures seem to be of this earth but unknown until now. But where Tremors had humor and excitement and great special effects, this film has nothing. While watching Tremors it's easy to believe these creatures are real. While watching Unearthed I was constantly jarred by changes in sound level and inexplicable changes in mood from a psychological study of a young, female sheriff to a typical monster slasher film with odd bits of Indian legend and modern science thrown in. Add the dark, fuzzy action scenes and you have a real mess. It's like a stew made by an inept cook. Go rent a copy of Tremors and avoid watching Unearthed. You'll be glad you did.
Backlash007
~Spoiler~ And some films should too. Unearthed was one of the few After Dark films from this year's fest I was really looking forward to. The sole reason I was anxiously awaiting this film was because of director Matthew Leutwyler. His previous movie, Dead and Breakfast, is one of the best and most fun midnite movies I've ever seen. I'm hoping this was just the sophomore slump in effect, because Unearthed sucks. There's no nicer way to put it. The plot follows a band of characters trapped in a small town where a creature who was responsible for wiping out an Indian tribe a hundred years ago has been...unearthed. We've seen this scenario a million times and the real classics are either the ones that started it or the ones that did it differently. This is nothing different. In fact, this played very much like a Sci-fi Channel flick. The characters are dull, the creature is obviously, and tiresomely, Giger-influenced, and the CG is really lame. The cast even has some good names and no one particularly stood out. Emmanuelle Vaugier (Saw II) and Luke Goss (Blade II) are the main stars, while M.C. Gainey and Russell Means provide some background support. And let me just ask what in the hell Charlie Murphy is doing in this movie? If he was supposed to be the comic relief, he didn't get any funny lines. Sadly, Unearthed is another one for the fire.
AD
