Bats (1999) User Reviews

Meanwhile Back In The Bat Cave

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 12 November 2008]

Bats, a film that should have premiered on the Science Fiction channel on cable, somehow got a theatrical release. If it had been made fifty years earlier I can definitely see Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi in the part that Bob Gunton plays as the mad scientist.

The scariest thing about Bats is not the creatures themselves although they are the ugliest looking things this side of the Black Scorpion. The scariest part of the film was Bob Gunton's portrayal of the mad scientist who created this race of killer omnivirous Bats. He's identified as working for the Center For Disease Control. I was watching this figuring out how this creep got government clearance.

Yet Gunton is the most enjoyable thing in this film. And you got to love the fact that he had all these government facilities to work with, he's not hidden away in some laboratory in an old castle the way Karloff and Lugosi used to be. He's bred this race of flying fox bats from Indonesia which are aggressive to begin with and they've taken up residence in a bat cavern in Lou Diamond Phillips's county where he's the sheriff.

After several suspicious deaths with mutilation, the cause is identified and zoologists Dina Meyer and Leon Robinson are brought in to clean out the bat cave. If you care about how and if they do it by all means watch the film and the hint is, think blob.

Bats will never go down as a great science fiction classic, but it does have a certain campiness to it. And Gunton is a hoot.

Help! Save us, Batman!!

[Coventry · 4/10 · 16 August 2005]

"Bats" is not so much a 'bad' film; it's just very ordinary and déjà-vu. This is your typical creature-feature about a genetically mutated animal-species (in this case: bats, duh!) that becomes a little TOO intelligent after the experiments performed on them and turns against the creators. And of course the two escaped lab-bats infect the normal ones and pretty soon an entire Texas town is overcome by millions of carnivorous bats! It's up to zoologist Dina Meyer, her dim assistant Leon and sheriff Lou Diamond Phillips to prevent that this plague spreads itself throughout the entire United States. This film has quite a few good aspects going for it, but also too many negative ones and the latter make this is a generally unmemorable and lacking horror film. The most important positive element about "Bats" is that the screenplay doesn't waste any time! There clearly is a bat-problem and all the characters immediately acknowledge this. Usually in this type of B-movies, it takes another boring hour or so before everyone accepts that harmless little animals can turn into bloodthirsty monsters. Unfortunately, this is where the praising stops…After the no-nonsense opening sequences, the film turns into an endless series of dull clichés, lousy dialogues, bad acting and terrible special effects. In fact, there are no special effects! The numerous bat-attacks exist of wide pan-shots of the sky but when the critters eventually descend to assault their preys, everything becomes all blurry and you can't possibly make out what's happening. It's hard to take the acting leads seriously (Dina Meyer as a Doctor??) and Leon's character is just a dreadful stereotype of the petrified and witty assistant who brings some comic relief. Worth watching if you really don't have anything better to do

Seen it all before.

[Boanthrope · 4/10 · 19 May 2001]

Well, killer bats attacking people. Says it all really. This is a completely mediocre, unexciting, unoriginal example of the normally-harmless-animals-eating-people genre.

The special effects are ropey by today's standards and with it actually being difficult to convincingly depict bats (or even sometimes just a single bat) savaging a human the camerawork uses frantic, in-your-face close-ups of flapping wings and biting teeth, jumping from shot to shot and not allowing you to see what's going on properly. This soon becomes irritating.

Unfortunately, mediocrity permeates every aspect of this film. The acting isn't great, but it's not awful. The same goes for the script. As a result, it doesn't even descend into the so-bad-it's-good category (although there are one or two laughably bad moments). The film doesn't take itself too seriously though and there are a few attempts at humour.

In summary: not very good but not the worst film you'll ever see and hence, probably not worth watching.

Watchable...if you view it a certain way

[Wizard-8 · 3 July 2000]

This is not a very good movie. If I had seen it at a theater, I would have felt ripped off, certainly. But at home, I watched it with an undemanding mood, and with the feeling this was a basic update of a low budget animal-attacking movie of the '70s. Seeing it that way, the movie was good enough to pass the time. No more, but I wasn't bored.

Certainly, there's a lot of the movie that's dumb. Some of the puppets and computer generated effects look really bad. The black character is only there for humor, and his treatment is somewhat offensive. Lou Diamond Phillips can't act. Sometimes you can't tell what's going on with all the close-ups of flapping wings and bad editing.

There are a few good things. Some of the cliches I was expecting actually didn't happen. (For one thing, the authorities are quick to the danger for once.) The cinematography is excellent, and occasionally the movie has a "big" feeling that makes it look more expensive that its $6.5 million budget.

So if you like B movies, are feeling undemanding, and can see it cheaply or for free, you might want to give it a try.

"I don't know about the rest of you but I don't like anything climbing higher up the food chain than me, period." Sort of OK in a rubbish way.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 29 November 2005]

Bats starts late one night in 'Gallup, Texas' where a young couple Quint (Tim Whitaker) & Emma (Juliana Johnson) are waiting at a level crossing for a train to pass, however as they wait they are attacked by bats & killed. Cut to 'Skull Valley, Arizona' & Dr. Sheila Casper (Dina Meyer) is the foremost expert in her field, the field of bats. So it comes as no surprise that sinister Government black suit wearing official Dr. Tobe Hodge (Carlos Jacott) asks for her help & expertise. Together with her assistant Jimmy (Leon) Dr. Casper is flown to the small Texas town of Gallup where Sheriff Emmett Kimsey (Lou Diamond Phillips) is trying to work out what happened to Quint & Emma, step in Hodge & genetic scientist Dr. Alexander MaCabe (Bob Gunton) who explain that they have created a new sort of bat, they have taken an ordinary Flying Fox & genetically enhanced it so they are more intelligent, stronger, bigger, work together & are totally hostile to any other living creature, oh & they also carry a viral disease which would infect other bats & turn them into vicious killing machines too. Even though they don't like it Dr. Casper & Sheriff Kinsey decide to help in order to save the town, however it soon become apparent that it won't be as easy as they first thought & it's not long before the entire town of Gallup is under attack from the winged killers...

Directed by Louis Morneau I thought Bats was an OK film in a brain-dead rubbishy sort of way, it isn't going to win any awards but for what it was I quite liked it (emphasis on the word 'quite'). The script by John Logan moves along at a nice pace & is never really boring or overly dull but is stuffed with loads of horror film clichés, the stuffy female scientist who starts to loosen up & become romantically involved with the brave hero, the annoying obligatory black comic relief character, the evil scientist who cares for nothing but his experiments & is finally killed by them, the shady Government figure, the heavy-handed military who are all gung-ho & cause almost as many problem's as the bats themselves, the disbelieving (at first) local townspeople & the isolated location. It's all here folks but it's done in a reasonably entertaining way that passes an hour and a half painlessly enough I suppose. The film lacks any real violence or gore, apart from an autopsy scene at the start Bats doesn't have enough of the red stuff. The climax where a swarm of bats are chasing our heroes through some mine shafts is fairly decent & manages to create some excitement although I'm not sure two human beings could outrun 1000's of genetically enhanced (bigger, better & badder than your average bat) bats in a straight race...

Director Morneau keeps things moving along, doesn't spend too much time on silly unnecessary character development & doesn't seem to take it all too seriously. However the bat attacks are annoyingly edited, loads of ultra quick cuts, so much so that it becomes confusing as to whats happening. Don't expect to see much during these scenes as it really does become a bit of a blur, maybe they are presented this way to hide the special effects up? The bats themselves look pretty cool although it's obvious their puppets.

With a supposed budget of about $6,500,000 Bats looks OK & is generally well made but that sounds like a lot of money considering what ended up on screen. The photography, music & production values are good if not spectacular while the special effects alternate between CGI & rubber puppets, both of which have their fair share of effects that work & effects that don't. The acting was OK but no one stands out except the token black comedy relief guy Leon who becomes highly irritating.

Bats isn't the best horror film ever made that's for sure, but it's far from the worst either. On a dumb predictable sort of level I thought it was watchable, worth a watch for horror fans but others may find it all rather silly & stupid.

Poor Bob Gunton. He deserves better.

[Hey_Sweden · 5/10 · 4 April 2015]

After revisiting this 1990s update of the classic "nature strikes back" genre of the 1970s, this viewer can say that he has warmed up to it a bit. It's of absolutely no real distinction, but adequate directing and acceptable acting manage to overcome a VERY routine script. An unending multitude of killer bats (that have been genetically engineered, naturally) are unleashed on a sleepy Texas burg. Among our heroes are a laid back sheriff (Lou Diamond Phillips), a bat expert (Dina Meyer), and her assistant (Leon).

The script by John Logan is stupid and clichéd, and unfortunately treats the assistant character as a comedy relief stereotype. It's also kind of hard to feel sorry for the many townspeople in the movies' big set piece when they prove too dumb to get the Hell out of Dodge. The execution does manage to make this reasonably entertaining, with a fair bit of intense action and some moderate suspense. The effects, unfortunately, are mostly pretty poor. The puppets are not the best work that KNB has ever done, and the digital FX are purely laughable. At the very least, there's some pleasing widescreen photography and scenic locations. Some horror fans may also be pleased with the fairly high body count.

Phillips is likable in the hero role; he's at least more convincing here as a cop than he was in "The First Power". The real standout is the lovely Meyer: not only is she excellent eye candy, but her character is very smart, very strong, and very capable. Leon is wasted in his role. That brings us to the matter of Bob Gunton, a superb veteran character actor who has one of the most embarrassing roles of his career. Cast as the requisite mad scientist, you'll likely be left shaking your head at the flimsiness of his motivation.

NOT an altogether bad movie, but also far from being a good one. Fortunately, it's relatively short.

Five out of 10.

Treats Its Audience Like Idiots

[Theo Robertson · 3/10 · 25 November 2005]

Horror is a very poorly regarded genre and you'll notice that the IMDb top 250 movies has a lack of horror movies in the list . Hardly surprising since much of these plots revolve around characters doing stupid things . As soon as someone says " Don't go into the woods at night " you know fine well what will happen . It's always puzzled me why the heroes go to Castle Dracula at midnight to kill the vampire when their task would have been much simpler if they'd waited till day break . BATS continues this type of trend but what makes it worse is the way it treats its audience like total idiots

Take the heroine Dr Sheila Caspar whose employed by a government agency because she's the world's most renowned expert on bats . The thing is that she can't be a day over 25 ! How long did she spend at university studying bats ? Two minutes ? It's a sad day indeed when the world's most renowned expert on anything looks barely old enough to frequent a bar . I suppose this is possibly forgivable since the producers thought no one over 18 would watch this ( They might actually be correct ) so decided to make the heroine sexy

What isn't forgivable is that BATS lacks any type of internal continuity or logic . In fact it's downright offensive on this score . The bats ( Which have to be seen to be believed ) attack a small town . What would you do if a swarm of bats attacked your town ? Would you lock yourself in a cupboard ? I know I would but for some incomprehensible reason people walking down a street don't seem to notice them until it's their turn to be attacked and despite people screaming and crashing their trucks which then explode people drinking in a bar don't seem to notice the chaos for a full five minutes . It also goes without saying that when one of the heroes is attacked they can literally fight off dozens of the critters but one bite from a single bat is enough to kill a nameless extra . If this was a STAR TREK episode most people would be wearing a red top

I notice that during the attack on the town the local cinema is showing NOSFERATU which seems to indicate a post modernist sophistication on the part of the makers but again would a small American town be showing legendary silent movies at the local cinema ? Highly unlikely and everything else in this movie indicates that the producers thought the target audience were complete and total idiots

Mad, Bat, and Tedious to Watch

[martinchorich · 2/10 · 12 September 2020]

I really can't say much a) that hasn't been said before b) as I switched it off after 36 minutes. Two things stood out: You don't have to be woke to find the African American sidekick a cringe inducing stereotype. When the small town movie theater marquee featured "Nosferatu," film schools have ruined everything. Overall a poor, cynical, and schlocky-and not in a good way.

Holy bat poop, Sheriff!

[michaelRokeefe · 4/10 · 26 August 2000]

The sleepy desert town of Gallup, Texas is terrorized by a large swarm of mutant bats. Sheriff Emmett Kinsey, played by Lou Diamond Phillips, needs help protecting his township from the large bats that not only are carrying a virus, but also are feeding on the towns people. A zoologist that is an expert on bat behavior, Dr. Sheila Casper comes to the rescue. Dr. Casper is played by Dina Meyer and not only is she smart, but she is top of the line eye candy. The bats are discovered roosting in an old mine shaft and the sheriff and bat doctor find themselves knee deep in bat poop.

This really is not that bad of a movie for a low budget thriller. The bat attacks do look pretty gruesome. The camera angles and lighting make the attacks seems very realistic. I mean for big ass bats coming out of the big West Texas sky.

Also in the cast are: Bob Gunton, Carlos Jacott and Leon, whose previous claim to fame is appearing in Madonna music videos. Creepier as the night grows darker. Give this one a try.

Nice chiller starred by flying foxes , fast-paced , and well directed by Morneau

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 5 May 2008]

Absolutely surprising carnivorous bats tale , derived from abysmal story . The film starts in Skull Valley , Arizona, where the scientific Casper (Dina Meyer) and his assistant Jimmy (Leon) are investigating about bats . They're brought by a government scientist (Bob Gunton) to a small town called Callup , in Texas . There appears a pack of carnivorous bats that prey on citizens , terrorizing the small community . The chiroptera specialist Casper , his helper , along with a policeman (Lou Diamond Phillips) attempt to stop the genetically altered flying foxes before the military comes into action , bombing the caves.

This is a slam-bang chiller about flying foxes , full of scares and lots of blood and gore . It delivers the goods with suspense , tension and hair-raising chills ; plus , the astonishing special effects of this nature , as the ferocious bats seem alive . It's an eerily effective thriller , quite entertaining , though many will undoubtedly find repulsive when the bats attack and eat their victims . The tale can't bear such close scrutiny , but while this thrills ride is going, you won't mind . With a final budget of 5.25 million, the film went on to gross well over 30 million worldwide in theatrical , DVD , Digital and Television sales . Although considered somewhat unsuccessful at the time, the film recouped its entire budget during its first week of release . The vampire bats are splendidly made by means of Animatronics in charge of Robert Zurtzman , Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger . The bats in the film were a combination of Animatronics, CGI , and 2 live bats. The 2 original bats in the film were brought over from Indonesia . The acting is uneven , an attractive Dina Meyer , Lou Diamond Phillips as the patrolman who along with the scientific facing off the creepy bats and killing them in their caves . Bob Gunton is an oddball baddie acting as a mad doctor and the comic relief in charge of Leon .

Interesting screenplay by John Logan , today writer for blockbusters (Aviator , Last Samurai , Star Trek : nemesis , Time machine) . Produced in just under 6 months , the picture continues to hold one of the top spots for fastest produced 35mm feature films to receive a wide-release . The motion picture was well directed by Louis Morneau , in his best movie . He's a B series director, with no much success (Hitcher 2 , Retroactive , Quake , Soldier Boyz , Carnosaur 2). With similar premise , ten years earlier (79) was shot the movie titled ¨Nightwing¨¨ directed by Arthur Hiller with Nick Mancuso , David Warner and Kathryn Harrold , but it was a flop, this one is a superior film .

It will probably get an Oscar or something...

[djjoed · 1/10 · 13 June 2000]

Wow, what an amazing movie. The computer that was able to locate bats coming through some kind of radar really impressed me. I need that program for my computer. Too bad it only exists in the wonderful world of "Bats". I am really happy to have spent $4.50 on this movie... because I realized just how one can waste millions of dollars on plastic bats that are of lower realistic quality than a Pizza Hut "Land Before Time" puppet. I mean seriously, this was a completely ridiculous journey through suck land. I have made better movies by accidentally hitting the record button on my camera while the lens cap was on... at Lame-Fest '98. Anyway, run away from this movie at all costs... even your life. Because you'll probably end up snapping your own neck to relieve yourself from the eyeball torture that "Bats" induces. If someone gives you this movie as a gift, do the following; cry and tell the person you have never been so insulted in your life; then slap/punch them; burn the movie and spend $25,000 to have the ashes sent to into space; move 2000 miles away and never talk to that person again. Yes, it is that bad.

I'm shocked how low this movie is rated, it's FUN

[turtleandnoise · 10/10 · 18 January 2004]

This is a fun, fun film that's worth having fun with it despite many of the reviews to the contrary. I enjoyed the cheesy aspect of this film, it's almsot classic watching Lou Diamond Philips shoot bats. It's in the vein of They Live and movies of fun campy nature. Don't let the low rating fool you. See it, enjoy it.

Very silly but fun.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 5 September 2014]

Bats is a very generic late-'90s killer animal flick that follows most of the genre rules to the letter. All of the expected characters are present and correct—untrustworthy government scientist, brave local sheriff, doomed-to-die deputy, dedicated (and sexy) animal expert, wise-cracking sidekick—and the plot develops in an extremely predictable manner, opening with young couple alone in the dark falling victim to the bats, before introducing a whole townful of potential victims, and climaxing with our brave heroes risking their lives in a showdown against the deadly critters.

It all gets very silly at times, with perhaps the most unbelievable scene being the securing and electrification of a whole school by just four people in the space of a few hours, but it still proves to be quite a bit of fun, director Louis Morneau keeping the action moving at such a swift pace that such nonsense is fairly easy to forgive (unlike the director's tendency to 'skew', stretch and blur the image during the frenzied bat attacks, which I found bloody irritating).

What really helps to elevate this formulaic nonsense to slightly-above-average are the solid cast and some fairly decent special effects. Dina Meyer (of Starship Troopers fame) and Lou Diamond Phillips make for a likable protagonists, and Leon is far less objectionable as 'token comedy relief black guy' than one might expect. As for the bats, they're a mixture of more than reasonable CGI and nifty puppetry from KNB; my only gripe, FX-wise, is a lack of splatter—a bit more gore would have been very welcome.

CGI creatures in an overly familiar monster flick

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 14 January 2011]

Twenty years after Hollywood made NIGHTWING they decided to tackle the subject of killer bats once again with results that turn out to be less than inspired.

It's not that BATS is a particularly bad film; it isn't. It ticks all of the boxes and runs through the scenarios with a modicum of energy and drive. The problem is, as with most Hollywood films made recently, a series lack of originality or indeed intelligence. BATS turns out to be cheesy and predictable in equal measures, delivering up its threat of genetically-modified bats without much in the way of passion or intrigue.

The plot follows the likes of THE BIRDS and other classics fairly closely. Moments between the set-pieces are dull, while the bat attacks are spoiled by some average CGI effects work (Hitchcock's superimposed birds are still superior to the creatures here). In close up, the rubbery menaces are about as realistic as the bats in Hammer's SCARS OF Dracula; not Greg Nicotero's finest moment, that's for sure.

Cast-wise, it's pretty lacklustre. Lou Diamond Phillips goes through the motions and STARSHIP TROOPERS' Dina Meyer displays a singular lack of presence. Leon's character reveals everything that's wrong with Hollywood's reliance on the clichéd "funny black guy" in otherwise straight films. All in all a largely forgettable movie that disappeared as quickly as it arrived; go back to Hitchcock for a decent winged-menace movie.

What's the Problem?

[BaronBl00d · 20 August 2000]

What is all the commotion about with regard to this movie? So many people seem genuinely ticked off at it....and I am just curious about their expectations before seeing it. My expectations were realistic...meaning I didn't expect much, nor was I disappointed in my expectations. This film is bad, yet in a way fairly entertaining. Like many films of its ilk it is not trying to be taken too seriously. We can tell this by the compact acting styles, the huge loopholes in plot, and the horrendous dialogue. None of the actors are particularly good. The CGI effects are dismal, and when the bats attack close-up one cannot see anything in the blurred action. Watching it I almost felt it looked a bit like Gremlins, only to be taken seriously and without the professionalism of all concerned in that film. On the other hand, there are many ways your time could be used less effectively...personally I like watching bad movies....especially a bad movie you can sit through and not be bored out of your mind with. Bats is just that ...a bad movie you can sit through.

Watchable if you are into bats...

[insomniac_rod · 4/10 · 23 December 2006]

Well I must admit that the Christmas spirit has invaded me and that's why I won't be too harsh with "Bats" and I will try to be objective.

Well the movie has some decent f/x and a good premise. I mean, there aren't much Horror movies with bats. The cheesy plot was decent and served for the movie's purpose. Bats are horrific creatures that somehow, through history, have been linked with Dracula and other demonic situations. The truth is that this movie exploits them in such a way that they are considered to be dangerous.

I was skeptic with it but I'm glad I was right. This is a very bad bad movie if you are the kind of movie fanatic that pays attention to production values and plot development.

Watch "Bats" for what it is : a cheesy, regular B-movie disguised as a big budget Horror movie.

I watched it only because it was the last movie of the Horror section in Blockbuster. See? This is why Blockbuster is about to go in bankruptcy.

low budget schlock,but entertaining a times (4.5/10)

[disdressed12 · 5/10 · 31 December 2008]

this is a strange little movie.i mean it's very low budget and mostly poorly acted,perhaps on purpose.i'd swear it was done tongue in cheek yet at the same time it seems to take itself seriously.it has some pretty cringe worthy dialogue to say the least,and the story is quite silly,in my mind.at the same time though,it is fairly fun,and some of the characters are interesting.it's no masterpiece.in fact far from it.but i did find it a passably entertaining diversion.if you keep you expectation level really low for this movie,you might get some enjoyment out of it.it wasted around 85 minutes or so(not counting the end credits.it's not memorable,and once it's over,you'll forget all about it.for me,Bats is a 4.5/10

Agree, script needed more work, effects were OK

[punkin_flats · 4/10 · 27 May 2005]

I try to read the comments on IMDb before we watch particular rental movies. Most of what I read on this one hit the mark. My husband fondly (?) remembers Dina Meyer (Dr. Sheila Casper) as a nude redhead in Starship Troopers. He said she was better looking than Denise Richards. She reminded me of a young Erika Eliniak, but in a more natural, non-enhanced sense if you know what I mean. Looking at her biography on IMDb.Com, she is indeed very talented and very smart. Lou Diamond Phillips and Bob Gunton brought a sense of dignity to the mostly improbable script. Also, Lou looked believable in his sheriff outfit. The whole thing reminded me a lot of The Birds, but not as scary. Also, in reply to another posting from SAMLCITR, I never did see the air conditioning unit being shut off after the blasts. Seeing this movie reminded me of a section in Candace Bergen's autobiography. She was on location for "Bite The Bullet" and was horrified at the (in her opinion) lousy script. She was complaining about it loud and long it to everyone in earshot. Gene Hackman turned to her and said, "you take a bad script and you work with it. That's what acting is about." (or something to that effect).

Saw this at a movie theater and thought it was dumb fun.

[justin-fencsak · 3/10 · 24 May 2020]

I saw the trailer for this movie before The Sixth Sense, thinking it was gonna be silly. I was wrong. Bats is probably the worst bat animal movie ever made. Skip it and see something else instead.

Run-of-the-mill creature feature

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 29 December 2014]

Released to USA theaters during Halloween in 1999, "Bats" is a nature-runs-amok flick about government-funded mutated bats that have escaped and are harassing the citizens of a West Texas town. The Sheriff (Lou Diamond Phillips) teams-up with a bat expert (Dina Meyer) and her amusing sidekick (Leon) to save the town and, actually, all of North America. Bob Gunton plays the semi-mad scientists who created the genetically-engineered diabolical creatures.

This is a solid creatures-on-the-loose movie with a quality cast and a lot of thrills, but it never rises above run-of-the-mill for a few reasons: For one, there's no interesting subtext. This is a film about mutated bats threatening a town and the people who try to vanquish them; that's it. While there's nothing wrong with such an approach, it can only be successful IF the creatures are interesting enough, like 1972's excellent "Gargoyles," but I personally don't find bats that interesting. Don't get me wrong, the filmmakers did their best to make the creatures as malevolent, hideous and formidable as possible, but they're still bats. Another negative is that there's no female eye candy beyond the alluring main protagonist, Dina Meyer, and they don't do anything with her besides showcasing her stunning face. I'm not suggesting nudity or anything pornographic here -- not at all -- but professional filmmakers are able to take advantage of the female resources at their disposal and this film doesn't do that.

"Bats" strikes me as a decent TV creature feature -- decent, not great or even really good -- and I find it hard to believe that it was a theatrical release.

The film runs 91 minutes and was shot in Utah.

GRADE: C+

This Is NOT As Bad As Critics Say!

[FiendishDramaturgy · 7/10 · 13 May 2007]

As usual, I find myself on the opposing side of the critics. This movie has NO BUSINESS in the bottom 100 here at IMDb! It's FAR from a masterpiece, but it's also just as far from deserving that low a rating.

As is often the case, whenever you have a good monster/creature feature, lurking somewhere in the shadows is a mad scientist. Such is the case in this film. In fact, I found the mad scientist a tad too mad. I think that is the main contributor to the low ratings this movie receives here at IMDb. The "doctor's" performance went WAY over the top. Well, he's supposed to be insane, but he plays it like pure camp, and that's horribly out of place in this otherwise serious work concerning a lab experiment gone awry...or has it?

The animated/CGI bats are well done, and all performances besides the doctor are enjoyable and on target. Unfortunately, he was bad enough to have brought down the whole film.

This is fun, generates some good suspense, and isn't afraid to show you the nemesis. The story itself is quite competent to hold up, and does, IF you can ignore the wretched performance given by Bob Gunton. I must say that I do not believe it to be wholly his fault, as he has given some great performances in the past, and since. The fault must lie with the director, Louis Morneau, who has never done much of note.

I like this film and can enjoy it, in spite of the doctor, and do find myself watching it from time to time.

It rates a 6.8/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Poor Lou Diamond Phillips..... Poor, poor Lou Diamond Phillips...

[zmaturin · 1/10 · 4 December 1999]

I was going to write a long, involved review citing every atrocity this movie flings forth on the screen, but I won't. It would just be rubbing it in. This movie is bad, yes, but it is actually more on the "pathetic" side. Pathetic, and sad, and depressing.

Towards the end there is a scenes where fake rubber bats are just hung on a fence and shaken by an off-screen stage hand. Later Lou Diamond Phillips wrestles a big bat dummy while sitting in a big puddle of bat guano.

This movie fails in every single possible way. Do not see it. Please. How this got made and into theaters confounds me. I mean, it's better than "Double Jeopardy", sure, but what movie isn't? Anyhoo, Bats: Keep Away.

Bats!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 16 November 2004]

I really like this film Bats! Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Bob Gunton, and Leon stars in this picture. The movie in My opinion has non-stop Bat action! The actors especially Phillips and Meyer have very good performances. I like the way the movie is filmed. Everything is bright and I think that the camera work is awesome! The Bats are really neat and scary looking little creatures. I love the effects when they fly every where and across the moon! The music by Graeme Revell is very good. Everything else is very good in this movie. I don't know why it is currently on the IMDb bottom 100: #84. I have no clue. The film in My opinion has just about everything and the killer Bats are great! I recommend everyone who loves monster films to ignore the bad rating and comments and watch Bats today because its great film and I strongly recommend it!

What a Treasure of the DTV B-movie Creature Features of the 90's video era!!!

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 21 April 2021]

"Bats" was a treasure i found on the shelves of Blockbuster video way back in the 90's, a great time to be obsessed with movies like i was as there was constantly new & exciting looking movies out all the time & with Cool artwork on the covers & one that caught my eye was BATS.

The case looks Awesome & the cast was great with the super stunning & beautiful DINA MEYER, who i loved from Starship Troopers, here she was with the Cool LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS (Young Guns flicks) as the two leads in a Creature Feature about killer mutant Bats & i was sold.

Although "Bats" is a B-movie at heart it still had a very decent budget of around 5 million & every penny is well spent in it's production. The look & setting is perfect B-movie Horror with it's All American little town that gets attacked by mutant bats, it's a great setting that felt like "Critters" or something & our two leads are great together with sexy Meyer as an expert/scientist type & Philips as the tough local Sheriff, a perfect old school 1950's sci-fi B-movie story just transported to the 90's.

The special effects are fantastic as they use everything from practical puppets & c.g.i to real Bats & all expertly done. Great mutant bat designs.

The music is exciting & there's some really thrilling set pieces such as the Town attack sequence!!! A few years later i felt the same sort of sequence of the towns full attack was very similar in another Throwback B-movie Creature Feature called "Eight Legged Freaks" the big budget spider movie. I love these small towns under attack from creatures films & "Bats" is one of my favourites, a real GEM.

"Bats" is pure 90's Monster fun & a great late-night film & a treasure amongst the B-movies of the 90's & with two good leads.

This is what the direct-to-video market was all about, good entertainment & a fun nights viewing.

Bats

[Scarecrow-88 · 2/10 · 10 April 2007]

Two huge virus-based bats from Indonesia escape from mad scientist Dr. McCabe's lab infecting others in the dusty realm of small Gallup, Texas where Sheriff Kimsey(Lou Diamond Phillips)finds citizens being attacked viciously. The Center for Disease Control call on Dr. Casper(Dina Meyer)to help figure out how to stop the bats from spreading the infection on bats throughout the country. She is bewildered at why fruit bats would turn carnivorous, assaulting humans and finds that McCabe designed for them to do so. When asked why McCabe would design these bats to do such things, he answers, "Because we're scientists. That's what we do." Okey dokey. With help from Casper's partner Jimmy(Leon), she'll assist Kimsey in trying to trap the "roost"(this is a term describing the entire bat group collectively in one location)annihilating everyone of them before they have a chance to move on to another spot. But, will McCabe allow them to destroy the monsters he created(..for the military..*yawn*)? And, better yet, will the bats comply to their wishes of staying put? In the center of the film, Gallup is attacked by the swarming bats with people dropping dead one after the other.

Really, really stupid "animals run amok" flick doesn't have a smart bone in it's body. And, the director tries convincing us with rubber bats(which look like rubber bats)through dizzying editing techniques and blurry stretches of the camera lens as they attack. Truth be told, they are about as menacing as Kermit the frog. Even worse, they expect us to believe that bats can throw a large male through a windshield while tossing others grown men through windowed doors. The film is an unintentionally hilarious monster flick. The cast try their best with a dumb plot.