LARVA

In a small Missouri town dedicated to livestock farming, cattle begin to mysteriously die due to a parasite that devours animals from within. A young veterinarian recently arrived in town begins to investigate and discovers that the parasite that killed the animals is the result of a mutation affecting simple bovine parasites, altered at the molecular level by a forage herbicide experimented with by a local research laboratory. Soon, humans also become infested with the parasite. A small film produced for a science fiction series aired on cable TV and mysteriously also reached Italian video rental stores. "Larva" (this is the original title, translated in Italy with the less appetizing "Metamorphosis") tells a story with rather original ideas, although the development is similar to one of the many episodes of the series "X-files" with a touch of social criticism of the American diet, frequently based on the consumption of beef, and of pharmaceutical lobbies that concentrate their interests to the detriment of the citizen's health. In this case, the bearer of all blame is portrayed by a wealthy suburban entrepreneur, resembling the classic Texan industrialist with a cowboy hat, the county's top beef producer and involved in serious genetic experiments on forage for his animals. As science fiction and horror have often taught us, very little good comes from science, and even less so if one attempts to scientifically alter organic materials; thus, simple parasites invisible to the human eye mutate into bloodthirsty bats. The choice of the look of the mutated parasites is probably the most unfortunate of the entire film: it is understandable the reference to "Alien," with the little monsters bursting out of the human abdomen like the xenomorph parasites of the series started by Ridley Scott, but why should worms take the form of large bats once they exit the human body? This doubt remains with the viewer, who cannot even be consoled by the computer graphics realization of the said monsters, which often appear artificial; but the low budget of the film amply justifies this shortcoming. Another weak point of "Larva" is the sometimes slow pace that suffers too much from the television nature of the film, with dead spots that penalize the viewer's attention (above all, the monotonous monster hunt in the hospital). Add to this the actors with non-existent appeal, including the protagonist played by the inexpressive Vincent Ventresca ("Invisible Man" and "C.S.I.") and his sidekick William Forsythe ("Once Upon a Time in America" and "The Devil's Rejects"), thus completing the picture of a truly unremarkable television production. An interesting story, therefore, used for a film that will soon be forgotten by the viewer.