RATS

In a former prison, now a recovery center for various addictions, strange disappearances occur among patients and medical staff. The episodes seem to coincide with an infestation of strange and aggressive rats that populate the old basement. Only the custodian seems to know something... Movies in which animals go mad attacking anyone in their path represent a genre unto themselves, whether it's the bees of the classic "Swarm," the genetically modified cockroaches of "Mimic," or the dogs of "Breed." The use of these "actors"—often much more expressive than their human counterparts—is well-documented by the myriad of films that fill video stores. More than anything, these films are considered B-movies because, according to most critics, they use emotional mechanisms that are far too simple, playing on latent and not-so-latent phobias and paranoias, seeking an emotional payoff of undeniable ease and not wasting too much effort on developing characters and situations. The debate will remain open forever; horror fans won't give up feeding their phobias, and critics will never accept the use of cinema as an "emotional lightning rod," but this is old news; let's get to the point and talk about yet another movie about rats. No, we're not talking about the friendly rat/chef from the Disney movie or the evicted mouse from the Verbinski film, but their evil counterpart: rats that move in swarms, numerous, hungry, and once again genetically modified. Let's make one thing clear: this is yet another movie with this title; this time, the director is Tibor Takacs, a specialist in thrillers and the author of the two fun chapters of "Cabin Fever." This "Rats" has its strongest point in its setting: Brookdale, a former prison now a state-funded recovery center with serious rat problems; its custodian, who is also a patient, is a sort of new "Willard." The young man seems to possess telepathic powers that allow him to communicate with a giant rat that escaped from the laboratory that years before occupied the prison's basement, where some rats were subjected to experiments and fed human blood to study their aggressiveness and various mutations. Our custodian has the bad idea of offering hospitality to the giant rat, which gives birth to a horde of rats with red eyes and insatiable appetites that begin to make patients and medical staff disappear, throwing the institute's director (played by Ron "Hellboy" Perlman, who does a diligent acting job and never overacts) into panic. The arrival of a very special patient will trigger a series of events that will culminate in a fun, textbook ending. Technically, the film leaves something to be desired. The CGI rats are made with little care and appear unconvincing; the "figurine" effect is really irritating in the mass scenes, and the giant rat is no better—its real counterpart is a puppet that isn't even animatronic with unrealistic movements. The acting is supported by a good cast of professionals, all in parts, without standout performances, but credible and professional. Being a "Rats" thriller-horror, suspense is not lacking, and some scenes are well executed; the director is no stranger to the genre, and it shows. Calling "Rats" a good movie would be excessive: the flaws are balanced by good direction and the cast, even though the real stars are the rats, and here the film loses a lot due to the technical problems just mentioned, but if you get past these technicalities, "Rats" could turn out to be a good thriller.