The Yeti

Atmospheric, spooky, and well shot. But is it actually any good? Let us nerd out on the critically panned creature feature The Yeti and see if it truly deserves its abysmal 3.7 rating on IMDb.

The movie starts off well enough. It features great ambient lighting, a heavy mood, and a spooky setup. A man knocking in the night is suddenly interrupted as he is pulled straight up through the roof and bloodily ripped to shreds. Then we cut to a campy press conference loaded with stereotypical and uninspired characters. It fails to gel and isn't continued through the rest of the movie. It's jarring and unwelcome.. The two scenes feel like completely different directors were at the helm. Thankfully, we eventually cut back to a rescue crew. This stylistically jumps right back to the grim tone of the intro, which is much appreciated.

The cinematography and lighting are working overtime here. They are doing all the heavy lifting where the script is severely lacking. The shots deep in the forest are genuinely beautiful. They help bolster the intense feeling of isolation and the terror of the unknown. The first glimpse of the beast is kept brief and appears to be practical. The sound effects are a little generic, but the monster looks good.

Unfortunately, things slow to a crawl as the team gets stranded and picked off one by one. No new ground is tread here, and nothing too entertaining happens for a massive stretch of the second act. There are some attempts at character development, but they fall flat. It is not painfully unwatchable, but the cast completely lacks any natural charisma.

The full reveal of the Yeti is less impressive than the glimpse prior. It is still a practical suit and does an admirable job. It looks very reminiscent of the killer apes from Congo. However, the suit is incredibly bulky and poorly articulated. It does not allow the actor a chance to really move like a savage, agile monster should. This is especially noticeable in the feet. The face looks fantastic, though. It heavily reminds me of the troll from Ernest Scared Stupid.

Then we get a little twist. Ellie's dad is actually okay, and he has been living out in the wild with the Yeti. He has even captured a baby Yeti, much to Ellie's chagrin. He dramatically declares he will run off with the little one to distract the Mama Yeti, stating that Ellie does not need him anymore. So, essentially, this entire bloody rescue mission could have been avoided if they had just stayed home.

Overall, The Yeti is not as bad as expected, but it is certainly not great. The characters are forgettable and the writing stays purely at surface level. The best aspects are absolutely the framing and lighting. They did more than their fair share of the work, but the film still comes up short overall.

If you are looking for a good old fashioned Bigfoot yarn, something akin to Predator meets a cryptozoology documentary, check out the book Bigfoot: The Vietnam Defensive Declassified. It is great, paint by numbers action schlock loaded with badass characters and requires minimal brainpower to enjoy. Steer clear of its sequel, though. It is a total cash grab with absolutely no fulfilling conclusion.