I saw Mongolian Death Worm as I had nothing better to do and had some time on my hands. I don't consider it an abomination, but there was a lot wrong with it. Sean Patrick Flanery tried his hardest with his role, and I liked the character of the Sheriff, but that was pretty much it. The special effects are very poor most of the time, the worms are cheaply designed and are not thrilling or terrifying let alone very well used, the direction was lazy and the editing didn't seem very focused to me. The dialogue was so cheesy and aimless it was enough to make me cringe in embarrassment, the story more times than not was dull and predictable with far too many suspend disbelief moments to be remotely believable, and the characters are not interesting and little more than clichés. Other than Flanery, the acting whether phoned in or over-played is terrible. Overall, a bad film but I've seen worse. 3/10 Bethany Cox
32 Reviews
Death Worm(s).....but not of Mongolia
kmcali7621 July 2010
I, too, am a sucker for a wonderfully terrible Sci Fi movie. This movie has been somewhat entertaining. There are a bushel of bad actors,terrible special effects, and awful story line. But, my greatest disappointment has not been in the aforementioned attributes. But, in the fact that this movie was not filmed in Mongolia. More like Podunk,Montana or Lampshade, North Dakota. When first choosing to watch this movie, I thought of "Centipede," a wonderfully awful film actually filmed in India...which made it that much better (worse). I jest, but the landscape of the film is in contrast to it's title....a definite disappointment for me.
Mongolian Death Worm, I believe was fair movie, however, there was several minor errors, in the movie itself.
sixaja2823 May 2014
Mongolian Death Worm, I believe was fair movie, however, there was several minor errors, in the movie itself. First of the minor errors ( i.e plot over-sites ) was that though-out the entire movie there was no actual Mongolian, of Mongolian Cyrillic script ( i.e. Cyrillic writing ). I also noticed, that there was some Chinese script, on the crates, which, somewhat made since. The police vehicle for example( literally had the word POLICE written on the vehicles doors ( in other words the word Police should have looked like this here: Цагдаагийн ( Mongolian ), or Полиция, or Mолиция ( Russian ) . The issue in regards to the 9mm, and the revolver, I also notices, in regards to replace, for which, I tend to agree with the main post review, at present.
There was not that many ger's ( i.e. yurt's, depending on which way one views the concept of the Mongolian portal homes ), mostly standard army tents. A major note, and that is in regards to the constable ( i.e. the police officer. His shoulder boards had the American army rank of captain instead of Mongolian, or Russian rank. That in my opinion, is a complete plot over-site, there. Other then that the movie was quite entertaining, however, it would have been a little bit more believable if some of the actual Mongolian character names ( i.e. actor names ), would have had some actual Mongolian names, too, as well, along with some actual Mongolian speech, with a translator for the principal cast. I believe the executive producers, directors, and the script writers, should have done more research, into the making of this film, personally. Other then those few minor over-sites, the movie is strictly speaking, good for entertainment only.
There was not that many ger's ( i.e. yurt's, depending on which way one views the concept of the Mongolian portal homes ), mostly standard army tents. A major note, and that is in regards to the constable ( i.e. the police officer. His shoulder boards had the American army rank of captain instead of Mongolian, or Russian rank. That in my opinion, is a complete plot over-site, there. Other then that the movie was quite entertaining, however, it would have been a little bit more believable if some of the actual Mongolian character names ( i.e. actor names ), would have had some actual Mongolian names, too, as well, along with some actual Mongolian speech, with a translator for the principal cast. I believe the executive producers, directors, and the script writers, should have done more research, into the making of this film, personally. Other then those few minor over-sites, the movie is strictly speaking, good for entertainment only.
Not a really, really bad movie
mexicoms19 May 2010
Really, really bad movies delight me. To be a really, really bad movie a film must reach new heights of absurdity and make one laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of the events unfolding. Such movies, you think, must be written by those clever fourth graders, Kyle, Kenny, Stan and Eric. They are full of action, admittedly, very predictable action, and must have poor acting (although, one wonders if Meryl Streep could do them with any realism). Mega Piranha was a really, really bad movie. Death Worm of Mongolia, wasn't. It was extremely ho-hum with worse than usual acting, a silly story line and immensely, immense worm critters that were predictable and fairly easy to kill and outrun. The only redeeming feature in the movie was the Mongolian "Sherriff", who spoke perfect cowboy type English and drove around in a truck marked Police, need I say, printed in English. It took forever for the storyline to unfold and was a disappointment when it finally made sense. Also questionable is the apparel of the doctor who is wandering around Mongolia with some medicines to help people stricken with a disease she knows nothing about. I question if a doctor visiting a foreign country would parade around wearing a tank top and pedal pushers. It just looked inappropriate and quite unrealistic. Perhaps she would don such an outfit inside the shack they were using as a hospital, but outside...in public...very poor taste. All in all, I am sorry to say that Mongolian Death Worm was not a really, really bad movie, it was just boring dreck!
It was either needlessly confusing or terribly slow
BakuryuuTyranno5 April 2011
Was I imagining it or was this movie somewhat devoid of the usual pacing?
Okay, there's a guy searching for treasure while two doctors are trying to reach civilisation and these people are kidnapped by the local crime lord and meanwhile some manner of drill-using company is having difficulty because all their workers keep slacking or getting eaten.
I'm confused. Very confused. I just wanted a monster movie. Was I that exhausted it all seemed complicated or was it really moving at speed comparable to erosion?
Stephen Monroe, director of the best Syfy-commissioned movie, Wyvern, meanwhile provides a film with characters more charismatic than your average Syfy-commissioned movie. Unfortunately the monsters are lame. Their victims are usually distracted by something else and those aware can easily defeat them with firearms.
Okay, there's a guy searching for treasure while two doctors are trying to reach civilisation and these people are kidnapped by the local crime lord and meanwhile some manner of drill-using company is having difficulty because all their workers keep slacking or getting eaten.
I'm confused. Very confused. I just wanted a monster movie. Was I that exhausted it all seemed complicated or was it really moving at speed comparable to erosion?
Stephen Monroe, director of the best Syfy-commissioned movie, Wyvern, meanwhile provides a film with characters more charismatic than your average Syfy-commissioned movie. Unfortunately the monsters are lame. Their victims are usually distracted by something else and those aware can easily defeat them with firearms.
Did anyone involved in this movie care?
BrianJ4821 May 2011
Really bad acting, bad plot and .. too much to critique.
My FAVORITE is that in the Gobi desert, we have grass, trees and it a significant resemblance to middle America.
Maybe that is why the Mongolians drive GMCs and the police vehicle says "Police".
Didn't anybody involved in making this movie give a darn? It appears not.
Cheesy movies can be good - Tremors for example, didn't take itself too seriously, but managed to engage us.
This one is just bad.
My FAVORITE is that in the Gobi desert, we have grass, trees and it a significant resemblance to middle America.
Maybe that is why the Mongolians drive GMCs and the police vehicle says "Police".
Didn't anybody involved in making this movie give a darn? It appears not.
Cheesy movies can be good - Tremors for example, didn't take itself too seriously, but managed to engage us.
This one is just bad.
an hour and a half of your life you'll never get back
allisgrass28 April 2011
I will not waste much of the time of the reader with explaining how bad the movie is - if ever one has seen a SyFy "original" movie, knows what I am talking about. The only reason I am bothering to comment at all is because all the bad acting, script etc. all that pale in comparison with the "Mongolian scenery and terrain" we are presented. For Christ Sake - someone from the crew could have at least google some photos from Mongolia to see what it looks and feels about. How the Mongolians look like (not like Chinese, or Japanese etc.) in what they live and a whole bunch of similar things. I have been in Mongolia and I did not expected to see any close resemblance but at least they could have avoided the trees and the thick grassy spaces... and all the time they talk about the "Mongolian desert".... In short - run the hell away from this crap.
They just keep getting worse and worse.....
HpyCmpr1559 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Once again, a Made For SciFi (sorrt SyFy??) came up with a ridiculous premise and CGI that totally sucked (literally as well as figuratively).
Hasn't ANYONE out there seen the SpongeBob episode with the Alaskan Bull Worm?? Hasn't anyone out there seen "Tremors"? And Victoria Pratt....what WERE you thinking? You went from kick-ass Cyane in Xena:Warrior Princess to this dreck? I guess a paycheck is a paycheck but c'mon, we all KNOW you can do a lot better. Couldn't you get a guest shot on Burn Notice? Bad acting. bad dialogue, bad CGI, a ridiculous premise, bad continuity (did anyone happen to notice that the guy went from having an semi-automatic pistol in one scene, a revolver in the next and then back to the semi-automatic?). And when they were hiding from the "highway robbers and thugs" they pulled 2 feet off the road AND THEN BUILT A CAMPFIRE????? This movie was a train wreck. Which is why I watched it all the way through.
Hasn't ANYONE out there seen the SpongeBob episode with the Alaskan Bull Worm?? Hasn't anyone out there seen "Tremors"? And Victoria Pratt....what WERE you thinking? You went from kick-ass Cyane in Xena:Warrior Princess to this dreck? I guess a paycheck is a paycheck but c'mon, we all KNOW you can do a lot better. Couldn't you get a guest shot on Burn Notice? Bad acting. bad dialogue, bad CGI, a ridiculous premise, bad continuity (did anyone happen to notice that the guy went from having an semi-automatic pistol in one scene, a revolver in the next and then back to the semi-automatic?). And when they were hiding from the "highway robbers and thugs" they pulled 2 feet off the road AND THEN BUILT A CAMPFIRE????? This movie was a train wreck. Which is why I watched it all the way through.
Not dreadful
neil-4769 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
What do I love? I love the title.
I love curvy Victoria Pratt in tight tank tops.
I love the fact that the Mongolian location isn't even approximately like Mongolia.
I love the worms - they are a cut above the usual SyFy monsters, and are not only quite well realised, they are also nicely integrated into the background plates for the most part.
That's about it though. The movie owes a big debt to Tremors (and a smaller one to the Alien films in terms of design of the worms), but crucially forgets that Tremors was an entertaining movie, mixing thrills, good dialogue and fun characterisation.
I love curvy Victoria Pratt in tight tank tops.
I love the fact that the Mongolian location isn't even approximately like Mongolia.
I love the worms - they are a cut above the usual SyFy monsters, and are not only quite well realised, they are also nicely integrated into the background plates for the most part.
That's about it though. The movie owes a big debt to Tremors (and a smaller one to the Alien films in terms of design of the worms), but crucially forgets that Tremors was an entertaining movie, mixing thrills, good dialogue and fun characterisation.
mongolian death turkey
trashgang16 January 2012
From the director of I Spit On Your Grave (Steven R. Monroe). When you put that on your sleeve then you know that the viewer is in bad sh*t. And again I was right. This is really terrible. I can't understand how it is possible that after ISOYG you could get involved in a so-called horror were nothing happens. And the worst of all, were CGI takes the part of the worms. If that isn't enough the story was never scary or intense, there wasn't even a drip of blood. The worms itself doesn't have the main part, the story is around something else (can't spoil it). At the end of the flick I thought, well, could it go turkey? And it became a turkey. After the explosion you just must see what comes falling from the sky. This is pure Disney.
I just couldn't care about the characters. I found the acting mediocre. The killings were laughable, just can't get it why it got a 16 logo on it. I think my children have seen worse at the age of 10.
Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5
I just couldn't care about the characters. I found the acting mediocre. The killings were laughable, just can't get it why it got a 16 logo on it. I think my children have seen worse at the age of 10.
Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5
mongolian death worms of Texas
dmuel8 May 2011
Yes, it was filmed entirely in Texas, (as proudly stated in the credits), even though the film offered a quick panorama of a Mongolian plain at the start of the movie. The lead male star took a night off from his Friday night bowling league to make the movie, yet he is the highlight of this very badly acted mess-terpiece. With a sewage plant as the film's centerpiece, some cardboard shacks for additional props, and very poor CGI effects, the term "low-budget" is something of an understatement. The typical B movie lures, naked girls in the shower, buckets of red paint sloshed about in the death scenes, are all missing from this one. And, as other comments have noted, the supposed native characters look mostly Chinese or Mexican, not Mongolian. The "sheriff" looks like he walked right out of some small Texas town to join the movie. Something was definitely missing from this flick.
Not bad for a Sci Fi movie of the week.
static6128 May 2010
This is timeless tale of a treasure hunter meeting a doctor and then worms attack bringing sickness to all of the villages in the area. You really can't get enough of a love story like this. I'm a sucker for the Syfy movies of the week. I've seen a ton of them and I keep coming back. This one was billed as being based on a real "Destination Truth" investigation, which made it even a more appealing. Also can I just say how do you not watch a movie called "Mongolian Death Worm". In reality it should be called Mongolian Death Worms because there is way more than one worm and they attack the crap out of anything they come across. This movie lived up to the hype. It was a good time and while it the cgi was by no means "Avatar" and the story wasn't "Chinatown" it was sufficient and entertaining. This get's a 8 of 10 based on the campy made for TV movie meter.
More Entertaining Than Expected
P3n-E-W1s39 May 2017
Being a Tremors fan, of course, I was going to watch this movie and I'm glad I did as it turned out to be better than some of the Tremors sequels. However, don't get me wrong this isn't a fantastic film, though I did find it entertaining.
The story isn't that original and the climax is as predictable as it can be, the writers, Neil Elman, Kevin Leeson, and Steven R Monroe (who also directs) doesn't give the audience anything new or any surprises along the way. It's pretty average standard fayre for SyFy movies.
Monroe however, does a slightly better job of directing and goes for the roller-coaster effect which works well. When the action starts he builds up the pace and the slows it down accordingly at other times. The trouble is he's not too good at building up tension, anticipation, and excitement; any of these would have made for a better film.
It's Sean Patrick Flanery as the wise-guy treasure hunter Daniel, and George Cheung, as the self-confident police officer, Timur, that make this film an enjoyable watch. Their characters get the best lines and when they meet up you can tell theirs a chemistry between the pair as they work well off one another. The rest of the cast are also good and do a credible job with their characters and add strength to the story and film.
The CGI special effects for 2010 were pretty good, remember this is a TV movie so doesn't have the production of bigger budget movies. One of the better aspects of the Death Worm were its teeth. You definitely do not want a love bite from one of these.
If you like Tremors or monster movies then you may like this, it's at least worth watching when it come on again, though I'd say I wouldn't spend money on buying it.
The story isn't that original and the climax is as predictable as it can be, the writers, Neil Elman, Kevin Leeson, and Steven R Monroe (who also directs) doesn't give the audience anything new or any surprises along the way. It's pretty average standard fayre for SyFy movies.
Monroe however, does a slightly better job of directing and goes for the roller-coaster effect which works well. When the action starts he builds up the pace and the slows it down accordingly at other times. The trouble is he's not too good at building up tension, anticipation, and excitement; any of these would have made for a better film.
It's Sean Patrick Flanery as the wise-guy treasure hunter Daniel, and George Cheung, as the self-confident police officer, Timur, that make this film an enjoyable watch. Their characters get the best lines and when they meet up you can tell theirs a chemistry between the pair as they work well off one another. The rest of the cast are also good and do a credible job with their characters and add strength to the story and film.
The CGI special effects for 2010 were pretty good, remember this is a TV movie so doesn't have the production of bigger budget movies. One of the better aspects of the Death Worm were its teeth. You definitely do not want a love bite from one of these.
If you like Tremors or monster movies then you may like this, it's at least worth watching when it come on again, though I'd say I wouldn't spend money on buying it.
How Bad Is IT?
sucraf18 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Really bad when they don't give a crap about the movie. The guy's gun changes from a 9 mil to a 6 shooter one scene and switches back at the end. How can you not have the same prop gun? Why would you switch guns? And when the guy pushes open the door to the tomb, the next scene from inside, the door is pulled opened by the guy? It's not bad enough to be liked, but just bad.
Doesn't take itself too seriously
ansell-728794 October 2020
OK, lets be up-front about this. There is a legend involving gigantic earth worms in the remotest parts of the Gobi desert. The West has sort of been interested in them since the early 1920s. There has been no confirmation of their actual existence, well not until this movie came along any way.
And then there is this movie. It is poorly scripted, crippled with an utterly predictable plot. The hands down winners for stilted and shabby acting go to George Kee Kee Cheung as the sheriff and Nate Rubin as the terminally irritating Dr Phillip. Nate is still cutting his teeth as an actor. George though should have known better. He is an accomplished character actor.
Sean Patrick Flanery as the lead and Victoria Pratt as the romantic interest make a better job of it, particularly Flanery. Even so they are cardboard cut outs of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner from Romancing the Stone.
Of all the movies about Genghis Kahn's lost tomb and treasure, giant earth worms, medical aid posts by far the best I've seen. It was fun, in a completely daggy way, then the 90 minutes was up.
And then there is this movie. It is poorly scripted, crippled with an utterly predictable plot. The hands down winners for stilted and shabby acting go to George Kee Kee Cheung as the sheriff and Nate Rubin as the terminally irritating Dr Phillip. Nate is still cutting his teeth as an actor. George though should have known better. He is an accomplished character actor.
Sean Patrick Flanery as the lead and Victoria Pratt as the romantic interest make a better job of it, particularly Flanery. Even so they are cardboard cut outs of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner from Romancing the Stone.
Of all the movies about Genghis Kahn's lost tomb and treasure, giant earth worms, medical aid posts by far the best I've seen. It was fun, in a completely daggy way, then the 90 minutes was up.
Lacking better words, then this was something else...
paul_haakonsen9 December 2013
Where as "Tremors" was entertaining and brought something new to the world of movies, then "Mongolian Death Worm" hardly manages to step up to even half of what "Tremors" managed to do - even with its questionable sequels.
The story told in "Mongolian Death Worm" is about huge, subterranean worms that have been brought out from their slumber from far beneath the surface of the Mongolian steppes, brought about by a commercial oil drilling company, of course. As the worms ravage the countryside, it is up to a treasure-hunter, a police officer and two volunteer health workers to put an end to the subterranean terror.
Right, well the storyline is just about as cliché as they come in this particular genre. But as every bit cliché this movie is, then it is equally predictable. But yet there is something about the semi-bad monster movies that is alluring. The storyline is lacking anything challenging to the audience, it is just simply put your mind on autopilot and sit back.
The dialogue is forced and not really delivered with enough conviction to fully buy into it. And you never really for a second thought that anyone was in any real danger from neither worms nor earthquakes.
And it was really, really hard to buy into the attempt of making it seem like this was actually taking place in Mongolia. Especially when everyone was speaking English, and even the local police vehicle had 'police' brandished on its side.
One of the carrying factors of the "Mongolian Death Worm" was the worms, as they were actually nicely made. Sure, this wasn't top of the line CGI animation, but it worked out well enough to suit its purpose.
"Mongolian Death Worm" is the type of monster movie that is hard to take seriously, but still it is fun to watch because it is just that cheesy and campy.
The story told in "Mongolian Death Worm" is about huge, subterranean worms that have been brought out from their slumber from far beneath the surface of the Mongolian steppes, brought about by a commercial oil drilling company, of course. As the worms ravage the countryside, it is up to a treasure-hunter, a police officer and two volunteer health workers to put an end to the subterranean terror.
Right, well the storyline is just about as cliché as they come in this particular genre. But as every bit cliché this movie is, then it is equally predictable. But yet there is something about the semi-bad monster movies that is alluring. The storyline is lacking anything challenging to the audience, it is just simply put your mind on autopilot and sit back.
The dialogue is forced and not really delivered with enough conviction to fully buy into it. And you never really for a second thought that anyone was in any real danger from neither worms nor earthquakes.
And it was really, really hard to buy into the attempt of making it seem like this was actually taking place in Mongolia. Especially when everyone was speaking English, and even the local police vehicle had 'police' brandished on its side.
One of the carrying factors of the "Mongolian Death Worm" was the worms, as they were actually nicely made. Sure, this wasn't top of the line CGI animation, but it worked out well enough to suit its purpose.
"Mongolian Death Worm" is the type of monster movie that is hard to take seriously, but still it is fun to watch because it is just that cheesy and campy.
More Sy-Fy Channel creature feature crap.
poolandrews7 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Mongolian Death Worm is set in Mongolia where Daniel (Sean Patrick Flanery) has spent the last six years searching for the legendary lost tomb of Ghengis Khan & the treasures it supposedly holds, while following up a lead in the middle of the Mongolian desert Daniel is persuaded to give a lift to two young volunteer doctor's Alicia (Victoria Pratt) & Phil (Nate Rubin) who were on their way to an isolated village to treat the sick when their car broke down. Meanwhile the workers at a nearby oil refinery plant have started to mysteriously disappear, local Mongolian legends point to the Death Worm & fear spreads through the workforce. Daniel discovers that the unearthing of the tomb has awoken a nest of Death Worms that are now eating everyone they come across & breeding at a fast rate, Daniel & Alicia know that they have to destroy the Death Worm nest even if it means Daniel sees his search & treasure go up in flames...
Co-written & directed by Steven R. Monroe who recently helmed the rather brutal & better than expected I Spit on Your Grave (2010) remake as well as other Sy-Fy Channel 'classics' such as Storm Cell (2008) & Ice Twisters (2009) this made for television creature feature has all the associated negatives but none of the positives. The script is as lazy (an entire oil drilling planet can be shut down & blown up by simply turning three valves?) & boring (hardly anything happens) as they come & just feels like a straight rip-off of the infinitely better giant Worm under the ground flick Tremors (1990), all the usual clichés are here with dull character's & a plot that relegates the Mongolian Death Worm to little more than a subplot. The majority of the script concentrates on the effort to get help to the sick village, Daniel's treasure hunting with a volt meter & the problems facing the boss of the oil plant as his workers leave & the Death Worms cause havoc for the machinery underground. It's all really dull stuff, at just over 80 minutes long Mongolian Death Worm feels twice that, there's no sense of urgency or excitement & the various plots about lost tombs, giant Worms & sick villages never really come together with any purpose. Mongolian Death Worm is just a very unsatisfying, boring, predictable & clichéd low budget creature feature that doesn't even have any decent monster action. Pair this up with Sand Serpents (2009) for a really horrible double bill, if you dare!
The Tremors comparisons don't end with just the plot, the Mongolian Death Worms themselves look a lot like the monsters from Tremors with the expanding mouths & grabbing tongues that draw it's prey into it waiting mouth. A few people are eaten but there's no gore & there's no build-up to the attacks or anything special about them. It's all rather bland as a Mongolian Death Worm will just appear, roar a bit, grab someone & them just slither off again. The CGI effects vary from average to very poor, I have seen worse computer effects work but I wouldn't exactly call the effects good. In fact Tremors made some twenty odd years previously has more impressive effects work than this. I've never been to Mongolia but I am sure it's nothing like this, I mean wouldn't some Mongolians actually live there? Would the local cop drive around in a brand new four by four with 'Sheriff' written on the side in English & wear a stupid cowboy hat?
Apparently shot in Texas you can tell the makers never went anywhere near Mongolia, the whole thing has that cheap Sy-Fy Channel look to it & is instantly forgettable. The acting is pretty bad, Sean Patrick Flanery is the name in the cast but is probably only here for the money.
Mongolian Death Worm is a bad film, it's a bad Tremors rip-off that feels dated even though it was only made last year. Throughly predictable with bad CGI & a boring plot Mongolian Death Worm is one to avoid.
Co-written & directed by Steven R. Monroe who recently helmed the rather brutal & better than expected I Spit on Your Grave (2010) remake as well as other Sy-Fy Channel 'classics' such as Storm Cell (2008) & Ice Twisters (2009) this made for television creature feature has all the associated negatives but none of the positives. The script is as lazy (an entire oil drilling planet can be shut down & blown up by simply turning three valves?) & boring (hardly anything happens) as they come & just feels like a straight rip-off of the infinitely better giant Worm under the ground flick Tremors (1990), all the usual clichés are here with dull character's & a plot that relegates the Mongolian Death Worm to little more than a subplot. The majority of the script concentrates on the effort to get help to the sick village, Daniel's treasure hunting with a volt meter & the problems facing the boss of the oil plant as his workers leave & the Death Worms cause havoc for the machinery underground. It's all really dull stuff, at just over 80 minutes long Mongolian Death Worm feels twice that, there's no sense of urgency or excitement & the various plots about lost tombs, giant Worms & sick villages never really come together with any purpose. Mongolian Death Worm is just a very unsatisfying, boring, predictable & clichéd low budget creature feature that doesn't even have any decent monster action. Pair this up with Sand Serpents (2009) for a really horrible double bill, if you dare!
The Tremors comparisons don't end with just the plot, the Mongolian Death Worms themselves look a lot like the monsters from Tremors with the expanding mouths & grabbing tongues that draw it's prey into it waiting mouth. A few people are eaten but there's no gore & there's no build-up to the attacks or anything special about them. It's all rather bland as a Mongolian Death Worm will just appear, roar a bit, grab someone & them just slither off again. The CGI effects vary from average to very poor, I have seen worse computer effects work but I wouldn't exactly call the effects good. In fact Tremors made some twenty odd years previously has more impressive effects work than this. I've never been to Mongolia but I am sure it's nothing like this, I mean wouldn't some Mongolians actually live there? Would the local cop drive around in a brand new four by four with 'Sheriff' written on the side in English & wear a stupid cowboy hat?
Apparently shot in Texas you can tell the makers never went anywhere near Mongolia, the whole thing has that cheap Sy-Fy Channel look to it & is instantly forgettable. The acting is pretty bad, Sean Patrick Flanery is the name in the cast but is probably only here for the money.
Mongolian Death Worm is a bad film, it's a bad Tremors rip-off that feels dated even though it was only made last year. Throughly predictable with bad CGI & a boring plot Mongolian Death Worm is one to avoid.
Pretty decent for a SyFy movie
Leofwine_draca20 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM is a typical SyFy Channel TV movie about a group of characters being terrorised by, well, giant death worms. Of course, a corporate company conducting drilling in the area is responsible, although I have to say that this film's Mongolian setting is ill-realised and no amount of Asian-American actors are going to convince as genuine Mongolian characters.
This is essentially TREMORS on a low budget and with CGI worms. Saying that, it's pretty decent for what it is, and certainly a lot better quality than you usually get from The Asylum. The film is action-packed and features plenty of scenes of the worms chomping bloodlessly on various 'red shirt' characters; the special effects aren't amazing, but they're serviceable enough. The cast give wooden performance - not least lead Sean Patrick Flanery, who was once young Indiana Jones back in the day - but when there's enough mindless violence and routine action scenes as here, you won't really notice.
This is essentially TREMORS on a low budget and with CGI worms. Saying that, it's pretty decent for what it is, and certainly a lot better quality than you usually get from The Asylum. The film is action-packed and features plenty of scenes of the worms chomping bloodlessly on various 'red shirt' characters; the special effects aren't amazing, but they're serviceable enough. The cast give wooden performance - not least lead Sean Patrick Flanery, who was once young Indiana Jones back in the day - but when there's enough mindless violence and routine action scenes as here, you won't really notice.
Good bad movie.
Sergiodave8 October 2020
This is one of those movies that is bad enough to be watchable. When you think Tremors was a 'b' movie, this is more like an 'f'. The plot is pretty bad, the acting worse, and the dialogue, atrocious. Having said that, it made me laugh, unintentionally.
It's a sad story
casablancavic10 November 2018
It's a sad story when there are scripts like this that get made.
Out of all the hundreds of thousands of scripts that can land on the desk of a producers, stuff like this gets funded and then produced and then put out into the circulation and then given a cover and even an audience.
I ca'n't fault the actors for trying to earn a paycheck or the crew for trying to cover their bills - however, I definitely have to fault the writer, director and the people who actually fund this.
When garbage like this gets made, this shows very poor business decision making skills on behalf of the business people in the movie making industry - because the budget that was blown on this, could have made several actual good movies.
Certainly this has to be some sort of money laundering scheme - because no real producer would have the audacity to even consider this a valid story and then invest the time, effort, finances and people to create such misery...and then have the courage to attach their name to something of this quality.
Not much value here that you can enjoy. Spend your time watching reruns of dishwashing detergent commercials and actually get some entertainment value from those - because this is just too pathetic to spend any more than the time it takes to read my comment.
Wow...what a waste of time and what a downfall on the entire movie industry.
Out of all the hundreds of thousands of scripts that can land on the desk of a producers, stuff like this gets funded and then produced and then put out into the circulation and then given a cover and even an audience.
I ca'n't fault the actors for trying to earn a paycheck or the crew for trying to cover their bills - however, I definitely have to fault the writer, director and the people who actually fund this.
When garbage like this gets made, this shows very poor business decision making skills on behalf of the business people in the movie making industry - because the budget that was blown on this, could have made several actual good movies.
Certainly this has to be some sort of money laundering scheme - because no real producer would have the audacity to even consider this a valid story and then invest the time, effort, finances and people to create such misery...and then have the courage to attach their name to something of this quality.
Not much value here that you can enjoy. Spend your time watching reruns of dishwashing detergent commercials and actually get some entertainment value from those - because this is just too pathetic to spend any more than the time it takes to read my comment.
Wow...what a waste of time and what a downfall on the entire movie industry.
Discount Tremors
bowmanblue18 January 2024
I think this review will be like when I used to misbehave at school and get given lines by the teacher. I'll basically be writing the word 'Tremors' over and over again. Not much else to say. In case you're into your cheesy and monster-munching movies and - for some reason - haven't seen the classic 'Tremors' film starring Kevin Bacon, it's about giant man-eating worms who live in the desert.
'Mongolian Death Worm' - as the title basically gives away - is about the same. The cast are all a bunch of ruffians - similar to the band of rowdy human survivors in 'Tremors.' The creatures look almost identical, only here now they're computer-generated, rather than practically created. And, to be fair, the worms themselves aren't that bad when they appear on screen (not that they're on screen for as much as I'd probably liked), but the effects do take a bit of a nose dive when things like large explosions have to be artificially made.
If you liked 'Tremors' then you'll probably at least get something out of this. But the only question is, if you actually have access to 'Tremors' (whether it be on DVD or streaming service) then you might as well watch that and get a 'proper' experience when it comes to man-eating desert-based worms. I guess if you don't have access to 'Tremors' but you want to watch something like it then this may keep you entertained. It's not terrible, it's just not as good as 'Tremors' by a mile.
'Mongolian Death Worm' - as the title basically gives away - is about the same. The cast are all a bunch of ruffians - similar to the band of rowdy human survivors in 'Tremors.' The creatures look almost identical, only here now they're computer-generated, rather than practically created. And, to be fair, the worms themselves aren't that bad when they appear on screen (not that they're on screen for as much as I'd probably liked), but the effects do take a bit of a nose dive when things like large explosions have to be artificially made.
If you liked 'Tremors' then you'll probably at least get something out of this. But the only question is, if you actually have access to 'Tremors' (whether it be on DVD or streaming service) then you might as well watch that and get a 'proper' experience when it comes to man-eating desert-based worms. I guess if you don't have access to 'Tremors' but you want to watch something like it then this may keep you entertained. It's not terrible, it's just not as good as 'Tremors' by a mile.
Eat Some Grub and Watch the Worms
abominablebro9 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Mongolian Death Worm has a lot to offer and more importantly, is a lot of fun. The script was well written and the directing by Steven R. Monroe made for a pretty good made-for-t.v. movie. Sean Patrick Flannery did very well on delivering his lines. The dialog in Mongolian Death Worm was clever and humorous which is essential for good movies these days. I have to mention the the CG worms in the film were actually done very well and completely believable in several scenes. The movie had a wide range of personalities for their characters and even had a swap of likability between the Sean's character, Daniel and the bad guy at the oil rig. Mongolian death worm is no masterpiece, but is a very well-made, made-for-t.v. movie that is definitely worth checking out.
I loved it, but I went in not expecting much to begin with
SusieSalmonLikeTheFish31 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Mongolian Death Worm is like a Tremors rip-off of sorts and it had a 3.3/10 rating at the time I wrote this review. Okay, it was a made-for-TV Sy-Fy channel movie with what looked like giant killer sleeping bags devouring an oil refinery (which was obviously a dam if you know what to look for), of course it's a bad movie... but 3.3/10 stars? Is that really fair? I watched this movie expecting it to be terrible, but it wasn't so bad, in fact it was a cheesy, funny horror movie with a story that managed to be engaging enough that I could ignore the various flaws in the film. I love cheesy, bad horror movies (my first was the underrated 1982 Canadian film Deadly Eyes). Maybe I'm giving this movie a much higher rating than it deserves, but I still enjoyed it.
Pros:
-A story that holds up and manages to be engaging
-A cast you can laugh at (the characters were pretty funny, too)
-Cool shots of an industrial dam, or the "oil refinery"
-Half-decent CGI
-Okay soundtrack
-No nasty fart jokes
Cons:
-The "death worms" were eating people throughout the movie, but they hardly looked scary or threatening at all, in fact they looked sort of cute... not good for a horror movie.
-The do-gooder doctor lady's character got on my nerves
-Enviro-propaganda anti-fracking message added in it, which was highly annoying (oil drilling/fracking employs much of my province and other Canadian areas (out west there's a large oil industry and here in the east we've got the potential for hydrofracking) and things like these movies are highly exaggerated, making fracking and drilling look bad
-Terrible script lines
-Not the best actors/actresses
-Not a very creative title
-Not a very original movie
The cons outweigh the pros but I've seen worse. I enjoyed Mongolian Death Worm much more than that Hunger Games cr*p that's out everywhere right now and movies are made not always to be good, sometimes just to make people laugh. It's obvious that the production company knew MDW would never get any further than a direct-to-DVD, low-rating release, and I stand by my opinion that it was a fun little movie to pass the time with.
Pros:
-A story that holds up and manages to be engaging
-A cast you can laugh at (the characters were pretty funny, too)
-Cool shots of an industrial dam, or the "oil refinery"
-Half-decent CGI
-Okay soundtrack
-No nasty fart jokes
Cons:
-The "death worms" were eating people throughout the movie, but they hardly looked scary or threatening at all, in fact they looked sort of cute... not good for a horror movie.
-The do-gooder doctor lady's character got on my nerves
-Enviro-propaganda anti-fracking message added in it, which was highly annoying (oil drilling/fracking employs much of my province and other Canadian areas (out west there's a large oil industry and here in the east we've got the potential for hydrofracking) and things like these movies are highly exaggerated, making fracking and drilling look bad
-Terrible script lines
-Not the best actors/actresses
-Not a very creative title
-Not a very original movie
The cons outweigh the pros but I've seen worse. I enjoyed Mongolian Death Worm much more than that Hunger Games cr*p that's out everywhere right now and movies are made not always to be good, sometimes just to make people laugh. It's obvious that the production company knew MDW would never get any further than a direct-to-DVD, low-rating release, and I stand by my opinion that it was a fun little movie to pass the time with.
Stick with Tremors instead.
HorrorDisasterGuy-9061723 January 2024
While it's not the worst television movie I have seen, it's not a good movie at all. There's too many things going on in this movie, like the giant worm, the main character looking for the treasure, the doctors going to stop a disease, and the oil company. While the treasure and disease side plot is connected to the worms, both of them aren't that interesting or develop that much. The oil company plotline is the one who cause the worms to show up, but that part isn't that enjoyable or interesting. Now, the Mongolian death worms could have been enjoyable, but they barely appear that much, and most of the action happen pretty quickly to be suspenseful or enjoyable. They most do the same thing throughout the movie and nothing too big. They did cause the disease to the water, which isn't that surprising. The climax itself feels rushed and underwhelming.
Texas Mongolian Death Worms Massacre!
Deliberate_Stranger20 October 2012
There were times when I got super excited about any new upcoming creature feature. Then I discovered Syfy channel productions and my excitement went down a bit. Years later I discovered Asylum and lost pretty much all hope for a good monster movies with old school special effects. I used to the fact that Syfy can't do any good movie, it would be just against their rules and then I bought 'Mongolian Death Worms'. I know, title says it all but I couldn't resist. I used to read a lot legends about the cryptozoological creatures known as 'Mongolian Death Worms' and thought once - hey, maybe Syfy Channel will make the movie about them. And they Did! What's more surprising, this movie is actually not that bad. I mean - obviously, It's still Syfy channel with all It's glory - cgi creatures, one good actor surrounded by a bunch of amateurs, moronic script, cliché storyline etc but It's watchable. CGI is actually very good(for syfy features), worms sometimes look like they would be actual puppets not cgi so the job is well done here. Acting is shitty as usual with an exception of Sean Patrick Flanery who did a good job with what he was given. His character is not interesting at all but his acting is good, makes him easier to watch and hear. Unfortunately he has no one to work with. Victoria Pratt might be considered 'hot' by some people(not me) but her acting is bad and when you combine it with usual doctor/scientist character she can get highly annoying. I was thrilled to see Andrew Stevens since he's credited to be in the movie but sadly his part lasts for like 30 seconds. I wonder why Stevens couldn't take on one of the lead characters. He was a producer, his company co-founded this movie and being legendary actor he could do a good job for a movie by acting in it. There is no gore whatsoever, whole film is kids friendly but It's still OK to watch, even with a Texas trying to be Mongolia, even with George Cheung trying to be Mongolian sheriff(driving American pick-up with a 'police' plate written on it) and stuff. I won't watch it again and It's not a good movie for sure but It's not that bad either. Give it a try once, if you feel you want to.
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