Well, for a movie from 1987 that didn't really have much of any originality to it, then "Blue Monkey" wasn't actually too bad. Sure, writers George Goldsmith and Chris Koseluk were boring heavily from other more successful movies from the mid-1980s, and it was clearly evident. But "Blue Monkey" turned out to be adequately entertaining.

The storyline in "Blue Monkey" wasn't really much noteworthy, as it was very, very straightforward and generic, even for a horror movie of this sort, for better or worse. I have to admit that I was moderately entertained by the story and what transpired on the screen.

The special effects in "Blue Monkey" were actually surprisingly good for a movie of this type, and that was definitely something that spoke well in favor of the movie.

As for the acting, well it was adequate enough actually. Just nothing outstanding or particularly memorable, I am afraid. The only familiar faces for me, at least, was John Vernon and Don Lake.

All in all, then "Blue Monkey" proved to be adequately entertaining for what it turned out to be. Just don't get your expectations up too high, as there are (and were) far better movies in the same genre. I am rating "Blue Monkey" a five out of ten stars.

INSECT! (1987, aka BLUE MONKEY, INVASION OF THE BODYSUCKERS) is a low budget Canadian monster flick from director William Fruet, who previously handled such fare as DEATH WEEKEND and SPASMS. This one's set entirely in a hospital, where an old boy is brought in after pricking his finger on a thorn in his greenhouse. He soon spews up a larva which rapidly transforms into a giant, mantis-style insect with a taste for human flesh, leaving a small assortment of kooks and investigators to track it down and kill it. After the oddball opening this is a film that turns into a blatant ALIENS rip-off, complete with hazy blue lighting, a monster that resembles the alien queen, cocooned survivors being impregnated by insect grubs, and a little bit of gore. Cult favourite Steve Railsback is a solid choice as the hero of the hour although before long this descends into the usual running around dark corridors FX piece, and a dearth of creativity hits it hard. You'd be better off just watching the Cameron classic again.

There are no monkeys in this cheesy horror film, blue or otherwise; what we do get is a giant killer bug terrorising the occupants of a hospital under quarantine.

The film opens with handyman Fred pricking his hand on a rare Micronesian plant and collapsing soon after. Fred is rushed to the hospital where doctors are surprised to see a giant maggot emerge from the man's mouth. When the maggot is cut open, an insect emerges, which is trapped under a glass container for later examination.

Meanwhile, Detective Jim Bishop (Steve Railsback) is waiting for news about his partner Oscar, who has been shot. While Oscar is on the operating table, Dr. Rachel Carson (Gwyneth Walsh) gives Jim a tour of the hospital, including its high-tech laser research laboratory, which you can bet your bottom dollar comes into play during the film's finale.

Also guaranteed to be a major plot point: the network of old, deserted tunnels used as a playground by four of the hospital's youngest patients (health and safety be damned!).

Speaking of the film's four troublesome tykes, it is their actions that cause the insect to grow to immense proportions, the dumb kids discovering the bug trapped under glass and feeding it with NAC-5, an experimental growth promoter. Doh!

Given the schlocky nature of the film's plot, I had hoped that Blue Monkey would be a huge helping of gory B-movie fun, with plenty of creature effects; unfortunately, there is more goop than gore, and the killer insect doesn't get much screen time until the final act, when it finally gets to run amok (chewing off a guy's head in the movie's bloodiest moment -- if only there had been more of this kind of mayhem!).

Director William Fruet's direction is uninspired, borrowing heavily from James Cameron's Aliens, but without that film-maker's style and imagination (or his budget!). There's lots of crawling around dark passages and blue-lit tunnels, and shots of the characters running for their lives while being chased by the scuttling bug, but perhaps the most blatant crib comes when the bug's larvae emerge to feed on still-living human victims trapped in gelatinous cocoons.

As this sort of silliness goes, Blue Monkey is passable B-movie fun, but with more gore and more bug action it could have been great.

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.