Tasmanian Devils is a 2013 television film directed by Zach Lipovsky and starring Danica McKellar and Apolo Ohno.[1] The film was first released onto the Syfy channel on January 19, 2013 and revolves around a group of friends who get attacked by extremely large tasmanian devils.[2][3] Radio Times rated the film poorly, giving it two out of 5 stars.[4]
| Tasmanian Devils | |
|---|---|
 Promo poster | |
| Written by | Brook Durham |
| Directed by | Zach Lipovsky |
| Starring | Danica McKellar, Kenneth Mitchell, Mike Dopud, Apolo Ohno, Rekha Sharma |
| Theme music composer | Jeff Tymoschuk |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Cinematography | Norm Li |
| Editor | Garry M.B. Smith |
| Production companies | Original Pictures BC, Vesuvius Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syfy |
| Release | January 19, 2013 |
Plot
editWhen a group of thrill-seeking young adults BASE jump into a forbidden portion of the Tasmanian wilderness, they didn't foresee that one of their group would die in the process. They also didn't expect for their friend's blood to awaken ancient and gigantic Tasmanian devils that would swiftly seek to make them their supper. The group finds some assistance in two park rangers that arrive to arrest the group for trespassing, only to find that they too are in danger of becoming the deadly beasts' prey. One by one people start to die. Whitford is killed by one of the monsters. Then Danz dies next. The rest of the group tries to plan out an idea. In the last part of the movie, Alex reveals that her younger brother died falling from a high tree and that's why she is afraid of heights. In the end, Jayne and Alex share a kiss and survive.
Cast
edit- Danica McKellar as Alex
- Kenneth Mitchell as Jayne
- Mike Dopud as Anderson
- Roger Cross as Simon
- Terry Chen as Walsh
- Rekha Sharma as Lisbon
- Apolo Ohno as Stone
- Joseph Sutherland as Danz
- Scott McNeil as Whitfield
- Julia Sarah Stone as Kid
Production
editSyFy officially announced plans to film Tasmanian Devils on October 18, 2011,[5] and a week later confirmed that Danica McKellar would be cast as the movie's lead character.[6][7] Lipovsky was brought on as the film's director, which would later prompt WWE Studios to hire him to direct Leprechaun: Origins based on his work with Tasmanian Devils.[8] Filming took place in Canada over an 18-month period.[9][10] Gizmodo questioned the film's casting of Tasmanian devils as a film villain, as they noted that it was an endangered animal due to Devil facial tumour disease.[11] A conservationist for the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal later commented on the film, stating that she felt that few people would take the film seriously and that "if it raises the awareness of the devil overseas, and prompts people to find out more, then it is a good thing."[9]
References
edit- ^ "Apolo Anton Ohno, Wonder Year's Danica McKellar Join Syfy's Tasmanian Devil". Cinema Blend. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Could Tasmanian Devils be the best Syfy Original movie ever made?". io9. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Danica McKellar stars in beastly Syfy movie 'Tasmanian Devils". Yahoo TV. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Tasmanian Devils (review)". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Art and synopsis for Tasmanian Devils, coming to Syfy in 2012!". JoBlo. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Zach Lipovsky tells us that Danica McKeller is the lead in Tasmanian Devils". JoBlo. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "'Tasmanian Devils': Another crazy Syfy flick". USA Today. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "TIFF 2013: Zach Lipovsky on Leprechaun: Origins". Crave Online. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Tasmanian Devil goes schlock horror". ABC.net.au. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Wonder Years' Danica McKellar Teams Up with Apolo Ohno for Syfy Original Movie". TV Guide. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ Booker, Logan (13 November 2011). "SyFy Film Will Have Bear-Sized Tasmanian Devils". Gizmodo. Retrieved 30 December 2013.