Bats 1999

Critics score:
17 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: A movie that's too unintentionally funny to be scary. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Bats has nothing to do with baseball or Bela Lugosi. Too bad, because either would be a welcome distraction from this cheesy B-flick about genetically altered man-eating bats. Read more

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader: This bad-scientist movie about bats that attack humans and the humans who track them -- Texas sheriff Lou Diamond Phillips and zoologist Dina Meyer -- is played straight, though it wasn't intended to be taken that way. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: It's no knockout, but it's fun and gets the job done in a nonmalicious way, which more of today's punishing filmmakers should emulate. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Globe and Mail: Read more

Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times: Masquerading as a Halloween season horror film, this noisy version of a washed-out formula is cause for fright in only one respect: the possibility that it could spawn sequels. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Without any vampires, there's a lack of material for fans to sink their teeth into. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Typically, the movie never gets around to mentioning why the government bred these genius bats. To discourage nightlife? To enforce curfews? Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: The bat attacks are a series of violent camera pans rendering everything a blur; the continuity and computer-generated imagery is dire; and the dialogue stinks, as do the performances. Read more

Joe Leydon, Variety: A vigorously paced and surprisingly satisfying piece of work. Read more