What can you expect from a movie that's about giant killer rabbits? Obviously not a masterpiece that's for sure. I just can't believe that this movie got made with the support of a big studio (MGM) and has quite some established actors in it as well.
But really, the concept isn't the movie its biggest problem. I mean, there are B-movies out there with a far worse and far more silly main premise, that still work out quite well and entertaining. And here is where this movie its biggest problem lays; it just isn't very fun or entertaining to watch.
You could really say that "Night of the Lepus" is a real lackluster. What this movie mostly consists out of are a bunch of averaged sized bunnies hopping around in slow-motion, on a miniature set, which in itself is quite sad and hilarious to watch. The movie doesn't ever give you a sense of danger and the bunnies are obviously far from threatening looking. They are supposed to be killer animals but they are far too cute looking for that to let the movie its main premise work out. It doesn't help that you don't see these 'monsterous' large bunnies ever in the same shot along with one of the humans. This movie really reminded me of some of the worst Hollywood B-monster movies from the '50's.
Of course it's already a movie with a silly concept but the overall movie as a whole got also bad and silly written. The events and dialog in this movie are just poor and also really don't help to make the movie ever work out believable or tense for one moment. Also none of the characters really work out because they are being handled very messy within the movie. It still could really had been a good movie if it didn't took itself as serious and focused more on the fun and entertainment value of the film.
Fans of the genre will be really disappointed by this movie, since it features simply no horror and just not enough gore. Who knows, maybe if we would had seen one of the rabbits biting a persons head off, the movie and its 'monsters' could had worked out far better and more convincing.
It's a movie Janet Leigh was obviously not proud off appearing in. But also DeForest Kelley, of Star Trek fame, makes an appearance in this movie. At least Janet Leigh still had an excuse to do this movie to be closer to her California and spend time with her family at the same time. What was the other actors, writers, director and everybody else's excuse to get involved with this movie?
A bad film. that's also no fun to watch either.
3/10
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