Spiders is a 2000 horror survival-science fiction film directed by Gary Jones Director.
Starring Lana Parrilla and Josh Green, the film involves a top secret experiment to genetically alter the DNA of a rare breed of spider aboard a NASA space shuttle. After a meteor shower redirects the shuttle back towards Earth, the ship crashes with only one survivor, who is now impregnated with the venom of a genetically mutated spider. The spider hatches from the body of the doomed survivor and begins breeding, giving birth to more genetic abominations that grow in size after each kill. Curious reporter Marci Eyre must now survive, escape and warn everyone before the spider reaches outside the desert.
It was followed by Spiders II: Breeding Ground.
This film contains the following:
- Area 51: Or an expy of it.
- Alternate History: Assuming the movie is set in the early 2000s, the fact that the U.S. military is testing spiders as zoological weapons and getting loose in a city counts as one.
- Action Survivor: Marci Eyre and John Murphy
- Adrenaline Makeover: Marci Eyre, a young scientific reporter is forced to survive giant spiders, she pretty much starts with glasses and dressed in jean jacket and red button-down shirt, but during the movie after she's forced to survive against the spiders she loses the glasses and loses most of her clothing, remaining in just a white tank top and her jeans. Also, the tank top gets wet.
- Attack of the Killer Whatever
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Marci Eyre. However, she does get her clothes engorged in spider blood and gore.
- BFG: The experimental rocket launcher which Marci later uses against the spider.
- Bittersweet Ending: Marci may have defeated the giant spider but countless lives were lost in the giant spider's rampage throughout Los Angeles plus numerous property destroyed. Marci's friends are also dead. On top of that, the U.S. Government may be forced to acknowledge of the existence of the bioweapons project. It may also open the possibility that Marci and Murphy may be captured by the government for further interrogation.
- Bioweapon Beast: Agent Gray's intention for the giant spiders is to use them as this against the enemies of the US.
- Break Out the Museum Piece: The captain of the commandos is armed with a World War II-era M1 Thompson while the rest of the team is armed with MP5 submachine guns.
- Clothing Damage: As Marci tries to get out of the giant spider web her red overshirt gets torn a bit. Some time later, she loses her denim jacket, leaving her with a white tank top and a pair of blue jeans. She however falls down a tub of water while wearing the white tank top.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: One of the containers Marci and her friends pass-by in the military base has a date 11-22-63, implying that John F. Kennedy's body is in the facility.
- Giant Spiders: Duh. The creature emerges about as big as a human head, but matures until it's as big as a tank. Its offspring emerges that big and quickly grows large enough to flip cars like toys.
- Giving Them the Strip: When Marci and her friend fall into a Giant Spider's web. Marci Eyre escapes by removing her shirt (tearing it in progress), but has no choice but to leave her friend behind to be eaten. Before that, she was seen discarding her denim jacket for no apparent reason, so it also counts as Fanservice.
- Heroic BSoD: Marci has one after two of her friends are killed by spiders in the military facility.
- Immune to Bullets: Averted for smaller spiders but the giant spider is definitely immune to small arms fire. Even anti-tank weapons prove ineffective if not shot at its Achilles' Heel.
- Mr. Fanservice: John Murphy's muscles are shown once he removes his suit and formal shirt.
- Ms. Fanservice: Marci loses more and more clothing as the movie progress (as pointed above), she only stops to lose clothing when all she has left is a white tank top that also gets wet.
- Orifice Evacuation: The Spider emerges from its host through his mouth, killing him in the process. The second one is far too large to do this and violently rips his body apart as it emerges.
- Police Are Useless: Averted since the LAPD would not have expected to deal with a giant spider.
- Shout-Out:
- The movie is a shout-out to several 1950s horror B-movies about giant monsters.
- The scenes in the military base particularly reminds many viewers of Aliens due to the dark setting and numerous pipes lining up the hallways.
- John Murphy resembles Gary Stewart
from SEGA's The House of the Dead 2 with his suit on. Once he removes his suit, he slightly resembles Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 2. note Perhaps an Expy of both or a mere coincidence?
- Took a Level in Badass: Marci Eyre as she's being forced to survive the whole situation.
- She kills a smaller spider with a crowbar.
- In the climax, she dangles from a helicopter armed with a rocket launcher to confront the big one.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: Played with, Marci takes a level in badass after losing her clothing expect for the tank top and keeps it for the reminder of the film.
- John Murphy also wears a sleeveless shirt when he and Marci team up.
