Wild west clichés meet monster movie clichés in Copperhead, a slightly amusing Sci-Fi Channel (eh...SyFy) horror western about a group of rowdy outlaws and other stereotypes who stop fighting long enough to battle a deadly stampede of venomous snakes.My biggest question about Copperhead: Why are the snakes doing what they're doing? This is so monumentally illogical that only the Sci-Fi Channel could cook it up, though I must admit that it is a bit refreshing that the writers didn't invent some crackpot explanation for the events in the film.As ludicrous as it all was, I thought it was okay and the characters were fun, especially Billy Drago, who's a great actor and should have had more screen time.

"Copperhead" is another in a long line of enjoyable Sci-Fi Channel killer snake films.**SPOILERS**Riding into a small New Mexico town, 'Wild' Bill Longley, (Brad Johnson) tries to warn Jesse Evans, (Billy Drago) and his henchmen, Will Bonney, (Keith Stone) Roscoe Burrell, (Gabriel Womack) and Ponciano 'Ponce' Domingues, (George Zlatarev) about a giant herd of poisonous snakes heading toward town. When his threat is mostly ignored and laughed at, they notice that the gang is slowly disappearing. Discovering too late that the threat was real, the other residents of town, Garrett, (Brad Greenquist) Josiah, (Atanas Srebrev) Jane, (Wendy Carter) and Darla, (Sofia Leticia Morales) form up to battle the deadly snakes and drive them away. As the attacks continue and slowly whittle down their numbers, they launch a last-ditch plan to rid themselves of the snakes once and for all.The Good News: There was a lot to like from this one. The main one is the fact that there's a really fun Western atmosphere. The fact that it's set there is a nice plus, giving it a different feeling than the contemporary ones that are almost always shown, and that it has a lot of authentic details helps out even more. From the realistic card-game, complete with the high-stakes nature of it and a really great atmosphere with the other denizens of the location, to the look of the town and the whole setting of it, nothing in it looks new or modern and even the mini-gun appears to be from that time. There's even some fun to be had from the staple of the Westerns, the gunfight in the street of the town, and this one in here scores as well. As well as being a fun scene that manages to entertain in it's frustratingly-brief time, it's also fun in that it sets-up later events as well, providing an important part of the story in addition to being a fun action set-piece. The film also does well with it's main action scenes, which here are just plain fun and entertaining. The initial swarming of the town, where the creatures appear at the saloon and proceed to worm their way through most of the townspeople, leading to a furious gunfight to get rid of them that incorporates some fun spots into the action and a real sense of urgency and suspense, make it a great one, as is the later scene where they put the main part of their defense against the snakes into action. Featuring a great plan, nice execution, a few surprises and a ton of action, it steals the show as the big set-piece and gets a lot of what makes the film so fun. Beyond hand-held guns and rifles, gasoline-fueled fire-filled trenches, machetes, a perilous rope-swing mere feet above their leaping ability and a mini-gun are used to full effect on them, and that a couple are taken out just makes for some great scenes. Using it as a precursor to the trap in the hotel is all really good, and it makes the frantic chase all the more intense. The final fights with the giant snake are just as solid, featuring some innovative tactics and a lot of realism that brings it down nicely. All of these, as well as the multitude of confrontations in the film, give this one a really fast pace and a lot of action to keep it interesting. The last plus to this one is the fact that it features a rather high body count, despite their not being a lot of really remarkable kills. Most here are gunshot-victims or succumb to the snake-bites, so we don't get a ton of gore, but it's still the fact that it decides to knock off as much as it does, which is the main point. All of these elements make the film enjoyable.The Bad News: This one here only had a few really noticeable flaws to it. One of the biggest is the fact that there's a really obvious cliché present in the film, namely the appearance of a giant snake after spending most of the film dealing with numerous, regular-sized creatures. The film had been enjoyable dealing with the smaller creatures, yet it shoehorns the big one in just because it has too, and it's seen coming from a mile away since these always manage to have a larger one. That about twenty minutes before the ending it knocks off the little ones is a sure-fire sign that it's going with the it, and you have to deal with the cliché. That there's not even an explanation for it's size is another one, as it's improbable that something that big existed back then and yet nothing is uttered about how it got to be that size. Anything would've been fine, but nothing is wrong. The last flaw is the usual atrocious CGI used for the creature, but like so many others from the Sci-Fi Channel, it's par-for-the-course and doesn't really seem all that big of a deal to criticize this one, just point out the fact that it follows the form of the others. None of these, though, are that detrimental to the film as a whole at all.The Final Verdict: Not a whole lot of wrong stuff here, which is the norm for these kinds of films, and one that is really good. Highly recommended for those who have an appreciation for the Sci-Fi Channel's killer snake films or of these films in general, though those who aren't big fans should heed caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language

OK, it's no Oscar winner, but as westerns go, I have to admit it was pretty much OK. Can't wait for a sequel, you just know they left it wide open for one. One suggestion though, forget the snakes next time, make it a real western. Everyone in it did a great job, and yes there wasn't enough Billy Drago, but see what I said about being left open for a sequel. I think the director is a westerns fan, someone who knows his westerns, and is a little influenced by the spaghetti westerns of the 1960' and 70's. There was a touch of old fashioned TV western to the music also, little bit Bonanza, a little bit Rawhide, just hints. A competent western overall, the snakes were a bit too CGI, but that only added to the B movie feel. So, to the producers, a sequel please with the same cast, continuation of the story, but please, traditional western without the snakes.

Copperhead actually achieved a level I've never seen before on the Sci-Fi channel: not half bad! Some of the dialog, always a rusty nail in the foot for these films, is actually GOOD, well-thought out, and delivered professionally. The direction and editing give it pace that makes it a slither above its bad brethren. Lorenzo Senatore's camera work is also excellent.It is not perfect. Holes and gaffs: The dead horse raises its head. The crack-proof safe has drywall you can stick your finger through. The exciting shot of the snakes crushing the fire is spoiled by continuity lapses. Fully loaded guns are handed so you can see that they don't have any bullets in them. I suspect Nathan Furst had to sprinkle enough Morricone nods to make the producers happy (it's distracting and the score was good enough without it). The world's slowest gatling gun that also doubles as a poker/spear chucker (all without ever being tested). An explosion (nice one!) that rips the top floor of a saloon, conveniently killing every last snake, but barely singing two main characters.The main weakness is the snakes themselves. The scene in the stable where the first scofflaw gets it would have been done better Hitchcock style: NOT showing it! In fact, if we'd seen the snakes less and more computing power was available to render them, they would have made for more creepy critters.In conclusion, if Copperhead was on again, I might give it a second viewing, not to make fun of it, but because it was fun. A Sci-Fi first!