Evil of the Rat (2025)

Evil of the Rat (2025)

In French, the film was called ‘Le Roi des Rats’. Yes, just like one of the villains in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

I tried doing some initial research on this film and came across… The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents! Yes, Terry Pratchett’s brilliant book.

This Chinese film is classified as Action, Thriller, Fantasy and Horror. Directed by 李炳, written by Lei Chen, Xie Fei and Hu Kui.

A bit of trivia: which films feature rat invasions?

There have been so many bands, songs, records, band names, and films that have featured rats. It would be unrealistic to think I could make a list. Rats have been quite popular in Punk, Metal and horror films. I’m going to mention Deadly Eyes (1982) anyway, the synopsis of which was: ‘After eating contaminated corn, rats turn into ferocious predators and start attacking humans, first isolated individuals, then a cinema and a tube train. Kelly Leonard, a health inspector, and Paul Harris, a professor, attempt to stop this unprecedented invasion.”

A film I stumbled across by chance was The Rats (1999) by James M. Felter. I can’t remember it at all, but I must have it somewhere, and as soon as I get my hands on it again, I’ll watch it and write my review.

It goes without saying that I have to mention Willard (1971) and its 2003 remake. When you think of rats, Willard is the first thing that springs to mind.

Here’s the story: Xia Tian and his group set off on a trip to relax, but they come across a young girl blocking their path and begging for help. In their efforts to save her, they get caught up in a disaster where mutant rats start attacking humans.

So… if you’re already a bit of a scaredy-cat, this film definitely isn’t for you!

It’s not non-stop action, but it has a pretty good pace with more than decent actors, although we Europeans often think Asians overact. But once you get used to it, it’s quite nice to watch some of their films. You could say that Candice Zhao is an actress who stands out from the crowd, but it’s no surprise they gave her the biggest lead role!

Obviously, it was to be expected, but after an hour, it starts to get a bit over the top and rather ridiculous. The rats gather together and form a mass that turns into a sort of gigantic creature that moves faster. Yes! You read that right!!! A mutant monster made up of all the rats.

That last half-hour, which was supposed to be thrilling, lost me. Too much exaggeration ruined the film. All of that made me forget the touching moments, the funny bits, the nice dialogue, and so on. And people say it’s the Americans who always exaggerate? Really??

I don’t know who would enjoy this film. Perhaps those who only watch Chinese films, those who love invasion films of all kinds, or those who are such easy-going viewers that you could make them swallow anything.

A huge disappointment, in the end, which was rather unnecessary, given that it started off quite well. But the result is dismal, making this film pointless and a failure.