Italian filmmaker Andrea Ricca is back with his latest ultra-indie short film The Giant Scorpion, a 4-minute sci-fi short about a scorpion that became giant after the fall of a meteor.  Ricca explains that the short is also a tribute to '50s movies like "The Black Scorpion" (1957). The Giant Scorpion was shot at zero budget and without any troupe, with the only help of an HD Camera and a personal computer. Writing, shooting, editing, 3D modellation and animation, compositing and post-production are made by the director Andrea Ricca with additional special effects (Sim fluids and Dynamics) made by Giuseppe Cilli.

Ricca specializes in incredibly well made "no-budget" 3-D and sci-fi productions and seems to understand perfectly how to work with his no-budget films rather than against them. For the most part, a Ricca film is the kind of film that should embarrass Hollywood filmmakers because they show just how much you can accomplish with an HD Camera and a personal computer.

Admittedly, The Giant Scorpion is likely my least favorite of Ricca's films so far. The film is the first time I've sat down to watch a Ricca film and found myself thinking "Yeah, this is a low budget flick." That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it just feels like this film is a notch below the usual standards Ricca sets. The film's main visual effect, that of The Giant Scorpion, feels just a tad clunkier than Ricca's usual visual delights. Ricca's films never have actual menace to them, but they excel in capturing a sort of 50's sci-fi vibe that is playfully menacing and suspenseful. In this case, the accompanying sound effects are more obvious while the scorpion sort of plods along in a less visually arresting way.

Bad film? Not at all. It just doesn't captivate me in the way that I've come to expect from Ricca.

You can watch the film for yourself above in its entirely. If this captivates you, then make sure you visit Ricca's website and check out the rest of his truly indie cinematic endeavors.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic