Exterminator Alex Mathis (Greg Grunberg) likes women and loathes fruitcake. Through a series of improbable circumstances he gets to fight an aggressive BA spider along side of the US military with a Mexican sidekick.In a number of scenes Grunberg reminded me of Kevin James and I had a few John Goodman flashbacks. The film had blood and cheesy props (notice the thanks to Lloyd Kaufman in the credits) . The "horror" aspect simply didn't exist. Overly accomplished, relatively unknown Clare Kramer provided the love interest.Great for cheese lovers.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Bikini girls being chased by BS spider.

Somewhat amusing horror comedy about, well, you know. Greg Grunberg makes an affable hero as an exterminator who comes across a gigantic spider at a hospital. The Army (led by Ray Wise) soon arrives, and Grunberg hopes to kill it and collect a reward before the Army can beat him to it. Meanwhile, the spider continues to feed and grow. This pretty much follows the same template as any giant monster movie. I don't really like CGI effects, and the spider looks pretty awful. What makes this movie almost worth watching is the comedy. It is pretty funny. Grunberg teams up with a Mexican security guard (Lombardo Boyar), and the two have a pretty amusing give and take. Boyar's character might be just a tad too stereotypical, though (an appearance by some black street toughs confirms my suspicion that the director was a little too into racial humor; although, I'd guess by the name that he is Hispanic, so, I don't know, maybe it's okay?). Clare Kramer is pretty good as Grunberg's love interest, an Army lieutenant. Not bad for what it is, and it is very short.

Big Ass Spider/Mega Spider could have gone either way. It could have been cheap, terribly written and acted and amateurish or it could have been entertaining and likable with a sense that it knows what it wants to be and who it's aimed at. Thankfully while it does have a fair share of flaws Big Ass Spider/Mega Spider belongs in the latter category. The locations are splendidly colourful and atmospheric and the movie is well shot and reasonably edited as well as efficiently and confidently directed. The spider however is a little inconsistent, never terrible but never exceptional at the same time, at points it's menacing and well-designed and at other points it's rather goofy-looking and over-proportioned for an intentionally huge spider. It does at least have a personality and is well used. The music has the right amount of groove and eeriness without feeling out of place and the movie is better than expected in terms of writing. A lot of the supporting cast have very little to do but the writing for Alex and Jose is brilliant, from the hilarious snappy banter to the endearing tongue-in-cheek humour, if there was a choice who fared a little better than the other it would be Jose. The story admittedly does next to nothing new with the concept it has and it is very stretched out in places but it avoids being too campy and it takes an earnest approach without taking it too seriously, considering the concept that is difficult to pull off and the movie makes a decent crack at it. It's never scary but there are some inventive and suspenseful attacks that stops Big Ass Spider/Mega Spider from being too much of one tone, and as acknowledged early on in the review the movie does know who its audience is and what tone it's trying to take, never trying to take on too many ideas or be too simplistic. The characters are a mixed bag, Alex and Jose carry the movie wonderfully and are likable but a lot of the rest of the characters are one-dimensional and annoying. Likewise with the cast, with the best being the likable if goofy Greg Grunberg and the often hysterical Lombardo Boyer. Lin Shaye is amusing if occasionally wooden and Ray Wise is also good. Clare Kramer is laughably bad however with her change from cold to damsel far too sudden while the rest of the cast do nothing with their already thinly-sketched characters and that's including the underused Patrick Bauchau. The ending takes ridiculous to a whole new level as well. In conclusion, not great but still a lot of fun. Oh and the intro is wonderful. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I will keep this review short but sweet. This movie was cheesy as to be expected by the title, but it was hilarious and entertaining. The acting was on point, with many funny one liners, as well as some serious lines. Several well know actors... The exterminator and his security guard side kick volunteer Jose, provide plenty of laughs. Solid family entertainment. It's a Horror – Comedy that keeps your engaged. The CGI special effects were pretty good too. When you know what to expect from Big Ass Spider you should be pleased. It is what it is. The movie is a comedy/horror, campy type movie. Lots of laughs and a few creepy startling moments as well. I recommend the movie Big Ass Spider!