Let's face reality: most made-for-SyFy movies the past few years have been not only formulaic to the max, but pathetically scripted, acted, and cg'd. So to find this movie, which has some typical SyFy flick flaws but otherwise was fun, well then it's a gem among rocks. First is the intended or unintended visage of the protagonist lead character, because he looks more like an actor picked for a Western movie role than an authentic Old West character, so that starts us off on a fun note. The next best feature is Billy Drago as the antagonist -- he chews up every scene he is in and it is pure delight to watch his now-aged face and listen to his perfected southwestern drawl. And the movie builds tension remarkably well for a TV production. Of course the protagonist and antagonist end up in a cliché gunfight, but that's O.K. because by now we, the audience, WANT to see it! Without giving everything completely away here, let's just say that neither is killed but Billy Drago rides out of town but his little gang is left behind. The next sequence is, of course, the bigger event of the massive invasion into the town by zillions of deadly Copperhead snakes, and how the townspeople and remaining gang prepare for and deal with it. This is where the viewer is forced to focus on how a production and set designer can make a western town look dusty and authentic while being at the same time woefully low-budgeted so that the constructed town is perhaps too tiny overall. Now there are some real CG problems with the snakes, and some special effects problems such as where the hits are from a Gatling gun, but then there are some good (probably too few) splatter and snake-chopping effects. When Mama snake shows up, there's some real fun. What disappoints is that after the major snake encounters, Billy Drago doesn't show up to finalize his score with the lead character, which he had promised to do. In fact, the ending seems to have been a bit contrived to cover for that plot problem. But any time the good guy gets to ride off into the sunset (literally here), it's been a fun ride.

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.

Just another cheaply made B-grade TV presentation from the sci-fi channel with sub-standard CGI effects… yeah but I actually came away really enjoying this feature even though in a laughable sense. My main fascination that drew me in was that Billy Drago was credited, but to my surprise he all but had 30 minutes. After the opening he disappears not completely knowing his fate. Anyhow what eventuates is some mindless and kooky snake-action on the western frontier. That's pretty much the story too. Predictable and not much meat to it, despite some of the characters having some sort of background story. Nothing is totally explored, but it's fulfilling. The action comes in spades, with plenty of bang for your buck with bullets and snakes making a great recipe. As for the snakes themselves, they look like you would expect for such a production. Glossy and overdone. Terrible wouldn't go astray either. Time flies by, while the script fits nicely and adds some digestible humour to the fold and the score (while on repeat) creates that western twang. Even the camera-work is crisp in movement and placement. Performances hold up with a solid lead turn by Brad Johnson and Drago pretty much steals the scenes in the opening encounters. Not a bad feature, which is amusingly fun and captivating throughout.

A good attempt at making a Western by a foreign film maker. Attention to detail was very good on creating an authentic looking western town. Wardrobe was very well chosen and authentic to the time period being depicted. Props and Set Dressings were very well represented for the era. The Characters were very well portrayed. The Dialog of the Characters was very well written for each part played. I was very disappointed in their attempt at making computer generated snakes though as they were not very realistic looking. However, it was a good movie to just set back with the lights off eating popcorn with good company. Just a good movie to stay up late for and scare each other.