Where to watch Watchers III
2 1/2 Stars
A top-secret experiment spawns two highly intelligent life-forms: Einstein, a golden retriever with an IQ of 175; and The Outsider, a deformed monstrosity that exists to kill… and avenge its creators. When the Outsider escapes into the jungles of South America, the government sends in some ex-military convicts to catch the beast. But what starts out as a high-speed chase ends up in bloody carnage. Only Einstein knows the Outsider’s motives, and only the canine can outsmart the creature. Now, it’s a battle of beasts as man’s best friend confronts man’s worst nightmare.
Watchers III is the final installment of the (non-linear) film trilogy, adapted from novelist Dean R. Koontz’s writing. It’s the farthest removed from the source material, and it’s also the best movie in the series. Changing the setting from a small town in North America, as in the book and previous films, to the jungles of South America is obviously inspired by the film Predator, but it is an effective setting and works for Watcher III none the less. Wings Hauser, an actor who brings his unique charisma to every role he’s cast in, replaces Marc Singer, who portrayed the same character in the previous sequel. Singer played it straight forward; his interpretation was of an earnest good-guy, while Hauser brings a mischievous edge to his version of Ferguson.
The action in Part III is much sparser than in the earlier films, but the violence is still gruesome. Roger Corman, producer on all three movies, liberally uses footage from Part II to fill in the plot. This low-budget technique adds to the b-movie aesthetic of the project. Watchers III knows exactly what it is and proves it’s a worthy entry in the uneven film series.
Directed by: Jeremy Stanford
Written by: Dean R. Koontz, Michael Palmer
Starring: Wings Hauser, Gregory Scott Cummins, Daryl Keith Roach