Q: The Winged Serpent

The climax leaves something to be desired, but this movie is far more entertaining than it has any right to be. Also a nice time capsule of scuzzy pre-Guliani New York. Michael Moriarty gives a B-movie performance for the ages.

Clearing my Wishlist - Pt. 2: A naked mole rat-cum-Aztec god has packed his bags and caught the A train to the Big Apple in search of tasty sunbathers and detectives 2 weeks from retirement. Almost identical to the 2017 hit Baby Driver if Baby Driver was about a middle-aged, girlfriend-whupping, piano-jamming, diamond-dropping scatman who goes everywhere on foot. Watching David Carradine kiss a real live woman is like watching Kevin Spacey's career post-Baby Driver.

I've always admired/hated Michael Moriarty because of The Stuff, but he is positively inspired/despicable in this roll. Larry either loved or hated New York which is evident here. Fun to see David Carradine not giving any effort. Or, regular to see David Carradine not giving any effort.

Ludicrous, completely and totally ludicrous. Yet, despite that (or maybe because of it), I was pulled into this (very) 80s horror film, a film that I genuinely enjoyed. I have a soft spot for the DIY attitude of directors who worked before the advent of CGI and Moriarty's sleazy, downtrodden crook wasn't the kind of fantastic performance I was expecting to see in a movie about Quetzalcoatl terrorizing New York. He really makes the film connect to the manipulative asshole in all of us.

A solid cast, some endearing stop-motion creature effects, and a bit of that 70's/early 80's patented gritty NYC charm come together in this classic Larry Cohen B-movie to make for a relatively entertaining creature-feature. Full of plenty of Cohen's quintessential quirks and charms this low-budget 80's horror is maybe best remembered for Michael Moriarty's manic performance as the petty crook who stumbles on the nest of the monstrous Aztec deity. Entertaining watch for fans of monster B-movies.

A bit of a slow, seemingly unfocused, start, but once the pieces begin falling into place it turns into a good ride. Carradine looks to be having extra fun here playing the action hero, being comedic and even getting a few dramatic scenes to chew through. However, even considering what kind of bite Q has, nobody is having as much fun chewing through the scenery as Moriarty does here. David Allen's stop motion is excellent and overall this manages to play with an adult but Harryhausen feel to it.

Cohen's script is taut yet playful, and the direction showcases his understanding of what can make B-movies so great. This film is very much self-aware, but never uses its milieu as an excuse for laziness like so many wannabe "cult" entries. And in the middle of all this there's a complex and unforgettable method performance from Moriarty. Just a flat out awesome movie.

This is far more fun than it should be, driven by some sub-Harryhausen effects and a thoroughly enjoyable performance by Moriarty, who leaves Kung Fu and Shaft in his crazed wake. Likeable nonsense. Must check out some more of Cohen's films.

Caine from Kung-Fu, Shaft and ADA Not as Good as McCoy all together in one film for one purpose: to snort an entire mountain of cocaine. You're not getting any smarter watching this one, but thanks to the amount of fun you'll have trashing it over and over again, it's not a waste at all. It's audaciously stupid and without art, but it's also lovable-approaching-cuddly. The Cabbage Patch Shitty Monster Flick.

A lot of fun on not a lot of budget. Mike Moriarty is great and the dialogue is hilarious. I really enjoyed this one.

The monster itself is on a level with 1950s special effects, and rather than flaunt this as a charming archaism, Cohen seems to want to cover up the inadequacies; the bird's-eye-view helicopter shots that fill in most often are all right, but there is never a decent buildup or payoff to any of the various aerial attacks. Bits of comedy compensate somewhat, especially the manic performance of Moriarty as that special breed of New Yorker who is in the habit of talking to himself.

Q: The Winged Serpent? A: Yeah it's an alright monster flick, check it out.

A reptilian Aztec deity terrorises New York, and a petty crook uses his knowledge of its secret nest to extort the city. Though used sparingly, the Harryhausen-like effects on the creature are fashionably dated and give it the feel of a classic old monster movie, only with added gore, nudity and Larry Cohen weirdness. The writing is solid and Michael Moriarty's manic performance is brilliant.

Actually the story has a potential to be a masterpiece. Maybe needs a remake in the hands of talented screenwriters and directors?

Sort of a weird Jaws knockoff in scuzzy 80s NYC. Amusing but not amazing.

One of Cohen's best films. Full of tacky charm, explicit gore, and off-the-wall humor, not to mention the oddly affecting title critter brought to life via limited but charmingly old-fashioned effects animation.

When Larry Cohen was fired as director of his own adaptation of "I, the Jury", he quickly pivoted and developed this delightfully goony monster movie in 6 days. It kind of shows, but Cohen had a knack for making a virtue of cheap and ramshackle. This is far from a tight flick, but it has a ton of energy and a surplus of wonderfully strange ideas. At the center of it all is Moriarty, clearly improvising a ton of dialogue and really cutting loose.

Wonky plot, wonku humor, roundtree and carradine, gore! and a stop motion monster terrorizing the skies of new York....what's not to like?? Quintessential Bmovie

if watched with the right set of eyes, this is pretty entertaining.

Yes there is a winged serpent, decapitations, mauling and skinning, but all of this pales in comparison to Moriarty's crazy performance.

A more coherent Cohen effort than The Stuff, but less engaging. Commits the classic budget blunder of limiting kills to POV shots interspersed with dry procedural, reserving any 'excitement' for the end. Even then, FX aren't milked enough & are clunky in a way that's hard to forgive for the time. There's potential for atmosphere, brutality, and some interesting character dynamics but it all feels completely squandered by choppy editing, poor pacing and laughably schizophrenic performances.

I love monster movies and Q is a really interesting one in the genre. The scenes with the monster are awesome and the deranged way in which Jimmy acts just adds to the entertainment. Sure, it's got a whole lot of weird plotholes and the acting is not all that solid, but it's whole Quetzalcoatl nest full of heart(s) and a very unique plot. For a 80's intrique/horror movie, it is a very solid watch that doesn't spare any on the violence or waiting around to reveal the big bad for too long.

Moriarty's pretty good as the unhinged lead and the film does well in making the absurdity of the premise believable.

This movie is more about Quinn the asshole than it is about Q the serpent.

Suffers from the usual problems which are endemic to Cohen's work, including pacing, Q is nonetheless notable for Moriarty's unorthodox performance and the deliberately anachronistic effects that replicate the style, if not the quality, of old fashioned monster movies.

My recollection is that this is strangely likeable despite its low-budget limitations and fairly basic premise. Also, that Moriarty was great in it.

Old-fashioned monster movie. Good performance from Michael Moriarty, but Larry Cohen always has such problems coming up with a decent picture

“maybe his head just got loose and fell off, whaddya want from me?” the climax is such unequivocal shite i should probably dock a point, but nobody shoots NY like cohen (show me any shot and i reckon i'd identify the filmmaker based on 5+ year old memories of GOD TOLD ME TO) and moriarty puts in an opportunistic slimeball performance even james woods would be proud of. big fucking grin on my face every time i think about that scene of him fleecing the powers that be in all his majestic smuggery.

Just madly, weirdly entertaining, with Carradine and Moriarty being batshit brilliant from start to finish and a bunch of remarkable scenes -- blood coming from above and hitting people on the streets, funny raccords after each Q's attack.

I doubt I could make a B-movie any better than this, but I really hoped that the stop-motion would have looked a little better than in Harryhausen's prime. It's just corny enough that you have to like the mostly-sleepwalking actors, the random collection of deaths, and the beautiful overhead shots of New York City.

a king-kong wannabe, but can't even touch the ground! bad acting by good actors, bad story, bad everything!

A great monster movie by Larry Cohen. Michael Moriarty gives a great performance.

Michael Moriarty is really the reason to watch this one, but it's fun all around and the effects bonanza that tops it off is perfect after lots of Jaws-style teasing.

Amusing horror.

Another one of Cohens "NY as a crypt of limitless horror and weirdness"-stories. Quirky and unusual. I actually thought it was pretty good. ("Yeah? Well, what the fuck do you know?")

Harry Fabian vs. the Aztec Monster

I appreciate how ridiculous it gets, but it's not nearly campy enough to justify how bad it is. The script is a mess, the editing is confusing, most of the performances were terrible; they kinda wasted a fun idea on this.