Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Thirst’

Written by Scott Edwards

​Being put in control of young minds is not something that can be taken lightly. Trying to mold them into functioning people is something that is very serious and why teachers should be given the upmost respect for doing so. Teaching our youth and seeing them bloom into real people is an amazing thing and I wish that more people would try to do it. With knowledge from the ages being hidden in someone’s mind and not being passed down, it is just a waste, and it should not happen as much as it does these days.
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Being short staffed and behind on her payments, Claire Taylor needs to get this next group of wayward teens out in the desert for another payday. With her partner’s nephew coming out to the retreat she is happy to get another able bodied almost adult on the roster to help out. Knowing that his nephew is able, Burt gives him a good talking to, to get him on the level, and even though he does not seem too enthused about the situation, Roth agrees to go along for the ride. Seeing the new group of kids arrive at Second Chance, the group sees that they will have their work cut out for them, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to what they will find on their trek. 

Getting the new kids to follow the rules is just one obstacle that the crew of Second Chance will have to face, as they see that there is plenty more wrong with these kids than expected. As Trapper has made it his duty to make the group’s lives a living hell on the trip, the other kids are not willing to take a stand against him. Making their way out into the desert for a week of survival training, Roth spots a young lady in Courtney that he has already seen in her underwear and tries to put the moves on her but gets shot down instantly. Seeing that this will be more difficult than expected, the crew and their kids make it to their first camp location for a great night under the stars. 

Hearing a rumbling during the night, the group is awakened to find themselves in the middle of a stampede. Getting her SAT phone destroyed in the event, Claire has no way of calling home base. Making their way through the desert hills, the group stumbles upon something out of the ordinary, when finding some sort of capsule that is out of place. Looking over the area, Burt spots a truck in the distance that belongs to his friend Lenny. Checking it out and finding Lenny dead, he is ready to turn back, but Claire has some bad news for him about what awaits him back home. Burt is getting sued for hurting a kid on a previous trip and he is looking at jail time when this is over. Agreeing to continue with their adventure, Burt backs down and does his job to protect the kids the best that he can, but when something out of this world arrives in the middle of the night and kills him, there is not much that he is able to do. Seeing his uncle getting sucked dry by the creature, Roth is forced to step up into a role he was never made for, but with his life and the groups on the line, they need someone to lead them to safety, especially with a killer alien on their heels. 

I must say that this looks like the worst summer camp that has ever been put together. Seeing how the group behind Second Chance tries to get respect from the kids, it is a wonder that there are not more pending lawsuits against them, because Burt is a big man that does not take crap from anybody. It was fun watching Roth grow into the leader of the group as people are getting taken out one by one, never saw it in the kid. I wish there could have been a little more back story into the troubled teens on the trip, instead of making me feel like they are just a bunch of entitled kids that need a butt kicking, but Courtney did say that her parents were not very good, so I guess that gives me something to work with. With a hike through the desert, a killer creature on the loose, out of control teens, a reluctant hero and a lack of adults to help in a situation, I liked how the creature was made indestructible, almost like a robot from space. With trouble everywhere you look in this movie, it might make you want to think twice about sending your kids away for a week when there is nothing wrong with a family vacation. Stay Scared.

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