 Matt Paprocki from "Blogcritics" felt the original novel was superior to its film adaptation, and felt the movie was "an appallingly bad creature feature that barely qualifies as such" with multiple plot holes, unexplored subplots, and stereotypical characters plagued by bad acting.Staci Layne Wilson of "Horror.com" also felt the film was full of stereotypes, including a "stupid circus trainer; bible-thumping naysayer; the great white hunter; small-minded mayor; pinheaded press; wise Indian sage; [and] military sorts" but felt they were depicted in such an extreme manner that they were simply boring.She found the films conclusion to be predictable and "corny".