I'm declaring Big Ass Spider! an instant classic. Seriously, this is the best -- and definitely the funniest -- creature feature film in years. Along with plenty of scenes showing the arachnid antagonist doing its thing -- spinning webs, spraying face-melting acid, eating people left and right, and pretty much terrorizing the city of Los Angeles -- you have great characters delivering constantly witty dialogue with great comedic timing. The combination of Greg Grunberg and Lombardo Boyar as spider-hunting hombres makes for comedic gold.

You would think that being bitten by a brown recluse spider would definitely be the low point of your day -- but not so for exterminator Alex Mathis (Grunberg). That just ends up being the serendipitous event that places him in the local hospital emergency room when the coroner runs in with a hellacious bite from what he describes as a huge spider. The exterminator goes into action, with the help of hospital security guard Jose Ramos (Boyar) -- and that's when the military rolls in. It seems this giant spider is no ordinary spider, and -- according to the special operations team's scientist -- it's only at Phase Two of its whole growth/metamorphosis thing. It's going to get much, much bigger, with a hard exoskeleton that bullets can't penetrate.

The military pushes Alex aside, but he and his new sidekick Jose are determined to find and kill the spider themselves. They make a great (and very funny) team, routinely figuring out where the spider is as quickly as the military can spot it themselves. Of course, the big guy isn't exactly lying low -- he's terrorizing the streets of Los Angeles. It is great fun watching this big ass spider on the rampage. He's spearing people (including Troma's own Lloyd Kaufman) left and right, shooting out webs to suck people back into its giant mouth, and gumming some victims up for late-night snacks.

The special effects are great, especially considering the movie's surprisingly low budget, especially when the spider is terrorizing a park full of unsuspecting men, women and children, and when he decides to start climbing some of L.A.'s tallest buildings. The whole spider rampage also gives birth to one of the film's funniest scenes -- a glorious send-up of Antoine Dodson's "Bed Intruder" news interview.

If you see only one giant spider movie this year, make sure it's Big Ass Spider! The monster action alone is worth watching, but the hilarity the movie unleashes all but demands multiple viewings.