Ick

Context: I am 60+ now, degreed and experienced in cinema, with three Generation "Z" boys. So this movie is not for me, it's for them. I only give it 6-stars because it misfits my own entertainment needs. I expect teenagers and young adults who were tweens and teens in 2000-2010 will connect with this much better.

That being said, I would describe this as being a hyper-paced satire that pretends to be about horror but is really about our modern culture, especially that which Gen-Z must suffer through.

The Ick, being a familiar but mostly ignored and unexplained creature that suddenly becomes destructive, is a METAPHOR.

It represents cultural rot, something that grows everywhere and we complacently ignore it until it becomes antagonizing, and many of us continue to try ignoring it, or minimizing it, to our demise.

Once you watch this movie with those lenses it begins to make more sense. Listen carefully to the dialog and you'll hear the indoctrination of critical theory (identity politics and oppression narratives), postmodernism (nihilism), postcolonialism (anti-settler narratives), and capitalism vs socialism debates. All of it is not to preach any of these, but to make fun of it. The Ick not one of these things or the other, it's the ignorance, the complacency, the intolerance, and the polarization of these variant invasive philosophies.

You could even frame the Ick as poststructuralism - which is best imagined as a culture-bomb - wherein all of these other ostentatious disciplines are its components.

In effect, the movie is a lot smarter than it appears, but if you are older than Gen-Z and you are not aware of its goals, then it's look completely dumb and a waste of your time. As I say, if that describes you, it wasn't made for you. It was made for the kids who grew up in our mess.

I cannot say its humor made me laugh a lot, but it delivered some chuckles - it's wit is dry and fast so you have to keep up.

I do think that the editing is very choppy though, and doesn't do it service. Had this been smoothed out a little it would have been more palatable.

Saw this opening at Screamfest at The Mann Chinese Theatre. Super fun film with a great cast. You can tell watching it that everyone involved had a really great time making the film. It feels like a movie made by people who really love films especially those from the 90s and early 2000s. Parts reminded me of Eight Legged Freaks, the Faculty, and Lawnmower Man. It harkened back to a time when popular horror films were more about having a good time then being a deep intellectual pursuit. Not that I mind a brilliant brain bender, but it is refreshing to see a film not take itself so seriously.

The cast was brilliant. Brandon Routh was incredibly charming and funny as the lead, Mena Suvari was great as well. Malina Weissman really carried the film well with her grounded yet endearing performance. Harrison Cone was hilarious as the overly performative, virtue signaling douchebag. Two great breakout performances came from Taia Sophia and Zeke Donovan Jones. Their awkward goth romance added a ton a heart to the film. I suspect these two actors will be future fan favorites.

What initially drew me to pick up this movie was the cover. And with it being a movie that I had neither seen before, nor actually ever heard about, of course I had to check out what director Joseph Kahn had to offer.

The movie's synopsis sounded interesting enough, but I have to admit that the movie itself sort of fell short of entertaining me. I just found it to make zero sense with the 'Ick' stuff that was spreading around in the town. And the characters in the movie had about as much depth, layers and personalities as wet paint. So it was a bit of a struggle to sit through this movie. So I can't claim that writers Joseph Kahn, Dan Koontz and Samuel Laskey put together a particularly great script that catered to my preference in entertainment.

Of the entire cast ensemble in the movie, I was only familiar with Brandon Routh, Mena Suvari and Jeff Fahey. Despite the fact that the movie didn't have much of any noteworthy script, the acting performances were actually fair.

The special effects in the movie were adequate, but could only do so much to make up for the shortcoming of an inadequate script.

If you enjoy horror movies, then "Ick" is hardly a movie that I would recommend.

My rating of director Joseph Kahn's 2024 movie "Ick" lands on a four out of ten stars.

I wondered what I was watching at first as the beginning starts very much like a comic book or a send up of a typical American High School Movie but boy am I glad I stuck with it.

It moves so fast that if you're not careful you miss some of its funniest moments.

This is not a serious movie so if you want to be scared then this isn't for you. But if you want to be entertained then this ticks the boxes.

Just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Joseph Kahn's Ick is a wild, messy, and occasionally brilliant ride... a horror-comedy that's as ambitious as it is uneven.

Set in a world where a parasitic, plant-like "Ick" has spread unchecked, the film follows Brandon Routh's Hank, a washed-up science teacher, and Malina Weissman's sharp-witted student Grace as they uncover the Ick's true, terrifying potential.

The movie's strengths lie in its visual flair and Routh's charismatic performance. The Ick itself is a standout monster: grotesque, dynamic, and genuinely unsettling. The humor lands more often than not, and the nostalgia-baiting soundtrack and aesthetic will delight fans of early 2000s pop-punk.

But Ick stumbles in its execution. Kahn's breakneck pacing leaves little room for character development or coherent world-building. The sociopolitical commentary feels tacked on, and the supporting cast is often reduced to caricatures. It's a film that prioritizes style over substance, and while that style is undeniably fun, it's not enough to mask the lack of depth.

Verdict: Ick is a 7/10 watchable, entertaining, and packed with energy, but ultimately more derivative than innovative. If you're a fan of chaotic, nostalgia-drenched horror-comedies, you'll find plenty to enjoy. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking.