The Bad Batch

I went against my instincts when it came to watching 'The Bad Batch'. Every nerve in my body was telling me it would be dreadful, but the words cannibals, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves and Giovanni Ribisi kept repeating over and over in my head until I finally gave in and made the fateful mistake of watching it. My god, how is it possible to make a story this boring out of cannibals? Every single thing it tries to make itself interesting with completely falls flat. When you manage to get a completely dull and forgettable performance out of Jim Carrey you know you're doing something terribly wrong.

The film tries to be thought-provoking (at least it seemed like that was what it was going for) but none of the concepts it presents are in any way actually worthy of a second thought. It also goes for a lot of style, however it again falls short. In a futuristic desert wasteland setting there a thousand different concepts you could use to create an interesting story. For some reason 'The Bad Batch' chooses a story that could have been told in any setting and in any time period. That's about as lazy as story-telling gets. If you do make the mistake of selecting this one up on Netflix brace yourself for a long and painful couple of hours.

After watching this film for the first time, I decided to wait a while before saying anything about it. After two months, I watched it again and decided that this was well worth a second view.

The story is pretty typical for the genre of undesirables exiled to a wasteland. Yes, some felt compelled to resort to cannibalism as the easier strategy. And yet, there's a haven of sorts, if one is willing to find it.

The lead character, played by Suki Waterhouse, does an admirable job - but Jim Carrey is the real surprise - dramatically entertaining in a completely unexpected role. Even Keanu Reeves' portrayal of a dubious but benevolent "desert sultan", replete with breeding harem. is spot on. An agreeable fellow who is just too smooth to be truly likable. Jason Momoa's character remains an unpredictable cut-throat who may or may not turn out to be one of the most depraved amongst these outcasts.

I would be tempted to rate the film higher if the story had been a little more imaginative. Kudos to the director for coping with the harsh environment - and the in-camera special effects that largely took care of the scenes that required them. I'll be happy to upgrade my rating in future, if I find that the film continues to grow on me.

I typically like post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows. I don't mind the premise of the movie, but nothing about it grabbed my interest, except that it was so bad (and with its cast) that I figured it had to get good at some point. It didn't. Lack of action and dialogue was bizarre, to say the least. Maybe if they had cut out the little dialogue that there was it could have fallen into a silent movie category and had something. I'm left with a void trying to explain how I feel about it. I suppose that is how I feel about.

I STRONGLY recommend everyone watch this.

Is it good? No. Is it coherent? Hah! Is it the worst movie ever? Quite possibly.

So why would I recommend anyone watch this steaming pile of incoherent garbage? To come back and read the IMDb reviews after.

There's something cathartic about seeing the immense anger of all the other poor viewers who survived this experience. Their frustration, their rage, their inability to comprehend the world any longer... after you watch this "movie," you too will understand that sensation. And it is truly uniting.

... but from the perspective of a good use of time, no, don't watch this. It has no plot, horrible acting, and dialogue written by (and likely for) a 4 year old. It did have one incredible accomplishment though - the director managed to turn $6 million into $100,000 box office gross. So it has that going for it.

I've seen 1 and 2 star reviews, and I've seen 8 or 9 stars. This movie lies somewhere in the middle. There is a ton of talent in this movie, and the story was interesting enough, but there is a ton of wasted potential here. I hope to see this directors next effort as I'm sure the craft will be refined. Overall, it can be a tuff watch, but the performances are outstanding. If you want something original check this out.