Something in the Dirt

As a big fan of directors, writers, actors and all round filmmaker go-getters Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, I am convinced that one day the collaborative duo are going to deliver a feature film that makes them household names, with their latest effort Something in the Dirt not that film unfortunately.

Clearly identified within the industry as filmmakers on the up, with Marvel trusting the team with helming some of the recent Moon Knight season 1 episodes and the upcoming Loki season 2, Moorhead and Benson's bread and butter so far in an intriguing early career is cosmic horror and sci-fi with Dirt having similar DNA to their previous features which include the impressive and underseen Spring, the well-liked cult sci-fi The Endless and the interesting but sadly disappointing Anthony Mackie starring Synchronic.

Giving both Moorhead and Benson time in front of the camera as well as behind it, here playing John Daniels and Levi Danube respectively, Dirt see's the two all-rounders playing no hoper LA neighbours who find their chance to make something of their lives appearing out of nowhere when strange seemingly unexplainable happenings take place in Levi's apartment that lead the two newly formed friends creating an alliance of sorts to document what is happening, moving them forward on a journey that could be dangerous to their very mindsets.

Mixing in horror elements that are overshadowed by more prominent sci-fi angles, buddy comedy moments and most disappointingly documentary stylings that feel like an afterthought that ads very little to the overall grand scheme of things, Dirt is a typically ambitious outing from Moorhead and Benson but arguably one of their more disappointing overall efforts that struggles to maintain and initially intriguing early stretch and idea that is increasingly light on wins as the two hour runtime of the film wears on.

The chemistry between the real life friends on camera is a major win for the film with the back and forth between John and Levi one of the films strongest elements and as their work together pulls their uneasy friendship further apart, Moorhead and Benson are up for the challenge as performers with both their characters not the kind of likeable and memorable characters the best of these type of films have front and centre but two characters that feel real and relatable as they find themselves in over their heads.

With so many elements and different components to explore it's a shame so much of Dirt feels bloated and unneeded and outside of the odd decision to frame parts of the film in a documentary style experience the biggest let down for all the plodding and dancing around answers comes from the fact by the film gets to its end game, it feels like Dirt is more of a film with the ideas and not the end game to make it all tie together with Benson and Moorhead capable of a much more rounded package that packs originality in with conclusions and answers to boot.

Final Say -

With much of their careers still waiting to be explored it's likely that Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson have much stronger films to come with Something in the Dirt a film with moments but far too many misses to call a success.

2 levitating objects out of 5

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

I can't quite put my finger on it but after the first 30 minutes I was so lost, bored and tired that I didn't really care much for what was coming next. I think if this had been one of their earlier films, I would have appreciated it more. But I expected better from them at this point. I was expecting something more cinematic, and I feel like it was a heavily filtered movie that just didn't live up to my expectations.

I think the movie tried to do too much and the filmmakers were given too much freedom to do so because of their success on previous projects. I may revisit it one day, but for now, I remain neutral on this one.

I have been a fan of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead for a few years. Having seen all of their feature films and direction on the Marvel series Moon Knight, I can confidently say that I think they are terrific filmmakers, even though their work isn't for everyone. Their bizarre and thought-provoking stories always suck me in. For that reason alone, I will watch anything new they work on. Something in the Dirt may be my least favourite of their work so far, but I'd be lying if I didn't at least say I had a very good time watching it.

After Levi (Justin Benson) moves into a new apartment complex, his neighbour John (Aaron Moorhead) becomes friends with him when they both witness supernatural occurrences. Choosing to document it in hopes that their story will make them money, they begin to get in a little over their heads. Since the supernatural occurrences do not allow themselves to be filmed, they wait until they've experienced it and then recreate it. So it's real, but not really. This made the film much more interesting to me, but the conclusion is what kept me from thinking it was great.

Many viewers may find themselves unsatisfied with how this story comes to a close, but I can't get into that without spoiling the final scene. This is a well-done film and their comedic friendship helps drive it, but it just felt that the premise was far too interesting for where it actually ends up. Unlike their other films where they just go for it and don't care about how ridiculous some things might be, Something in the Dirt feels very tame in comparison. Still, the creativity is present from start to finish as always.

In the end, Something in the Dirt has some great camera work and the story itself is very fun and intriguing. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are both likeable actors and they do a great job directing as well, but it's a very small movie, so I expected nothing less. I took away a few lessons and ideals from this movie that really made me think, but again, the film itself doesn't explore those things nearly enough. This is a screenplay that is fantastic until the third act, which was slightly frustrating. Still, overall, I'm still pretty positive about the movie for being so creative. Something in the Dirt is now available on demand.

John Daniels and Levi Danube notice some very strange goings on in their LA apartment block, and decide to pool their resources, and make a documentary.

I just couldn't get into it, I got the whole way through, and found it one of the most frustrating films I've sat through for some time.

I'll applaud the ideas and imagination behind it, there was definitely an originality about the story, but the execution somehow didn't work, visually I don't think it offered anything, it felt a bit clunky, just lacking somehow.

The leading men were both pretty good I thought, no issues with some, the script they were working with however, it just didn't work somehow.

There's a pretty interesting tension between the pair, you weren't sure sure if they had some sort of bromance going on, or were just tolerating one another.

Disappointing.

4/10.

Not even sure what to make of this. I'm told this was conceived and initiated during Covid and I applaud Benson and Moorhead for keeping the creative spark alive during this difficult time. But this film, frugally shot with sparse cameras, small cast, and minimal sets, falls bizarrely flat in the second half after a promising and intriguing start. An interesting and unexplainable phenomenon occurs, which could have led to multiple potential legit sci-fi storylines. Okay, I'm hooked. But soon, the tale dissolves into confusing pseudo-science banter, and wild conspiracy theories, with a side dose of anger and paranoia. In the end, nothing is really resolved and the whole event could just as easily have been explained away as the result of a lengthy acid trip. I think I'll just say "weirdly unsatisfying" and leave it at that.