Ick

If you're the kind of genre fan who can't get enough of Cooties, Night of the Creeps, or Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, then Joseph Kahn's ICK is your next late-night obsession. Equal parts slime soaked satire, throwback creature feature, and goofball gorefest, ICK is a B-movie with A-level confidence, a film that knows exactly what it is and owns it every gloriously gooey step of the way.

Brandon Routh delivers another enjoyable performances as Hank Wallace, a washed-up high school football star turned reluctant science teacher with a personal grudge against mediocrity, and now, apparently, aliens (I think). When a parasitic lifeform begins infecting his sleepy hometown, he's forced to team up with sharp witted student Grace (Malina Weissman, absolutely owning every line) to save the world or at least their zip code.

The script balances absurdity and affection with surprising finesse. While the satire could have easily veered into "try-hard" territory, it never does. Instead, it feels right, organic, self-aware, and just grounded enough to work. Think They Live, but with alien goo and gym class trauma.

Let's talk about that goo. The CGI? Well... it's fine. Serviceable. Some of the larger-scale creature shots look like they were rendered on a monster energy drink budget, but honestly, it just adds to the film's low-fi charm. Would practical effects have elevated it? Absolutely. But in fairness, some of the creature sequences are too bonkers to pull off practically without quadrupling the budget. Thankfully, the film leans into its own ridiculousness, never pretending to be more polished than it is.

Where ICK really surprises is in its heart. Beneath the eye-rolling puns, exploding heads, and sarcastic monologues, there's a genuine emotional throughline. Hank's journey from burnout to unlikely hero has weight.

ICK is exactly what the horror-comedy genre needs more of bold, messy fun with a sharp bite. It's not trying to win awards. It's trying to make you laugh, scream, cheer, and say, "What the hell did I just watch?" and in that, it completely succeeds.

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.

I'm going to be honest here.

This film is pretty dumb.

But, while it comes off as random, with a creature whose existence is never explicitly explained.

Kahn admittedly does a competent job providing explanations for the unexplained aspects of the film via subtext.

You just need to wade through the ick, in order to get there...and, well, get what the film is about.

Because we are the ick.

The ick- an invasive alien plant creature that becomes more malevolent, the more it's exposed to modern humanity- is a manifestation of the worst aspects of human nature...our most cringe qualities (think of it kind of like when AI when is exposed to the internet).

Hence why the only people immune to it are those who have been humbled by life.

Take the two main characters, for example.

Both of whom had it all in highschool, only to lose it all in their transition to adulthood, when life gave them a reality check.

The protagonist of the story, having been the highschool quarterback, whose life- after being slated for the NFL- gets upended when he suffers a career ending injury (brought on by the ick) in his final game before going off to college.

And our protaganess (the most divine beauty to ever grace the silver screen), when, despite being the most popular girl in school, isn't able to get into the university of her dreams.

Though, also her best friend (and the boy she likes), who are just kind-hearted nerds in the form of a tortured artist and the smartest girl in school.

The latter being characters that are contrasted by the guy who seems to be, at least, semi-autobiographically based on the director, himself.

Though, not necessarily in a realistic sense.

Rather, how he had fantasized his life could have gone (ie gets rich, and marries the hottest girl in school...even though that, inevitably, leads to his downfall).

On top of that, Kahn clearly incorporates many of his own coming of age influences into the film, as well.

Not only in the form of a large collection of 2000's era music.

But also via other cultural influences.

Like how the main character comes off as a dollar store (read: satirized) version of Bruce Campbell as Ash in Evil Dead (right down to his iconic blue shirt).

And the one young man who is clearly fashioned after Jason Mewes when he plays Jay in the Kevin Smith films.

All in all, the whole thing is akin to a faster paced, horrorified, version of a teenage high school comedy.

Kind of it like a high octane John Hughes film, with more of an Idiocracy vibe.

Hence why I say it's a "dumb" film, despite the interesting easter eggs that are strewn throughout it.

Many of which, apparently, harken back to his earlier films.

The highlight of it all, though, is clearly our young protagoness.

She is, quite literally, a Goddess so divine, she put's Aphrodite to shame (and goddamn did she ever look good at the TIFF Q&A...the epitome of perfection).

And a great actress to boot.

But, did I love the film...well, no.

Not exactly.

It was farrrrrr too reliant upon CGI effects for my personal taste.

But it had it's moments.

As an Evil Dead fanatic, I particularly appreciated the influence he took from that series.

And I've got to give him credit for casting the right actress for the main role.

But it isn't enough to save the film from how dumb it really is.

Though...perhaps that was what he was going for.

3 out of 10.

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.

I missed a little bit cause I saw The Home right before this but what I experienced Ick was so great! Nice campy vibes, Brandon Routh has never done horror before and he's awesome in it as Mr. Wallace/ Dad lol. Crazy this costed 19 bucks as a fathom event to see but I'm glad I did and the girl that played Grace is so beautiful!