thecianinator

If this film were mediocre, it would be boring. Thank god it's really, really bad! It's the kind of bad movie where every detail invites you to wonder how the decisions that resulted in what you're watching got made. Who thought it was a good idea to set most of the movie in virtual sets that look like PS1 cutscenes? Who thought we were going to root for a protagonist who doesn't do his job, doesn't provide for his wife, and doesn't see anything wrong with driving drunk? Who thought we wouldn't notice or care about the glaring inconsistencies between where he dies and where he resurrects? This movie fails spectacularly to meet its own ambitions, but those ambitions are just so bizarre that they're mesmerizing. You won't walk away thinking you just watched a great movie, but you'll be glued to the screen while it's on!

The trailers absolutely misrepresent this film. It is not the film advertised in the trailers. If that is the film you want, you will not like it. This film is a tongue-in-cheek psychological thriller that is designed from the ground up for camp appeal. Plenty has been said about why this movie is bad, but as someone who really liked it, I want to list my two complaints here, because even though the movie is cool and watchable, these foibles are distracting:

1. The narrator is terrible and talks way too much.

2. Some of the special effects are obviously not finished. One of the shots even shows clipping occur in a cg model. Disgraceful.

So why is this still a good movie? For one, the morals. This film is an advertisement against advertising itself, and it works like a charm. I saw it in a mall theater, and as I walked out of the movie through the mall, I found myself genuinely displeased with all the advertising around me, more so than when I came in. That's another reason this movie may tick people off; it's supposed to!

Another thing this movie has going for it is downright weirdness. It's a seriously freaky movie, in a charming way. A good cult film will have its moments where the plot takes a completely unexpected turn that makes you go, "What the f***?" And this movie has no shortage of those. In fact, it seems that the filmmakers (former advertising executives themselves) built this movie around a standard "cult film architecture".

But one thing this movie is not is "They Live". The trailer makes it look like an updated version of that cult classic, but though they both use visual metaphor to convey the evils of advertising, the similarities stop there. I'd dare even say this film is the superior example of an anti-corporate-culture-shocker done right. Don't watch the trailers, but do give the film a try (as long as you're not going to take it too seriously)!