Feeding Frenzy

Low budget schlock spoof that is smart enough to feel original while clearly aping off classic B-movies. Stops just short of breaking the fourth wall but has an irreverent tone that is fitting when you are paying homage to films that were parody in the first place.

There are some clever lines and innovative humour that keep the movie ticking over. Unfortunately the two leads are mostly just annoying so it is up to the supporting characters to carry the film for the most part.

Overall it is fun for what it is and fans of RLM will enjoy it for the schlock factor alone.

Feeding Frenzy is a film that is caught between a rock and a hard place.

On one hand the core group involved constitutes the members of Red Letter Media - the highly entertaining collective of individuals that have made a series of brilliant film reviews and shorts that manage to traverse the thin line between informative and comedic critique. As such they have built up a passionate but as yet marginal fan base - one that is tuned in to the various in-jokes and unsaid references. In other words Mr Plinkett already has a bit of a reputation.

On the other hand they have looked to make a film that could appeal to the 'uninitiated' by following certain obligatory film-making rules, and by deliberately looking to tone down the more esoteric in-jokes (though Jay's 'this T-shirt is an in-joke' T-shirt threatens to spin the whole precarious situation into a paradoxical whirlpool).

Ultimately I feel that they have managed to do a great job. Considering the low budget they had this is a fantastic achievement. It's a well written, well directed, funny, and entertaining film, and I'll certainly recommend it to any friends of mine that still have a sense of humour left.

Perhaps I'm too much of a fan of RLM (and especially 'Half in the Bag'), but I was naturally drawn to the performances of Jay and Mike. They struck me as the stand-out performances,and I'd love to see them willing to give themselves more prominent roles in these films. They're clearly both natural actors on screen, and the simple fact is that the more they appear, the funnier their films will be, and the more entertained we will be as a result.

What I don't want to do by praising Jay and Mike is do a disservice to Gillian and Ron. I thought Gillian was superb in the role of the disinterested love interest. Some of my biggest 'LOL' moments were down to her. As for Ron - well I'll be lying if I say I didn't find his acting questionable at the beginning of the film - however he improves a lot as the film progresses, and by the end I could easily understand why he was right for the part.

In summary this is a lovingly made, consistently amusing homage to the video horror movies of the 80s. It could easily descend into schlock, but instead is full of some wonderful touches of comical brilliance and classy directing.

Watch it right in your face.

As many reviews before mine, I have to admit being a RedLetterMedia fan, too. That makes it harder to be objective, but there is a reason why most of the reviews are from fans: RedLetterMedias films and videos are not aimed at John Doe and his Everyman-brigade. Perhaps I'm the first German to write a review about this film; so I will give some additional information about purchasing it. I received my package just today. Please be prepared that the package will not be delivered to your home but to the custom office, where you have to pay an additional German sales tax of 19%. So, if you are not the type of film enthusiast who wants to have real DVD packages on the shelf, you should go with the downloadable versions, which RLM offers as well.

If you're from Germany (hell, why do I still write this in English? Well, because you should understand English anyway when watching this movie...) and you have no problem understanding the RLM discussions ("Half in the bag", "Best of the worst"), Feeding Frenzy might be a bit harder though, because unlike in a discussion where things are said several times, the plot moves quickly and nobody repeats what he's saying or asks for better understanding. Furthermore, Mr.Plinkett mumbles more than he actually talks, which is convenient for the film but hard to understand for foreigners.

The movie itself is really funny, not more, not less. It has extremely funny moments while fans of RLM might have higher expectations as Mike and Jay sometimes don't do their very best acting here - but still quite OK. Also, you might be used to much, much darker humor from RedLetterMedia, I think there could have been much more black humor...even though there already is quite a lot of it in here...

What has to be pointed out are several "bad moments", that are obviously intentionally bad as they pay homage to schlock-movies from the 80s, for example when they are tied to a table and you can see that Jesse's nose is itching and then he takes his arm out of the ropes so he can scratch it... This is not very funny but still quite amusing if you understand the tone of Feeding Frenzy.

Movies like Feeding Frenzy underline the weight of RedLetterMedias movie reviews; they show that they know what they are talking about and that they not only make theories about movies but they know how things work when making a film. In the aftermath, Feeding Frenzy is an advertisement for everything else RedLetterMedia does - simply because it's OK and can compete with other, much more expensive movie-productions.

The film hits all the notes of a B-movie horror classic. Messy/unbelievable gore, ridiculous looking monster effects, off beat dialog and out of place erotic scenes.

But the movie has some features that most B-movies don't have: Good acting, a plot that makes sense, a lot of funny moments(intentional ones), a good pace, great camera work and a well used score.

There is pretty much nothing to be scared of in this film though and it seems to just be making fun of or holding a candle to 80s horror films like Gremlins, Critters and Deadly Spawn.

Overall I enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys monster movies(especially the low budget ones) or the comedy stylings of red letter media. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone outside those groups. If you are outside those groups... lighten up and get into one of them.

I purchased this movie for one reason, I liked the Mr. Plinkett character and wanted to see what they could do with him in a feature film. However, he doesn't actually have a lot of screen time in the movie. The focus of the film is obviously Jesse and Christine. When Plinkett is actually on screen, he is far creepier than his movie reviewing persona. Usually I want to sympathize with the villain a little bit (that old cliché of the villain you love to hate), but you don't really get that until the end of the movie. By then, you've kinda settled on disliking Mr. Plinkett. Watching this movie without expectations, and/or while drunk or high is advisable.

If you're an aspiring filmmaker or a student of film, then this will amaze you. It's a whole movie with plenty of creativity and innovation. Corny and stupid at times, but have you seen Transformers 2? Transformers 2 had a budget of 2 trillion dollars, and all you get is Shia LaBeouf rolling around in aluminum foil for 3 hours. If Feeding Frenzy had an A-list star in the leading role, it would have made 100 million dollars the first weekend of a general release.

If you're a filmmaker, buy the DVD. If you're a film lover, buy the DVD. If you're a passive film-goer and enjoyed The Hangover, this isn't your cup of tea.