Genre: Thriller/Horror
Related Titles: Poltergiest, Better Watch Out, Zombieland, The Crazies
By Leanne Harragan
When parents start turning on their children, a teenage girl and her brother have to survive a violent 24 hours.
This film wastes no time in a big long setup, fifteen minutes in and the attacking is underway. While I can understand that this film is not winning any awards soon, I thought it was really funny.
The main part of the plot with an unhappily married couple feeling fed up of there mundane existence is nothing new, but the turning of parents against their children and attacking them is something that I haven't seen before. I thought this was an interesting idea and while this film didn't explore the full extent like they could've done, it opened a door on a new idea.
One of my favourite things was the use of music to contrast the violence that was taking place. They used lighthearted/pop and sometimes classical music loudly over the violence in the background. Obviously the topic of filicide or any violence towards children is a bit of a taboo topic that people don't really like to see or talk about, but this film didn't worry too much as it was violent and pretty gory at times. This being said it was sometimes subtle and relied on cues like the buzzing of flies or the sudden quiet for the hint to be taken. I liked the contrast between the gore and the subtlety.
The standout of this film is of course Nicolas Cage. The most perfect choice for a role that is so completely insane. My personal favourite scene was when he went completely crazy and started destroying his newly built pool table and singing 'the hokey cokey.' His co-star Selma Blair was well at home playing the role of unhappy mother, fed up with the way her life panned out.
The only real disappointment I had with this film was the sudden ending. It completely just left off, it seemed almost to end right in the middle of a plot point. Whether this is leaving things for open for a sequel or just where they decided to end, I don't know, but it was just too sudden of an ending for me, leaving too much unexplained.
This film is nothing special and in way lacks the development that it could so have benefited from, but for what it is, it works: fast paced, funny and fresh.
Rating: 3/10
By Rebecca Mannick
To be really honest, I hated this film. For me, it was boring, and not very exciting or scary. There is no purpose to this film, and I really struggled to stay interested throughout. All the characters were annoying or just plain boring. If you're expecting an intense zombie apocalypse movie then this one isn't for you - also it isn't really a horror film either, just a massive amount of gore and killings.
The little brother was the most annoying character ever, I think I wanted him to be murdered more than the mom and dad. Also there was a really graphic scene when a mother gives birth and immediately tries to kill her baby. I had flashbacks to 'Mother!' and its haunting. Really uncomfortable to watch. I won't bore you anymore but i'd recommend steering clear of this satire comedy.
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