“Mindwarp” Movie Review

    The other day, I got a bit of an early birthday present in the form of a package from the kind folks at Mill Creek Entertainment.  It was filled with a variety of films and I was in pure ecstasy looking through all the titles to watch a review.  Mill Creek Entertainment really outdid themselves and I want to thank them yet again for the kind support they have given my blog since it’s inception.  Now, it’s my task to watch and review the movies and I thought I would start my reviews off with a film I had never heard of before, “Mindwarp”.  I admit that I mainly picked this movie first because it starred one of my favorite actors, Bruce Campbell.

    In the year 2037, the Earth is mainly a wasteland and the population is split up between normal and healthy people living in a sealed biosphere and mutated cannibals who live outside the protection of the biosphere.  The “dreamers” living in the biosphere are plugged into a virtual reality in which all their dreams can come true.  The main character Judy ends up exiled from the biosphere after interfering with other people’s realities and is cast outside.  Once on the surface, she is saved by Stover from a group of cannibals.  Together, the two must manage to find a way to survive this apocalyptic Earth.

    I have a lot of thoughts about this movie and I am not sure where to start.  For starters, this movie feels very much like an early version of “The Matrix”.  Humans plug into virtual reality and the “real world” is a wasteland.  I can’t help but feel like the Wachowski brothers got some inspiration from this movie.  Now, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean “The Matrix” didn’t expand and improve on the concept, but “Mindwarp” did it first.

    The film had an early made for the sci-fi channel feeling to it.  The film was the first movie produced by Fangoria Films.  As you might imagine, it was very low budget as a result.  It is very much a B movie but it also seemingly embraces the fact it’s a bit of a schlock fest.  I also have to give it extra credit for being filmed in Michigan (home boy has to represent and all that jazz).

    The film stars Marta Martin as Judy and she does the best she can with what she is given.  Bruce Campbell, who is given top billing, co-stars as Stover.  This is Bruce Campbell at his prime, “Army of Darkness” and “The Adventures of Brisco Country Jr.” era.  What I love about Campbell is how he fully commits to even the most over the top performances.  He does his best in this film but his character isn’t given much time to breath or react to things.  Lastly, horror icon Angus Scrimm portrays the leader of the cannibals (and the source of a few twists in the film).  Honestly, Scrimm was the highlight of the film but isn’t introduced until the third act.

    Now, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t go into how the budget effected the film.  There was a part in the film that actually sort of made me mad because Judy talked about creating a world and riding on dinosaurs, all things more interesting than what was depicted in the movie.  To me, that dialogue is almost calling attention to the lack of a budget.  While the first act reminded me of “The Matrix”, the second and third acts reminded me of “Mad Max”...on a budget.  Seriously, there was a part where one of the cannibals had a hubcap as a breastplate.  That is the sort of costume me and my friends would wear as kids when we made home movies.

    So, I have danced around the issue of how I felt about the movie overall and it’s hard to get into it without getting in to spoilers.  To me, it felt like a short film stretched out to feature length.  There were some interesting concepts but it had boring parts and there clearly wasn’t a budget for properly done film.  The film picked up steam going into the third act but the final few minutes not only ruined the third act, but it also ruined the movie as a whole.  This is a movie that tried to have way too many twists and all those twists just ended up undermining everything that came before it.  That being said, I am sure M. Night Shyamalan loved everything about this movie.

    So how do you rate a movie that you feel botched it’s ending?  I really didn’t mind the movie until the end, sure it was cheap looking and a little goofy, but it also owned that for the most part.  I think the movie was trying too hard to give an ending that would be talked about in hopes of elevating the film.  In my opinion, it lost sight of what it might have been destined to become.  “Mindwarp” could have easily become a cult classic, and one can make an argument it is, but it will never be as fondly remembered as it could have been.

Grade: C

Buy the “Mindwarp” and “Brainscan” Double Feature Blu-ray Here!!!

“Evil Dead” Movie Review

    I have always had somewhat of a soft spot in my heart for the "Evil Dead" franchise.  I am not even entirely sure why. I am not a big horror fan but I really enjoy the campy nature of the films, so when I heard they were remaking it, I had reservations.  Those reservations were heightened by the film’s trailer which seemed to shift the focus from over the top horror to gore more in line with the “Saw” franchise.  So when the film was released, I decided to skip seeing it in theaters and instead wait for the film to be released on Blu-ray.  After finally watching the movie, I was glad to have waited for the home video release.
    The movie follows the basic premise of the original film with a few twists.  Ash is no longer the main character, instead the film follows the journey of Mia as she tries to survive the onslaught of the evil dead.  The film is just as gory as the trailer depicts, if not more so.  After awhile, it starts to feel a bit routine and it loses it’s shock value as you grow dumb to the gore.
    The film is actually a ‘requel’ officially (meaning it acts as a soft reboot and a sort of sequel).   These are becoming more popular lately as a way to introduce a brand name to a new audience while still trying to chase that nostalgia money.  As far as ‘requels’ go, it is handled decently.
    Much like the original films, the cast is mainly forgettable except for the lead actor, Jane Levy as Mia.  While Levy can’t completely escape the shadow cast by original franchise star Bruce Campbell, she still shines and brings humanity to the nightmare the film brings to life.  It is also important to note that this is the directorial debut of Fede Álvarez.  While I am not a huge fan of his direction of the film, Álvarez makes some unique choices and I think he is someone poised to do something greater down the line.
    While I am not the biggest fan of this chapter, I am sad to hear Bruce Campbell has retired from the role of Ash since there were talks of a possible sequel to this film in which Ash and Mia team up.  That sounded promising.  Perhaps this promise will be explored in a future comic book series.
    “Evil Dead” is the kind of movie you watch with friends and see who gets grossed out the most.  It is a horror right of passage.  Still, I prefer my Evil Dead with some self awareness and humor.

Grade: D

“Army of Darkness” Movie Review

    After watching the ending of “Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn” and seeing the movie ended on a cliffhanger, I was excited to how the franchise was going to wrap up.  The third “Evil Dead” movie, now titled “Army of Darkness”, did not disappoint.

    As shown at the end of the previous film, “Army of Darkness” picks up with Ash now stuck in the Middle Ages.  He spends most of the movie fighting deadites (naturally) and looking for a way back to the future.  This third film in the franchise is famous for taking a more light hearted, self aware, look at itself.  There is slapstick humor in the vain of “The Three Stooges” and the movie just has fun.  It works extremely well.

    Much of the charm of these films is the performance given by Bruce Campbell.  In this movie, he is given even more to work with as he takes on two roles.  Campbell plays both the main protagonist and antagonist of the film.  Evil Ash is so delightfully over the top, you sort of begin to root for him.

    “Army of Darkness” was given an R rating by it honestly plays more like a PG-13 movie.  While the first “Evil Dead” movie earned it’s NC-17 rating, I feel like this movie was unfairly given an R rating because of it’s pedigree.  The MPAA does that sometimes.

    Lastly the film is famous for having two vastly different endings.  The theatrical edition (and official) ending showcased Ash back home in Michigan and working at a S Mart (“Shop smart, shop S Mart”) while still showing his heroics as he saves the day once again from a deadite attack.  The other ending I was exposed to when I bought “Bruce Campbell vs. the Army of Darkness Bootleg Edition” DVD.  It features Ash waking up from his hibernation only to find out he overshot his own time and woke up after the end of the world.  It was dark and twisted and felt like it was meant to lead somewhere else.

    I really liked what Sam Raimi and company did with “Army of Darkness”.  I like the shift in tone and risks they took.  “Army of Darkness” to this day is one of the most famous cult hits ever.  I know it’s a personal favorite of mine and the highlight of the series in my opinion.

Grade: B+

”Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn” Movie Review

    After my first time watching “The Evil Dead”, I really wanted to see what was next in the Evil Dead universe so that brought me to “Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn”.  The sequel remains many people’s favorite film in the franchise and I can definitely see why.
    “Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn” is an interesting film because it acts as a remake and a sequel.  I imagine this was done partly to showcase the increased budget (which was still extremely low).  I can’t really think of too many other films ambitious enough to attempt that even to this day.  It worked pretty well for this movie since it (along with the first film) had a rather simplistic plot.
    The sequel is also interesting because it had a different tone than the first film.  While the original film was straight up horror (with some unintentional comedic elements), the sequel has a lighter more comedic tone.  At times acting as a parody of horror films while never totally lampooning the genre, “Evil Dead 2” succeeds in delivering something different.
    The cast is once again led by survivor Ash, played  again by the legendary Bruce Campbell.  Campbell seemed more comfortable this time around.  This film also allowed Bruce Campbell to showcase his impressive slap stick comedic abilities.  The rest of the cast was an improvement over the first film but no other real standouts.
    Sam Raimi took great advantage of the fact he had an increased budget.  His style was really taking shape by this film.  His camera work really helped enhance the film and tell the story.  Raimi remains one of my favorite filmmakers to date.  Plus, Raimi is from Michigan and set this film here so once again, he gets extra credit in my book.
    “Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn” certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  You definitely have to be in the mood for an over the top horror film.  When you have that craving though, “Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn” certainly hits the spot.

Grade: B+

“The Evil Dead” Movie Review

    I remember going to my local video store as a kid and passing through the horror section with curiosity.  It was a useless voyage however because my parents never allowed me or my siblings to rent something from the horror section.  You see, to them, renting from the horror section was a waste of money because all horror movies were “crap”.  Yet, I would still travel to the horror section each time, intrigued by the cover art of the films I wasn’t allowed to rent.  Well, when I became a teenager, I remembered some of those movies I wasn’t allowed to rent and decided to pick them up myself.  The first horror movie I subjected myself to was “The Evil Dead”.
    “The Evil Dead” franchise always had some of the most eye catching cover art in the video store.  So after catching my attention and finally watching the movie I remember feeling surprised.  The movie didn’t exactly scare me, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
    The movie was made with a very low budget.  It was the first film directed by Sam Raimi and it really showcased his ingenuity behind the lens.  He was able to take something that might handicap another filmmaker and turn it into an asset.  The best example of this is how Raimi decided to depict the evil in the film.  With a shoe string budget, he couldn’t afford to show the approaching evil, so he instead gives us the point of view of the evil which is unnerving and suspenseful all at the same time.
    The film itself is fairly simple which works well considering it’s budget.  The film is over the top and campy but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deliver on the gore.  This is something I do need to stress, this film is not for younger audiences or for people who are sensitive to adult subject matters.  It wasn’t rated NC-17 for nothing.  Be cautioned, there is also a pretty graphic scene between a woman and a tree (and no, you didn’t  read that wrong, an evil tree really does get all Bill Cosby on a lady).
    Along with Sam Raimi, the film is also noteworthy for launching the career of fellow Michigan native Bruce Campbell.  Campbell has remained a beloved B movie icon and has returned to the role of Ash many times since this film.  Out of the entire cast, Campbell always shines the most in his scenes.
    So this movie has a special place in my heart for many reasons.  I have watched and enjoyed all the sequels and even the remake and I have enjoyed them all (to various degrees).  If you like horror movies and aren’t sensitive, this is the film for you.

Grade: B