[DVD Review (R2)] JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER
There were quite a few opportunities for me to view Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer over the last few months but, after watching the trailer, I decided that it just wasn’t for me. It looked a little “campy”, for one, and I tend not to react well to Robert Englund as an actor outside of his Freddy Krueger performances.
But then it arrived for review and, after failing in my attempt to up my machismo levels following Made of Honour with a double of Wet Hot American Summer and Enzo Casterilli’s Inglorious Bastards, I thought I’d give this a whirl. I stuck it on late at night thinking that it would be something I could doze off to and then write off out of my pile of ‘Great Unwatched’.
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. It’s hugely flawed and not for everyone but its levels of enthusiasm and ambition are enormously appealing. The fact that it was made on a barebones budget with a desire to use only practical FX and no CGI might well make the film look a little ‘naff’ in some parts but it also gives the film a real vintage kitsch appearance too that B-movie fans will have no problem whatsoever in embracing.
As a child Jack Brooks witnessed the brutal murder of his family at the hands of a forest monster whilst he stood frozen in fear. Now a young man he struggles with anger issues, a pestering girlfriend, a dead-end job as a small town plumber, therapy sessions that resolve nothing and night classes that barely hold his interest. After unleashing an ancient curse, Jack’s Professor undergoes a transformation into something not-quite- human, and Jack is forced to confront some old demons in the emotional sense… along with a few new ones of the very much physical kind.
The script is witty and playful, Trevor Matthews makes an engaging and charismatic lead and Jon Knautz directs things with a real zeast and a sense of playfulness. The acting outside of Matthew’s lead performance as Jack Brooks is as ropey and subpar as you’d expect from a low-budget Canadian B-movie. Robert Englund seems to be having a lot of fun in his role as the possessed professor (try saying that five times when drunk!) and that translates too.
It does take an absolute age to get going though and kind of finds itself in the company of Bryan Singer’s X-Men in the regard that so much time is spent getting the ‘tone’ right and getting the character established that by the time we get to the hugely enjoyable climax, we’re left with nothing but the desire for the sequel to roll on so we can see ninety-odd minutes of this style of entertainment rather than a set-piece worth.
Evil Dead, Men In Black, From Dusk Till Dawn, Hellboy and Shaun of the Dead fans wouldn’t go to far wrong in giving this a go. It’s surprisingly fun. I was not in the least bit up for seeing this I have to admit but I had a blast with it once it got going. So much so that not only did I stay awake throughout, but I looked forward to spreading the word on it. I just hope it connects enough for Knaultz and Matthews to get a second shot at honing their creation without the hours worth of preamble they subjected us to this time round. After all, look what Bryan Singer did with a second shot at X-Men.
Bring on the next Jack Brooks adventure!
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4 Responses to “[DVD Review (R2)] JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER”
I’ve really looking forward to checking this movie since I first saw the trailer for it, like a year ago.
Grundy, depending on where you are in the world, if you drop me an e-mail at my hotmail address (undiscovered_genius@hotmail.com) then I can try and arrange to send you a copy of the film if you wish?
No, that’s cool. I’m a patient person, I can wait for it to hit DVD, chances are it’ll be this month. Thanks for the offer anyway.
Well the offers there. I could probably sort you out with a full region free version with all the extras (of which they are pretty cool, I have to admit!)
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