This year's Toronto After Dark festival played host to a variety of crazy movies, most notably THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE. And while I was nowhere near brave enough to enter a world of terrifying German surgery, I did score some free passes to the opening night film, THE LAST LOVECRAFT.
For the first few minutes, I was terribly worried that this was going to be an overwrought RELIC HUNTER episode, complete with hooded villains, questionable effects work, and middle-aged actors trying way too hard to justify their lifetime of shitty work (and the word "relic" being thrown around way, way too often). And while elements of The Carrere Effect remained throughout the entirety of the film, its charm ultimately won me over.
The basic setup is that the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft was actually a warning of real dangers, and that a group of nerds, including the last descendant of Lovecraft, have to band together to save the world from Cthulhu, the sea-dwelling Megatron of Lovecraftian fiction. With this kind of material and this kind of a budget, there's bound to be some problems with the film. The baddies in the film are all clearly wearing masks, and some of the effects work is, well, fishy, but the script knows what its strengths are and plays to them, principally keeping the dynamic between the nerds front and center.
The other key is that THE LAST LOVECRAFT never takes itself too seriously. While it isn't an outright comedy, the film's tongue is never too far from its cheek (although, really, how far could a tongue get from its corresponding cheek?) Anyway, there's quite a few laughs thrown into the proceedings, which helps when the film gets dragged down by it's plot.
THE LAST LOVECRAFT just picked up a distribution deal, so there's a chance that you might see it in a DVD bargain bin sometime soon. If it's a $5 and Under bin, I'd say go ahead and pick it up. There's enough there for you to enjoy, and like the 2003 Florida Marlins, it just might surprise you.
Review: Fin.
No comments:
Post a Comment