After suffering through so many horror films with unlikable characters, shoddy dialogue, no suspense and bad jokes - it's refreshing to find a director who knows what he's doing. Slither is the directing debut of James Gunn, who previously scripted the surprisingly well-done 2003 Dawn of the Dead remake, and I'm excited about his future in horror. Though it does not quite have the charm of zombie spoof Shaun of the Dead or the social commentary of the classic George Romero films, watching Slither is a blast. Unlike so many teen slasher films, there is a high level of self-awareness, as Gunn manages to balance campy humor with genuine suspense - a rare feat. Nathan Fillion - a perfect leading man who first let his cocky self-assuredness shine on Joss Whedon's Firefly and in its subsequent film, Serenity - is priceless as Bill Pardy, the young police chief who plays hero, while delivering almost all of the film's best one-liners.
The violence - grotesque, yet cartoonish - may be a bit much for some. You have to at least have a laugh over its general over-the top nature however. Slither is not a classic, by any means. While it shows serious promise from its writer/director, it does not break new ground in the genre. More comparable to a rollercoaster than to a cinematic experience - it was a pleasure, though not one I would seek out again any time soon. At the very least, it washed those awful memories of House of Wax out of my brain.
3.5 (out of 5)
6 comments:
Am really looking forward to this .. Gunn is promising, and have always liked Fillion . good review
Frankly, I'm surprised by your review, as the trailers didn't really strike me as all that promising. But since I am a huge fan of the Romero films (except Land of the Dead) and adored Shaun of the Dead, I am now more than willing to give this film a try with an open mind.
But if it stinks, you owe me...
I didn't see the trailers but Hillary tells me they put a weird spin on it ... Enter at your own risk, though.
So many great one-liners.
Oh Barbara- why didn't you like Land of the Dead?
Hillary, I really wanted to like Land of the Dead. I thought that it could have been such a great social commentary, the way Dawn of the Dead was. All the potential was there, the walled city, the troops, but the acting and the plot were really formulaic.
Here's the review I wrote about it if you are interested:
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=14735556&postID=113010680713916011
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