Film Review: DRIVE ANGRY (2011)

It’s hard not to look at the trailer for a film like Drive Angry (2011) and not wonder how cheesy the film really is.  The film is exactly as cheesy as it looks.  Nicolas Cage does his best over acting in this film from director Patrick Lussier who has made a career out of cheesy horror films such as Dracula 2000 and the My Bloody Valentine 3D.  This film was also made in 3D (although I didn’t get to view it that way) and the lack of 3D in the 2D version is very evident as the obvious 3D sequences fall flat in 2D.

The film concerns Milton (Cage) an undead felon who has escaped Hell to not only avenge the death of his daughter but to save his grandchild from the clutches of a deranged cult leader (Billy Burke) and his followers who wish to sacrifice his granddaughter to Satan on the next full moon.  Hot on Milton’s tail is The Accountant (William Fichtner) who will return Milton back to Hell even if he has to masquerade as an FBI agent.  Milton has much help on his vendetta especially from the tough-and-badass Piper (Amber Heard).  Milton will stop at nothing to save his granddaughter even if it kills him…again.

Despite the amazing action sequences and standout performances (at least for this type of film) from Heard and Fichtner, the film is hampered by bad dialogue, Cage’s less than thrilling performance, and mediocre death/horror sequences and little gore (especially coming from the guy who also brought us the better than expected remake of My Bloody Valentine 3D).  There is some entertainment value to be had from the film as it never takes itself too seriously and comes off as an homage to late ‘80s fantasy action films like The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, The Ice Pirates, or Big Trouble in Little China, so if you’re a fan of those films then buckle up for one hell of a ride.

Graphic Novel Review: SOMETHING MONSTROUS

For fans of The X-Files and Steve Niles, Niles’ (with R.H. Stavis) graphic novel Something Monstrous will be a revelation.  Niles has already done an official X-Files story with The X-Files/30 Days of Night crossover but now he’s done his own homage to the iconic franchise.  This story follows siblings Cody and Alexis after Alexis returns home to the small town she grew up in to bail her brother out of jail and to get over the death of her father.  It also just so happens that at the same time several of the town’s citizens have been meeting untimely and gruesome deaths at the hands of some giant shadow like creatures.  When the locals are unable to handle the murders two FBI agents are brought in but the murders keep happening and the bodies keep piling up and Alexis and Cody soon realize that the murders may have something to do with something that happened in their past and that they may be more responsible than they know.

This is one of Niles’ darker stories as it has to do with child abuse and how it can affect two people in completely different ways.  Whereas Alexis fled her hometown to get away from what happened to her as a child, her brother Cody decides to remain at home and drink himself to death and become revengeful and bitter.  This plays into the story as when these two sibling finally come back together as adults they accidently release something conjured up from their past that will destroy everyone who was involved with the abuse from their past.

The two FBI agents are Niles’ version of Mulder and Scully and even make several comments about it.  Niles does have more fun with these two characters as they are also the comic relief of the story despite the fact that they are responsible for uncovering most of the mystery that surrounds the story and all the characters.

Along for the ride on this story in terms of art is Stephanie Buscema whose style may turn a few people off (as it did me at first glance) but after reading the story it perfectly complimented the story.  Buscema was a great choice for the story and her take on the so-called shadow monsters of the story works well.  Between Niles, Stavis, and Buscema Something Monstrous is one of the more interesting monster stories out there because it has more to it than meets the eye.  This is one that monster fans should definitely take a look at.

Graphic Novel Review: 28 DAYS LATER: Vol. 6 – HOMECOMING

If you’re a fan of the film 28 Days Later (and its sequel 28 Weeks Later) and you read comic books (or the collected graphic novels) then you will be both sad and happy that 28 Days Later: Vol. 6 – Homecoming is the final volume in the ongoing series of graphic novels that collects the final four issues of the series.  I say this is a sad farewell as this was one of the better more recent comic book series inspired by a film franchise and writer Michael Alan Nelson has done a respectable job of carrying on the story from the two films.

This series takes place after the first film and follows what happened with Selena after her homeland was overrun with the infected.  Now she’s helped American reporter Clint get into London to expose the outbreak.  Clint and Selena are the only remaining survivors of their group after several misadventures to get back to the city but they now find themselves captured by American soldiers who are part of a cleanup and rehabilitation of the city.  They are soon taken back to the Green Zone, which is safe from the infected and where people have been slowly reclaiming the city to live in.   They are able to clean up and get new clothes but the world is different for Selena who has lived her life only for survival and believes that the world in the Green City is not what it seems.  Despite the fact that life for Selena has changed since meeting Clint and becoming involved with him there is unfinished business that she must attend to from her former life before she can move on.  While Selena sets out on her own personal journey Clint is finally able to get to the bottom of what happened in London during the original outbreak but before he can truly understand the gravity of the situation another outbreak threatens everything and Clint must find a way to survive in a city overrun with the infected without the help of Selena.

These final issues of the series brings Selena’s story full circle and links both the first and second films by establishing that Selena and Clint were in London during the second outbreak from the second film.  For fans of both the films and the comic book this series has been a great way to link the two films together making this one of the better.  I’m sad to see the series end but Nelson (with artists Pablo Peppino and Alejandro Aragon) has crafted a fitting end to a great story.

As usual the graphic novel collects all the covers from the individual issues but as an added treat Nelson has a few last words about working on the series which will make all of his fans happy.

Graphic Novel Review: ENORMOUS

 What would happen if the world was suddenly overrun by a bunch of mutated plants and giant monsters that decimate the world’s population?  This is the basis of the graphic novel Enormous from writer/designer Tim Daniel and artist Mehdi Cheggour.  Ellen is one of a few survivors of a decimated world and her job is to search the cities for other survivors and bring them back her underground lair, where it is safe from the dangers of the world above.  Just as she is heading back home with several child survivors who have hiding out, she is over taken by James and his people, another group of survivors who have more nefarious goals.  Now she must find a way to escape her captives and protect the children while traveling through a world that sees them as nothing more than the bottom of the food chain.  

 

Cheggour’s artwork is breathtaking to behold and lush with details showcasing a world in which humans are the endangered species.  It also helps that the book itself is in a larger format than normal graphic novels so the page spreads with the actual monsters puts you right into the danger of the world itself.  Daniel’s designs for all the monsters are also very original and something to behold as they jump off the pages and look like something out of an H.P. Lovecraft story.  Daniel’s story works because it never forgets that it is the human interests that drive the narrative and Ellen’s story is one worth telling.  The book could have easily been one that was simply a nice showcase for all the great monsters contained within but there are large sections of the narrative that focus on Ellen and the rest of her group trying to escape the maniacal James and his people.

Giant monsters have been a mainstay of the horror genre especially when you look at the continuing success of such icons such as Godzilla, King Kong, and Gamera but more recently monsters have made a successful comeback in such films as Monsters, Super 8, and The Host, not to mention all the giant monsters that are featured in the various Syfy Channel original films.  Daniel and Cheggour’s book is is definitely a must for fans of giant monster stories that just so also happens to be a good post-apocalyptic story as well.

Graphic Novel Review: REMAINS

The name Steve Niles is no stranger to horror fans.  He’s most famous for co-creating and redefining the vampire genre with 30 Days of Night (for which there have been two films made already).  With his Remains he sets his sights on re-imagining the zombie genre (which has since been made into a movie by Chiller Films).  Niles writes with Kieron Dwyer providing the art.  The plot concerns a blackjack dealer Tom and an exotic dancer Tori who are among the only living survivors of a nuclear blast that decimates the entire world killing just about everyone and turning them into the walking dead.  Now they are holed in Reno with no escape as the walking dead’s numbers grow with each day.

As the days turn into weeks and the number of the undead grows exponentially Tori slowly begins to realize that something is changing in the undead.  They are beginning to remember how to speak and organize and work together.  Now Tori is even more determined to escape Reno before it is too late.  The situation goes from bad to worse when Tom rescues Cindy from sudden death.  It seems that Cindy is the last survivor from a settlement of survivors who were attacked by a newer breed of radioactive zombies who are stronger and smarter than any that they have ever seen and they are heading towards Reno.  Now these three must find a way to survive in a world where they are the endangered species.

As far as zombie stories go, Remains doesn’t have much new to offer but the notion that we caused the disaster itself is an interesting concept.  The story begins and a day of peace when the US and the world have agreed to get rid of nuclear weapons in a safe way but before this can happen a mistakes triggers a domino effect all over the world putting everything into a nuclear fireball.  Once the actual story starts the rest of the plot is pretty standard zombie material.  I do commend Dwyer’s artwork which greatly enhances the zombie mayhem and works perfectly for the story.  Niles has a very cinematic story telling style which fits with the material.  It is no reason that Chiller Films decided to make this one of their first feature length films.

Niles is no stranger to extreme gore in his stories and this one does not disappoint.  Dwyer’s cover for the graphic novel is pure Niles nightmare hell and horror fans will love what the two have come up with despite the sometimes cliché and predictable story.  Of note is also a lot of production stills at the end of the graphic novel from the making of the film version which shows you just how much care was taken to replicate the style and tone of the graphic novel to the big screen.