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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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6
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Judging
strictly by the title, more than a few folks will expect a rip-off
of 28 Days Later. But apart from
a manmade virus that turns infected people into homicidal, cannibalistic
maniacs, there aren't any similarities at all. Story and (especially)
tone couldn't be more different. The Rage
may be knee-deep in gore but it's played tongue in cheek, with
a mischievous wink. Drawing inspiration from Re-Animator
and the gut-munching Italian horror movies of the '80s, the
film doesn't strive to be anything more than a fun, over-the-top
splatterfest —
a drive-in 'party' pic. It frequently stumbles on the way to
this goal but eventually gets there.
The
Rage wastes no time
getting straight to the squishy stuff, its opening scene taking
place in a gore-encrusted chamber of horrors. Somewhere in the
U.S., deep in a forest, demented Russian scientist Viktor Vasilienko
(Andrew Divoff) has established a secret laboratory to conduct
horrific experiments on unwilling captives. A commie embittered
by the fall of the Soviet Union, the mad doctor's goal is to
perfect a lethal, mutating virus with which he'll infect North
America, demanding billions in ransom for the antidote he alone
possesses. Experiments aren't going so well on his newest subjects,
a family of three kidnapped while on holiday... The mother dies
screaming in agony, her face a bubbling mass of pustules, as
her daughter's corpse is devoured by the caged monstrosities
which resulted from previous tests. Next is the father's turn.
His bitter curses and pitiful pleas are ignored by Vasilienko,
who proceeds to cut a hole in the man's skull (without anesthetic)
and inject the latest version of the "rage" formula
directly into his brain. Within seconds the helpless captive
begins to mutate, his face morphing monstrously. A miscalculation
with the formula infuses him with super-strength; he snaps the
restraints and immediately attacks a surprised Dr. V, who must
battle for his life against one of his own creations. They have
quite a tussle, after which the psychotic, flesh-hungry mutant
escapes the lab and disappears into the night.
Meanwhile, not far
away, an outdoor rock concert/rave is being held in a clearing.
Among those attending is a group of attractive young hipsters
in a Winnebago RV (including second-billed Erin Brown, alias
"Misty Mundae" of sexploitation fame). They enjoy
the show trippin' on Ecstasy and weed, unaware that Dr. V's
escaped mutant has slaughtered other concertgoers. Next morning
the friends set out on the long, dull drive home...
They aren't going
to get there. The RV is wrecked on a lonely stretch of road,
deep in the forest.
Naturally I then
expected the kids to be attacked by infected mutants a la 28
Days Later. But this isn't the case —
the filmmakers threw me a curve ball. The escaped mutant keels
over and dies in the woods, alone and unseen. The corpse is
then munched on by a flock of vultures, who are in turn infected
and mutated by the virus. Thus our protagonists are beset by
a squadron of avian horrors, large scavenger birds turned relentless
predators. Turns out the film is an offbeat blend of zombie-style
mayhem and the "Nature Strikes Back" genre that was
so prevalent in the '70s. (Jumbo-sized leeches also make an
appearance, although their presence isn't explained.)
Taking the kitchen
sink approach, director Robert Kurtzman —
formerly the "K" in KNB, the team responsible for
some of the most notable movie makeup/special effects of the
last two decades —
offers up a bountiful smorgasbord for gorehounds and monster
fans. Just about every technique imaginable is employed for
the various creatures and the ultra-gooey carnage they wreak,
to include latex appliances, prosthetics, animatronic puppetry,
stop-motion and CGI. The gore effects are as good as anything
you'll see in a modern film (regardless of budget); the computer-generated
vultures are to my eye a step up from the CG-rendered beasties
seen in your typical made-for-Sci Fi Channel monster pic. Somewhat
ironically, the effects
only fail when used for the most mundane of purposes —
the RV driving scenes (poor
green screen) and depiction of explosions and fire. Note to
filmmakers: CG flames never, ever look good. If you can't afford
to burn down the building or blow up the vehicle for real, rewrite
the script!
The script for The
Rage trots out its share of clichés to be sure,
along with passages of groan-inducing dialog. (Guest star Reggie
Bannister's Phantasm reference
is especially lame.) A pointless flashback sequence, in which
Dr. V recounts his fall from grace with the end of communism
in Russia, stops the movie dead in its tracks for a few minutes.
And most of the scares are telegraphed well in advance. This
isn't really a problem, though, in a film that relies more on
shock and revulsion (albeit in a spirit of dark humor) than
fright or suspense. More problematic is the acting by some of
the younger cast members, which is uneven at best. Fortunately
the other performers take up the slack.
Propelling the story
is the energetic turn by Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster,
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull) as the demented Dr. V. The script doesn't give
him any memorable/quotable lines like some of the great mad
scientists of horrors past, but Divoff knows exactly what the
film needs and delivers —
it's a fine balancing act between menace and camp. Also quite
good is Christopher Nelson as the doomed father-turned-rampaging
mutant in the film's opening set-piece; his brawl with Divoff
is one of the highlights, kicking the movie off in high gear.
Erin Brown, having previously appeared in a Masters of Horror
episode and such DTV horror-comedies as Shock-O-Rama
and Splatter
Beach, secures the mantle of veteran B-movie monster slayer
with this pic, handling her scream queen chores with aplomb.
Pushing 30 now she still looks young for her age, believable
as a college kid barely legal to drink. (Sorry, Misty worshippers
—
no nude scenes in this one, though she does prance around in
her undies at one point.) Emerging as the heroine in the final
half-hour, she's put through the wringer but is an old hand
when it comes to being covered head to toe in blood.
Come to think of
it, the entire movie is covered in blood. (And mucus,
and pus, and intestines, and brain matter...) First and foremost,
The Rage is a splatterific FX showcase.
Yet for all its gruesome excess, it's
not sadistic or mean-spirited in the fashion of the current
strain of "torture porn" films. It's an unapologetic
"popcorn" flick, aimed squarely at those who like
their movie popcorn drenched in blood and gore instead of that
piss-colored buttery substance found at the multiplex.
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The
"Unrated Director's Cut" DVD of The
Rage is the way to go with this one. (An edited, R-rated
edition is also available, but why bother?) The clean anamorphic
1.78:1 transfer is backed by a boisterous, sound effects-driven
5.1 audio track; the few minor hiccups — some mumbled, unintelligible
dialog, overly bright solarization in certain outdoor scenes —
are products of the original production and not the disc's authoring.
Plenty of extras are onboard. (But no trailer?)
These understandably tend to highlight the FX work. Detailing
the production underway in and around Cleveland, Ohio is a 79-minute
behind-the-scenes 'making of' featurette (almost as long as the
film itself!) supplemented by a pair of step-through image galleries.
Audio commentary is provided by director Kurtzman and writer/co-producer
John Bisson (the "B" in KNB), who are unabashedly enthusiastic
and uncritical of the project. (It's still an interesting discussion,
however.) Two music videos by the alternative metal group Mushroomhead,
who appear in the film as the band playing at the forest rave
and are prominently plugged on the DVD cover, will give your sound
gear a workout. 3/13/08 |
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