Bad Taste
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Movie Reviews of Bad Taste
Movie Review: Laughter and slaughter in equal measure for Jackson's debut
Summary: 4 Stars
If Peter Jackson gets the Oscar for "The Return of the King," as recognition for his effort with the entire film trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings," this 1987 effort will be the skeleton in his cinematic closet. Actually it would be his partially decpaitated head. Not even Francis Ford Coppolla's "Dementia 13" can compare to Jackson's novice effort, which wallows in special effect gore at each and every opportunity. The story has "The Boys," four less than brilliant members of the super secret New Zealand Astro Investigation And Defense Service, being sent to a small New Zealand fishing town to investigate a UFO report. What they find is that aliens have indeed landed and taken human form so that they can slaughter the humans to use as the main menu item for an intergalactic fast-food chain. Fortunately the aliens all wear blue work shirts, so the boys can tell who wants to eat their brains and avoid them or find a particularly gruesome and bloody way of killing them.Shot over four years (sort of like Orson Welles and "Othello"), for $11,000 of his own money (sort of like with Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi") before a grant allowed him to finish the project, and despite the profusion of blood and brains, "Bad Taste" shows Jackson's raw film making skills. Forgetting about the squirting blood and the intentionally bad acting, and try paying attention to Jackson's use of camera angles because he knows what he is doing. Besides, it is hard not to embrace a film that glories in its low budget and amateur cast. More than anything else "Bad Taste" reminded me of the mini-musical version of "The Night of the Living Dead" that I caught on late night cable twenty years ago, although I have to admit that Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead" gets the obvious credit for the idea of turning the horror film into slapstick comedy. Ozzy (Terry Potter), Barry (Pete O'Herne), Giles (Craig Smith), and Frank (Mike Minett) certainly crack some bad jokes, and was surprised that I actually understood most of the ones that were Kiwi specific. The story is just an excuse for the fun but Jackson still manages to poke fun at various cinematic conventions, usually by embracing them in some extreme fashion.
If you are wondering how Jackson got from "Bad Taste" to "The Fellowship of the Ring," then the film from his resume that you want to check out is "Heavenly Creatures." But this is just something compelling about the high energy and over the top schlock that makes this film so enjoyable, providing you can keep your eyes on the screen during the bloodletting. Jackson served as producer, writer, director, cinematographer, actor, makeup, special effects, and editor. The actors were all friends while his Mum and Dad were the executive producers. Jackson's next film, "Dead Alive," is Besides, if there was ever a film whose title shrieked a warning at its potential audience, it would have to be this cult classic science fiction gorefest. Cleary there are those who looked at "Bad Taste" and concluded this Peter Jackson was either a budding genius or a certifiable loon, and when Hollywood rendered its judgment by flipping a coin, it obviously landed on its edge.
Movie Review: If you're lucky, you might get a chunky bit...
Summary: 4 Stars
Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson's first commercial movie release was made on a minuscule budget and with more than a little help from his friends, not to mention mum and dad. It is undeniably a crudely amateurish zombie-populated gore-fest, in the nascent gross-out style that Jackson would push to its ultimate gory conclusion in his more polished next release - the truly inspired Braindead.
The plot of Bad Taste is recycled from umpteen corny old American B movies from the middle of the last century - aliens have landed in a remote part of the country, with the aim of exploiting humanity for nefarious ends. A small group of humans cotton onto what's happening and set out to save planet Earth.
The standard of acting is hardly Oscar material; the dozen or so actors (no actresses!) are recycled time and time again; the sound and soundtrack are very basic and the special effects are mostly crude and ridiculous. So why does it work and why has Bad Taste acquired such cult status? Quite simply because it is incredibly entertaining! The outrageous visual gags and often inspired one-liners (delivered in deadpan manner more often than not) provide a whole series of laugh-out-loud moments. Some of my favourites being the ongoing effects of Derek's (Jackson) traumatic head injury, the machine-gun firing literally through the body (didn't Jeunet pinch that idea in Alien 4?), the aliens dropping out of the tree in great number following a volley of shots from one of our heroes, Robert's (Jackson again) throat-cutting gag, the serving of the "gruel" (I defy anyone not to feel queasy the first time they see that!) and, of course, the gross-out "born-again" final sequence. Each of the gory set-pieces are strung together by some amusing dialogue and the paying of cheeky homage to everything from The Professionals, Doctor Who and Mad Max to The Waltons (yes, really!).
Not everything works, sure. I felt some of the shoot-out and pursuit sequences were a tad laboured and some of the gags struck me as very laddish in-jokes that only Jackson and his chums would guffaw at (I mean, what gives with the cardboard cut-out Beatles???) but just put it down to inspired lunacy and, rest assured that Jackson's inspired scattergun technique guarantees that the viewer will never have to wait too long for the next belly-laugh to appear.
Bad Taste is not as good as Braindead, but it still provides a lot of entertainment and is bound to appeal to those of you who love tongue-in-cheek horrors in the Evil Dead genre. Perfect leave-your-brain-at-home fare after a few beers with your mates, but I'd skip the "chunky bit" if you're planning to enjoy a meal shortly afterwards!
Movie Review: the bastards have landed!
Summary: 4 Stars
Peter Jackson's sick first movie is rough around the edges but still delivers a large amount of comedy and over-the-top gore, making it a must-see for fans of his splat-stick gross-outs. I thought the pace could have moved along a lot faster in most of the scenes, but you have to give Jackson credit for creating such a one of a kind hilarious and disgusting movie on such a low budget (He and his friends filmed on weekends over the course of a year). Some very memorable gore, like a guy getting the top half of his head shot off (and later on a different guy is seen eating from the remains with a spoon). Then there's some vehicular carnage when a person is run down by a car and his torso separates from his legs leaving intestines and other internal organs splattered all over the ground. Later on the guy driving the car (the eventual hero of the movie) goes on a rampage with a chainsaw and lays the smack down on some alien scum. Not to be missed. Other movies with a sick sense of humor like Bad Taste: Dead Alive (twice as gory as Bad Taste), Pieces, and the Toxic Avenger.Movie Review: Hilarious gorefest is great debut by Jackson
Summary: 4 Stars
I saw this movie when it reached my country, a few years after it was made, maybe it was 1990. Peter Jackson was an unknown then, but I was attracted by the ads: "Winner of Garbage Movie Festival". The reviews in the papers were unanimously bad: "Atrocious", "Why they made films like this?" And yet, I find this movie about alien fast food entrepeneurs invading a small town in New Zealand in order to start an invasion to Earth that will harvest humanity into burgers fresh and hilarious. Peter Jackson (who directed it, wrote it, did the special effects, etc.) acts in two roles here: as one of the members of the government team send to defeat the aliens and as one of the meaner extraterrestrials. The movie is grossout allright, but the gore is so inventive and over the top that it's kind of hilarious. The old bald guy playing the chief of the aliens is a riot. I don't know whether Jackson has make a better film after this (maybe his great version of King Kong), but the freshness of this remains unsurpassed.Movie Review: Gory, Campy, Gross and GREAT!
Summary: 4 Stars
It's almost hard to imagine, the now legendary, Peter Jackson (Dead Alive, Braindead, LOTR) acted in and directed this film. In Jackson's film debut, he delivers a slapstick comedy, gross out full of, guts, brains, vomit, gore, gore and more gore on an almost nil budget
If the cheap horror movie is a genre unto itself, then this is one of its masterpieces. An alien fast-food chain wants to start using earthlings as their new meat product. And they start with New Zealand!!! A crew of men, called on by the New Zealand government, are called in to stop the overtake.
It's a weird film with some really nasty moments that you just can't help but watch, even if you don't want to. I really have no idea what took me so long to see this film but it was everything I expected and more.
No fan of the horror/comedy genre will be disappointed. It's well worth being added to your collection! 4 1/2 stars!