The Faculty
1998
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
I watched this right after Wind Chill, so I'm probably biased in its favour, but I thought it was an awesome movie. It was just fun to watch. Yeah, it doesn't do anything new at all, and I've seen better horror/sci-fi movies. But if you don't have anything better to do, I'd definitely recommend giving it a spin.
The premise of The Faculty is that aquatic alien parasites are attempting to take over the world, starting with an Ohio high school. Some students notice and they have to attempt to stop the invasion before it's too late. The best thing about this plot is that Rodriguez is fully aware of his predecessors (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing) and pays due homage to them during the movie. You never get the feeling that he's ripping these classics off.
The cast is excellent. Where do I begin? Portraying the student outcasts who discover the plot are: Josh Hartnett in fine form as a brainy drug dealer; Elijah Wood; Laura Harris of "Dead Like Me"; Shawn Hatosy as the star quarterback who quits football to avoid preferential treatment and go back to being a D student ("I earned that D!"); Jordana Brewster (I actually thought it was Kristen Bell at first, oops); and last but not least, Clea DuVall (Girl Interrupted) as a sci-fi nerd who suddenly finds her expertise in some demand. The always reliable Robert "T-1000" Patrick is perfect as the possessed football coach. John Stewart has a small part as a science teacher (?!) Hell, even Usher is in it!
What with my constant glee at the various cast members it's a wonder that I even managed to pay attention to the plot, but it wasn't difficult. You can pretty much guess for yourself what happens. Honestly, it hardly matters. The characters are entertaining and there's plenty of great dialogue, including a scene where Elijah Wood discusses his theory about how the entire science fiction industry has been created to prepare for an actual alien invasion.
That said, I have at least one complaint: crappy-looking CG. It's not the worst I've seen but this was 1998, it doesn't hold up well. However, the final scene features an actual model alien, so that mostly makes up for it. Also (SPOILER) I have to give it big credit for avoiding the "twist" ending that ruins so many otherwise decent horror movies. Don't worry people, no surprises here. Even though it's not nearly as good as the classics it pays tribute to, The Faculty is an enjoyable movie and you should watch it if you like horror and sci-fi.
6.4
1998
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
I watched this right after Wind Chill, so I'm probably biased in its favour, but I thought it was an awesome movie. It was just fun to watch. Yeah, it doesn't do anything new at all, and I've seen better horror/sci-fi movies. But if you don't have anything better to do, I'd definitely recommend giving it a spin.
The premise of The Faculty is that aquatic alien parasites are attempting to take over the world, starting with an Ohio high school. Some students notice and they have to attempt to stop the invasion before it's too late. The best thing about this plot is that Rodriguez is fully aware of his predecessors (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing) and pays due homage to them during the movie. You never get the feeling that he's ripping these classics off.
The cast is excellent. Where do I begin? Portraying the student outcasts who discover the plot are: Josh Hartnett in fine form as a brainy drug dealer; Elijah Wood; Laura Harris of "Dead Like Me"; Shawn Hatosy as the star quarterback who quits football to avoid preferential treatment and go back to being a D student ("I earned that D!"); Jordana Brewster (I actually thought it was Kristen Bell at first, oops); and last but not least, Clea DuVall (Girl Interrupted) as a sci-fi nerd who suddenly finds her expertise in some demand. The always reliable Robert "T-1000" Patrick is perfect as the possessed football coach. John Stewart has a small part as a science teacher (?!) Hell, even Usher is in it!
What with my constant glee at the various cast members it's a wonder that I even managed to pay attention to the plot, but it wasn't difficult. You can pretty much guess for yourself what happens. Honestly, it hardly matters. The characters are entertaining and there's plenty of great dialogue, including a scene where Elijah Wood discusses his theory about how the entire science fiction industry has been created to prepare for an actual alien invasion.
That said, I have at least one complaint: crappy-looking CG. It's not the worst I've seen but this was 1998, it doesn't hold up well. However, the final scene features an actual model alien, so that mostly makes up for it. Also (SPOILER) I have to give it big credit for avoiding the "twist" ending that ruins so many otherwise decent horror movies. Don't worry people, no surprises here. Even though it's not nearly as good as the classics it pays tribute to, The Faculty is an enjoyable movie and you should watch it if you like horror and sci-fi.
6.4
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