Wishmaster
2/4
Starring: Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff, Robert Englund, Wendy Benson
Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore, and for Language
As a horror movie, Robert Kurtzman's "Wishmaster" is a failure. It's not the least bit scary, and only two of the shocks are actually effective (and even they aren't very good). But as a piece of camp, it's not half bad. The special effects are suitably cheesy, the acting can charitably be called lousy, there are gobs of gore and no one has any brain cells to speak of. There are quite a few giggle inducing moments in this movie.
In the time before time (haha), the djinn were created. Capable of unimaginable evil, the djinn were held hostage by the need to grant wishes. Of course, whoever wishes a wish gets a nasty interpretation of it. One such djinn (Divoff) is held hostage in a nearly flawless fire opal, and is accidentally released by a woman named Alex Amberson (Lauren). Now, this djinn is free to wreck havoc, while causing Alex to have nightmares of his bloodletting. Unfortunately, the djinn has further use for Alex.
This is one silly movie. Horror movies are not known to demand deep thought, but this has taken film intelligence to a new low. In Kurtzman's world, Borat would be Nobel Prize material. Strange as it may sound, that adds to the charm of the movie. Lovers of camp would be wise to check this one out (although I don't recommend it to anyone else...unless you're drunk).
The acting is flat. Tammy Lauren, an actress of TV and soap opera credits, is a flat heroine (in more ways than one). As a dramatic actress, she's credible, but she's an awful scream queen, and worse, she doesn't even get naked (a must for a decent horror movie). Izabella Scorupco has a better scream in "GoldenEye." Andrew Divoff, despite having a low growl for a voice, is a pretty bland villain. No one else bears a mention except for Tony Crane, who plays Alex's best friend Josh. He's a much more likable and interesting character, but he has barely any screen time. I think this movie would have been much better served had he been the lead instead of Alex.
Robert Kurtzman has made a pretty lame horror movie. His shot selection is uninspired and he has no grasp of atmosphere. Kurtzman's background is in visual effects, and it shows. There are a number of cool visuals, like when a guy turns into a snake and ancient statues turn homicidal. That stuff is pretty neat.
That's what "Wishmaster" is like: a few mildly interesting elements in the service of a silly story featuring stupid characters. I'm not going to recommend the film, but it is watchable.
Starring: Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff, Robert Englund, Wendy Benson
Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore, and for Language
As a horror movie, Robert Kurtzman's "Wishmaster" is a failure. It's not the least bit scary, and only two of the shocks are actually effective (and even they aren't very good). But as a piece of camp, it's not half bad. The special effects are suitably cheesy, the acting can charitably be called lousy, there are gobs of gore and no one has any brain cells to speak of. There are quite a few giggle inducing moments in this movie.
In the time before time (haha), the djinn were created. Capable of unimaginable evil, the djinn were held hostage by the need to grant wishes. Of course, whoever wishes a wish gets a nasty interpretation of it. One such djinn (Divoff) is held hostage in a nearly flawless fire opal, and is accidentally released by a woman named Alex Amberson (Lauren). Now, this djinn is free to wreck havoc, while causing Alex to have nightmares of his bloodletting. Unfortunately, the djinn has further use for Alex.
This is one silly movie. Horror movies are not known to demand deep thought, but this has taken film intelligence to a new low. In Kurtzman's world, Borat would be Nobel Prize material. Strange as it may sound, that adds to the charm of the movie. Lovers of camp would be wise to check this one out (although I don't recommend it to anyone else...unless you're drunk).
The acting is flat. Tammy Lauren, an actress of TV and soap opera credits, is a flat heroine (in more ways than one). As a dramatic actress, she's credible, but she's an awful scream queen, and worse, she doesn't even get naked (a must for a decent horror movie). Izabella Scorupco has a better scream in "GoldenEye." Andrew Divoff, despite having a low growl for a voice, is a pretty bland villain. No one else bears a mention except for Tony Crane, who plays Alex's best friend Josh. He's a much more likable and interesting character, but he has barely any screen time. I think this movie would have been much better served had he been the lead instead of Alex.
Robert Kurtzman has made a pretty lame horror movie. His shot selection is uninspired and he has no grasp of atmosphere. Kurtzman's background is in visual effects, and it shows. There are a number of cool visuals, like when a guy turns into a snake and ancient statues turn homicidal. That stuff is pretty neat.
That's what "Wishmaster" is like: a few mildly interesting elements in the service of a silly story featuring stupid characters. I'm not going to recommend the film, but it is watchable.
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