Bad Moon
1.5/4
Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Michael Pare, Mason Gamble, Primo
Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore, Brief Language, and a Scene of Sexuality
More so than Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli is my favorite film critic. I first recall reading his review of "L.A. Confidential" (a movie I didn't like) and found him to be one of those wannabe hoitey toitey critics than only loves the popular movies. But the more I read, the more I respected his opinion, and am now a devoted reader of Reelviews.net. It is thanks to him that I've seen some truly good movies, like "Once Were Warriors," "The War Zone," and "Before Sunrise" (I've also seen some movies I didn't like even though he gave them positive reviews, although none were awful). But his strong writing capabilities sometimes, in what I wholeheartedly would be his honest opinion, backfire. What really turned me onto his site is his vicious tearing into of a number of bad movies, like "Ghost in the Machine" or my personal favorite, "The Mangler." "Bad Moon" is among those elite reviews that is so funny that I just had to see the movie. Sadly, while "The Mangler" was cheesy fun, "Bad Moon" is simply dull.
On a research trip, photojournalist Ted (Pare) gets into a hot encounter with his squeeze, Marjorie (Johanna Marlowe Lebovitz). While they're practicing their bedroom acrobatics, the rest of the people in the camp run away at the sound of a roar. Their refusal to heed this warning sign means that Marjorie is devoured by a werewolf while Ted escapes with a bite (although it appears to be a slash from a paw). Back in the states, he goes to stay with his loving sister Janet (Hemingway) and nephew Brett (Gamble). And their protective German Shepard, Thor (Primo). Of course, his new life has a hitch: he tends to grow fur and muscle, and slaughter everything in sight.
"Bad Moon" is dumb, although that descriptor is almost a requirement of the genre. Horror movies rely on characters doing stupid things because if they had a single brain cell, the audience wouldn't get what they're paying to see: lots and lots of violence and even more blood, guts and gore.
Unfortunately, blatant stupidity isn't just an affliction of the characters. The film itself is stupid. There are more continuity goofs here than in any movie I can think of, and even more obvious mistakes in science and common sense. For example, the dog Thor quickly becomes suspicious of poor Ted. Now, I get that for the movie to work this is essential, and that German Shepherds are really smart dogs (they tie Poodles for the smartest dogs in the world after the Border Collie), but the way this is handled is extremely silly. Thor thinks like a human being, not a dog.
The acting is weak. At best, Mariel Hemingway is adequate, although such moments are rare. Michael Pare sounds a lot like Eric Roberts, only without the talent. And Mason Gamble lacks polish (like he did as the title character in "Dennis the Menace"). The only one who gives a legitimate performance is Primo the dog, who is excellent except for the times when the script forces him to do some amazingly stupid things (I think that if he could read, he would have turned the role down).
The special effects are no better. The gore is cheesy and the werewolf, when he appears, looks ridiculous. Not only does he look like a shaggy dog with weird eyes that can walk (not well) on two legs, his movements are so stiff I thought it was a really bad set of animatronics (it's actually stuntman Ken Kirzinger).
Through the trifecta of bad acting, bad writing and bad storytelling, "Bad Moon" earns its title.
Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Michael Pare, Mason Gamble, Primo
Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore, Brief Language, and a Scene of Sexuality
More so than Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli is my favorite film critic. I first recall reading his review of "L.A. Confidential" (a movie I didn't like) and found him to be one of those wannabe hoitey toitey critics than only loves the popular movies. But the more I read, the more I respected his opinion, and am now a devoted reader of Reelviews.net. It is thanks to him that I've seen some truly good movies, like "Once Were Warriors," "The War Zone," and "Before Sunrise" (I've also seen some movies I didn't like even though he gave them positive reviews, although none were awful). But his strong writing capabilities sometimes, in what I wholeheartedly would be his honest opinion, backfire. What really turned me onto his site is his vicious tearing into of a number of bad movies, like "Ghost in the Machine" or my personal favorite, "The Mangler." "Bad Moon" is among those elite reviews that is so funny that I just had to see the movie. Sadly, while "The Mangler" was cheesy fun, "Bad Moon" is simply dull.
On a research trip, photojournalist Ted (Pare) gets into a hot encounter with his squeeze, Marjorie (Johanna Marlowe Lebovitz). While they're practicing their bedroom acrobatics, the rest of the people in the camp run away at the sound of a roar. Their refusal to heed this warning sign means that Marjorie is devoured by a werewolf while Ted escapes with a bite (although it appears to be a slash from a paw). Back in the states, he goes to stay with his loving sister Janet (Hemingway) and nephew Brett (Gamble). And their protective German Shepard, Thor (Primo). Of course, his new life has a hitch: he tends to grow fur and muscle, and slaughter everything in sight.
"Bad Moon" is dumb, although that descriptor is almost a requirement of the genre. Horror movies rely on characters doing stupid things because if they had a single brain cell, the audience wouldn't get what they're paying to see: lots and lots of violence and even more blood, guts and gore.
Unfortunately, blatant stupidity isn't just an affliction of the characters. The film itself is stupid. There are more continuity goofs here than in any movie I can think of, and even more obvious mistakes in science and common sense. For example, the dog Thor quickly becomes suspicious of poor Ted. Now, I get that for the movie to work this is essential, and that German Shepherds are really smart dogs (they tie Poodles for the smartest dogs in the world after the Border Collie), but the way this is handled is extremely silly. Thor thinks like a human being, not a dog.
The acting is weak. At best, Mariel Hemingway is adequate, although such moments are rare. Michael Pare sounds a lot like Eric Roberts, only without the talent. And Mason Gamble lacks polish (like he did as the title character in "Dennis the Menace"). The only one who gives a legitimate performance is Primo the dog, who is excellent except for the times when the script forces him to do some amazingly stupid things (I think that if he could read, he would have turned the role down).
The special effects are no better. The gore is cheesy and the werewolf, when he appears, looks ridiculous. Not only does he look like a shaggy dog with weird eyes that can walk (not well) on two legs, his movements are so stiff I thought it was a really bad set of animatronics (it's actually stuntman Ken Kirzinger).
Through the trifecta of bad acting, bad writing and bad storytelling, "Bad Moon" earns its title.
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