31
(2016/Rob Zombie/Saban Films/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B Film: C+
Rob
Zombie is an interesting filmmaker and musician but tends to fall
into many of the same filmmaking tropes in all of his films - which
isn't necessarily a bad thing, but he tends to recycle many of the
same ideas and themes into various screenplays. His obsession with
1970s horror films is evident in everything he does and 31
(2016) is no exception, is full of redneck foul mouthed killers,
torturing, killer clowns, Sheri Moon Zombie, and visual references to
iconic horror movies. In many ways, I feel like Rob should have made
this movie right after he made The
Devil's Rejects
instead of now as it is a combination of The
Hunger Games
meets Saw
- both of which were big deals a few years ago. While I don't think
31
is going to become that popular, here's what he came up with in that
mode.
31
stars Malcolm McDowell, Richard Brake, Elizabeth Daily, Meg Foster,
Sheri Moon Zombie, and Daniel Roebuck. A group of friends (who
happen to be carnival workers) are traveling in a busted up shaggin'
wagon on Halloween. This dirty group is interested in screwing,
getting high, and living life (in many ways a direct copy of The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre),
but end up getting stopped abruptly along the way. Taken from their
van, kidnapped, and tortured the group end up playing a life or death
game entitled 31. In this game, they must navigate a twisted and
sadistic maze, dodging several colorful characters that are trying to
murder them, and survive twelve hours. The winner gets the gift of
survival.. but there will be only one survivor.
The
first shot of the film is a staggering five minutes long without
cutting and features Richard Brake's psychotic character Doom-Head,
who turns out to be a big character later in the film torturing a
hopeless victim in black and white. The opening is disorienting and
cleverly photographed and is followed by a more lighthearted opening
title sequence that Zombie himself designed for the film. In many
ways it reminded me of the opening shot of Tarantino's Kill
Bill,
which no doubt is what inspired him here.
Malcolm
McDowell plays Father Murder - a Master of Ceremonies-type character
here in Victorian dress complete with white wig that in many ways
reminds me of the President Snow character from The
Hunger Games.
The movie does a good job of balancing horror/slasher tones with
humor but may be a bit much for some people as it is a hard R.
Sheri
Moon Zombie plays her typical self here in a role that is similar to
her character of Baby in The
Devil's Rejects.
I think it's actually a shame that she is only in films that her
husband makes because she actually has some range in her acting
abilities. Her role in Zombie's Halloween
series as Michael Myers' Mother was an interesting character study
and she wasn't even half bad in The
Lords of Salem.
Here she plays a damsel who is innocent at first and morphs into a
more hardened and badass character archetype as the film commences.
I
thought that the ending was a bit disappointing and that I was
honestly expecting more of a story conclusion for the 'survivor' of
the game. A lot is left up to interpretation here, but that isn't
necessarily a bad thing but may be frustrating for some viewers.
31
is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio
of 2.40:1 and looks fantastic on Blu-ray disc with vibrant colors
rich in contrast. Much of the film takes place at night so you get
hard shadows with no loss in detail.
The
sound mix is an English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless track
that won't let you down either as the film has a great score and
chainsaw grinding soundtrack that pits you in the midst of the
action. A solid high def presentation overall. A digital copy is
also included.
Special
Features include...
In
Hell, Everybody Loves Popcorn: The Making of 31
Documentary
Audio
Commentary with Writer/Director Rob Zombie
While
not as strong as some of his previous efforts, Rob Zombie attempts to
reach back to the 1970s while staying in his safe zone of killer
clowns and over the top murder. If you're a fan of Zombie's work,
check out this film.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
