Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (Canada. 2008)

Straight from Our Home And Native Land comes a CGI free prosthetic monster mash! The Director and Screenwriter are screaming to the heavens that this is a massive fan letter to the 80’s OTT fun that used to appear on a weekly basis in their OVER-SIZED VHS GLORY in your local Mom and Pop Rental Shoppe. I can’t deny that claim. It’s a shame that their attempt to emulate their favourite films from the days of old doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

“As a child Jack Brooks witnessed the brutal murder of his family. Now a young man he struggles with a pestering girlfriend, therapy sessions that resolve nothing, and night classes that barely hold his interest. After unleashing an ancient curse, Jack's Professor undergoes a transformation into something not-quite- human, and Jack is forced to confront some old demons... along with a few new ones”

I’m impressed that this doesn’t low budget production. There’s money on the screen here and it’s evident from the cinematography to the casting of Horror Icon (TM) Robert Englund. The monsters themselves aren’t exactly mind-blowing in their originality, but they do look fucking cool! There’s a Cyclops, a troll like beast, mutated humans and the final big baddie (who’s more cartoony then anything). The hero of the tale Jack Brooks himself (Trevor Matthews) is a good-looking and slightly charismatic guy, but like most of the film, he never really becomes his own cinematic presence. He’s there and he kicks monster ass in competent fashion. That’s it. The direction is energetic and the screenplay moves along at a brisk clip without throwing too many twists and turns. There aren’t any crazy creative scenes, hilarious one liners or gasp inducing moments. It’s just a decent, fun experience. You could say that it wastes a lot of opportunity (The Anger thing is never really played out and some fun characters are killed way too quick), but you also say it does a serviceable job of something that doesn’t really exist anymore.

I left the theater with a smile on my face. The details of the experience leaked out of my ears by the time I waked up the next morning.