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The
Call of Cthulhu (2005)
Certainly
one of the most highly anticipated Lovecraft releases
in recent times, this movie presents a bit of a mixed
bag. As a tribute to the work of H P Lovecraft it is an
unmatched success. The movie faithfully tells its story
in the style of a 1920's silent film and was a great deal
of fun to watch. But as a horror movie? The film is an
utter failure and is an example of why Lovecraft never
wanted his works adapted to the silver screen. So much
is lost when transferring Lovecraft over, especially in
a silent film format, that the film is not remotely frightening.
Now,
as a 1920's silent film there are a few things that could
have been done better. For example, the only text that
ever comes on screen is dialog, never exposition. I was
actually surprised that the film's producers overlooked
this often used method of helping to set the scene. Indeed,
if used it could have helped convey more of the atmosphere
that was missing from portions of the film. Of course
the makeup of the
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was far more stark and over the top and the acting of the
period was far more over the top. There is a good deal of
modern acting in the film and it certainly doesn't carry
the same weight and feel as that old silent film over accentuated
emotion. There are certainly stand out performances by Noah
Wagner and Clarence Henry Hunt as Castro (providing the
best performance in the film) though. I'm hoping that we
might see more of these two in later adaptations by the
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The
miniature work in the film is, for the most part, amazing. Watching
the sequence in the swamp I never would have guessed that any
of it was less than a full-sized set...had it not been for a
close-up of a bridge that was obviously a model. That jarring
bit of photography pulled me out of the moment and it took a
bit to really get back into it. Still, the rest of that scene
was so flawlessly done, that one can forgive a bit of over-exuberance
when it comes to showing off all of the models made for the
film.
Of
course, the swamp also holds another sequence which I didn't
care for, the arrest/fight scene. I had very high hopes for
this scene, having a friend who was playing a cultist, and I
was crushingly disappointed. This didn't play out like a silent
film fight sequence, but rather more of a surreal interpretive
dance of what a fight might be. This portion came off as hastily
done and flat.
When
the story finally arrives at R'lyeh...that is quite a moment.
Following another wonderful sequence where models and full size
sets are blended together, the reveal on R'lyeh is effective.
Sure, it is built out of plywood and cardboard...but it looks
good and it works for the silent film style. Sadly, some of
the greenscreening leaves a bit to be desired and several of
the performers are glowing as they are matted in...another inconsistency
in the film. Sometimes done quite well (as in the cultists writhing
in the swamp) and sometimes poorly. Still, there is a moment
in R'lyeh that gave me my money's worth...the "Angle Pit."
I watched that sequence over and over again and was thrilled
that it was covered in the DVD extras.
So
overall, this is a great adaptation that drives home why Lovecraft
never wanted to see his work on film. Oddly though, this description
isn't really at odds with itself. The movie is exactly what
it is meant to be, a silent movie style adaptation. They producers
of this film know that Lovecraft doesn't translate well to film
and thus they chose this style, a pastiche of a period film.
This means that R'lyeh can be made of plywood and cardboard,
it means that actors have license to overact, these things are
expected in a silent film.
I've
heard many great things said about this movie. I don't agree
with all of them, but I can boil my opinion down to a few short
points.
I
wasn't frightened or even nervous during the movie...but I enjoyed
it.
Clarence Henry Hunt gave a great performance and I want to see
more of him in the future.
Some of the models were obviously models...but most were not
obvious until I watched the extras.
The "angle pit"... worth the $20 I spent on the movie
right there. Bravo!
The soundtrack...I'll be ordering it, 'nuff said.
But
there is more to a DVD than just the movie and in this case
the extras really shine. Shall we start with additional languages?
The dialog screens are available in 24 additional languages
(including that non-Euclidian language, Welsh) and subtitles
are added for any text read over a character's shoulder. Talk
about an "A for effort" this is simply amazing.
The
'short' making of feature is easily as entertaining as the movie
itself. I just have one negative thing to say about this feature
and then I'll move on. I know that the setting for behind the
scenes interviews are supposed to be casual and relaxed. I'm
ok with that. But don't snack during an interview. That is the
absolute height of tackiness, bad form and unprofessional behavior.
Don't do it, EVER. Let me stress this again.... DON'T EAT WHILE
BEING INTERVIEWED! And for goodness sake, don't talk with food
in your mouth.
That
said, the rest of the making of featurette is divine. Filled
with insight and humor, I really enjoyed this. Many making off
pieces are dull, boring, too long, and (by me) only watched
out of a sense of obligation. This one was fun....and seemed
to be about as long as the movie itself (actually only about
half as long). This is what a making of feature should be. It
really shows all of the problems with making a production like
this and spotlights how brilliant some of the solutions really
were. Oh yeah....the "angle pit" is explained! One
also gets a great appreciation for costumer Laura Brody when
hearing about her on the spot creation of a hat that for one
of the location scenes.
There
are other extras, the trailer, extra Cthulhu footage, and more.
The extras really make this DVD something really special.
Both
the film ($20) and the soundtrack ($15) can be purchased here.
Well worth the money.
-
Bob Brinkman
