|
Reviewinator |
| Starring |
Bruce
Campbell
Ossie Davis |
| Director |
Don
Coscarelli |
| Official Site |
Link |
| US Opening |
September 26, 2003 (nyc) |
| Rated |
R |
| Genre |
Comedy, Horror |
| Trailer Clichés |
Slow-motion hero walk, critic quotes,
film festivals, "From the makers of..." |
| Explosions |
2 |
| Weapons |
Mummy hands, Kung-fu Elvis, big
fly, walker, six-shooters, knife |
| Voiceover |
No |
| "In a world where..." |
"What we have here at Shady Rest is an Egyptian soulsucker
of some sorts."
|
| Spoilage Factor |
25% |
| Geek Factor |
65% (Bruce Campbell, monsters, independent film) |
| See Trailer? |
Yes |
| See Movie? |
Yes |
In the last trailer review we covered Underworld, which got called
out for its lack of originality. Since then the movie producers have
been sued for borrowing concepts from a popular RPG, and not asking.
This time I take a look at Bubba Ho-tep. A trailer that is anything
but unoriginal.
An Egyptian soulsucker terrorizes an old folks home and the only
people that can stop it are an aging, kung fu fighting Elvis impersonator
who thinks he's really Elvis and an elderly black man who thinks
he's JFK. Not quite Romeo and Juliet is it?
It's great to see a movie taking a chance with a plot that isn't
formulaic, or catering to a certain demographic (unless there's a
growing zombie-fighting Elvis impersonator demographic).
IMDB categorizes the movie as a comedy/horror film and both genres
are equally represented here. I love the conversation between Elvis
and JFK. JFK mentions that part of his brain has been replaced by
a bag of sand, and then Elvis informs him that Kennedy was a white
man. "They dyed me this color!" he replies.
 |
|
Walk
like an Egyptian
|
The shot of Elvis with a walker and JFK in a motorized wheelchair
doing the hero "walk" down the halls of a nursing home
had me chuckling.
Even though I enjoyed the trailer, it wasn't flawless. First, we
must endure thirty seconds of critic quotes and film festival credits
before we get to the action. This seems more directed to securing
a distribution deal with a major movie studio than at any potential
viewers.
Second, using a quote from Harry Knowles discourages me from seeing
the movie.
Third, where are all the hos?
I was a bit disappointed not to see any hos in the trailer, but maybe
they're saving them for the theatrical release.
 |
|
Mmmmm,
brains.
|
Without a major studio distribution deal, it's unlikely that you'll
get to see this movie unless you live in a major city or attend film
festivals. That's a shame, but not surprising since it wasn't pushed
out by the Hollywood formula factory.
Conclusion on Trailer: Too much text for the first thirty
seconds, but the ensuing comedy and suspense makes it worthwhile.
Most of all, the trailer makes me want to go see the movie. It has
done its job.
Conclusion on Movie: I'll see this movie, but it could be
horribly bad. This idea executed poorly could turn into a turkey,
but the cast and the trailer give it promise.
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