When dealing with independent films, you are always in for a hit or miss proposition. Even more recently with the huge outpouring of zombie themed features and TV shows, there seems to be a new undead movie every 20 minutes. Many are not so great, but occasionally you find one that is worth talking about, recommending and perhaps even buying
“The Revenant” stars David Anders as Lt. Bart Gregory, a soldier killed in action while over in Iraq. When his body is shipped home, there is a little issue of his not being quite all the way dead. After escaping a military base, Bart finds his way to his best friend Joey’s (Chris Wylde) house. And being the good friend he is, Joey helps his friend ‘survive’ his undeadness. Add to the mix, Bart’s girlfriend Janet (Louise Griffiths), a Wiccan priestess (Jacy King) and you have a recipe for disaster.
I watched “The Revenant” the other night, and expecting a rather cheap, lowbrow, horror comedy, I was surprised to find that it was a rather cheap, lowbrow, horror comedy… but a darn funny one. For a low budget feature, it was exceptionally well scripted by writer/director Kerry Prior. The pacing and the comedy were spot on, as well as the performances. Anders turns in a lively performance as Bart… well you know what I mean. But easily the scene stealer of the flick is Chris Wylde. Together, they make a great team, but Wylde is a natural born comic actor.
Keeping in mind that the film is a horror comedy, there are certainly some moments that are not funny at all. A sense of poignancy lingers through several scenes, much like the confrontation between Shaun and his mom in “Shaun of the Dead.” These scenes are as well done as the humor, making it a very well-rounded genre film. Granted, the movie won’t appeal to everyone as there is a lot of gross out humor and nudity, but if those things are your cup of tea, you’ll definitely get a kick out of it.
The DVD offers a decent transfer, considering again that it is a low budget film. Some scenes are a little too dark, but that is probably more the cause of the original filming rather than the transfer. But overall, it looks and sounds acceptable.
Special features include two different commentaries, one by Prior and another by actors Anders and Wylde. Both make for a good listen, the one by Prior for the interesting behind the scenes tidbits he shares and all that he had to put up with while making the film. Anders and Wylde generally just cut up a lot, but it is a fun listen. You’ll also find an odd Making of featurettes, told with a scary voiceover, documentary style. Some deleted scenes round out the features.
“The Revenant” is not necessarily a slam dunk like “Shaun of the Dead”, mostly because it is a little longer than it should be and the humor is definitely meant for a rougher crowd. But I laughed my fool head off throughout most of it.
Directed by: Kerry Prior
Starring: David Anders, Chris Wylde, Louise Griffiths, Jacy King
Extras: Making of; Commentary with Director Kerry Prior; Commentary with the Cast; Trailer; Deleted Scenes
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 9/18/2012
MPAA Rating: R