Coming to the end of the summer film season of 2022, we now reach what I believe to be the worst time of the year for new releases - September. Honestly, I can't express how dull and lifeless this month of the year usually is for new releases. People often flag up January and February as the worst time for new films, and while that is true, with it also being a season that directly follows on of the most marketable and busiest times of the year, at least we get a lot from the previous year receiving wider releases in that time, most of which are some of the most acclaimed with it being "awards season" and all. But September always makes me yawn with barely anything exciting of note, say for a few exceptions. Recently, the state of new releases has been no different, with the last exciting one being Nope, which came to cinemas here in the U.K. about a month ago. However, things aren't all that bad with the arrival of not one, but two new and original films, both of which are, oddly enough, satires.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a horror satire that I'd heard some positive things about and liked the look of, enough to make me check it out. It involves a group of teenagers staying in a massive house during a storm, where the murder of one of them begins a descent into extreme paranoia.
From the trailers, this looked like it was going to be a fast-paced, fun, and enjoyably chaotic watch, but in actuality, it isn't so much this. It's quite a slow moving film that speeds up in small doeses and honestly doesn't lean in on the comedy too much. It derives a lot of its humour from character interaction, and while a lot of this seems funny, the film almost seems unsure whether it wants to follow through with it, to the point where I was sometimes left unsure how it wanted me to react. On the one hand, certain lines / occurances are inherently comical and seem like they're designed to be laughed at, but on the other, the emphasis is so minor that it could be interpreted as something to be taken seriously. I understand the film is trying to be more subtle and natural in its humour, and I can imagine it faring better upon rewatch when I have a better idea of what to expect, but I still think it would have been better off if it just went all out in this department.
The thing is, there's no shame in doing so, at least in my opinion. One film that came to mind quickly when thinking about this film is Scream (the original from 1996). This is also a horror satire, which mocks the state of the horror film industry at that point in time, doing things such as making fun of plot twists by deliberately misleading the audience only to not pay it off, and pointing out other ridiculous trends and tropes that it adheres to in itself in a blatantly satirical way. But, what Scream does that Bodies Bodies Bodies doesn't is that it is overtly comedic - the actors go way over the top with their line delivery, facial expressions, and so on, making it a far more enjoyable and irresistable watch, as the satirical, self-referential angle is clearly felt. With this film, it isn't so obvious, and while I can respect it for not wanting to be, it shouldn't have felt any need to do so as this can result in a satisfying experience.
So, slight tonal confusion aside, how is the rest of the film? All very good. The set-up for the film is very efficiently done, and the narrative construction is very clever. It's designed in a way that keeps the audience guessing right up until the very end, and amounts to a final twist that is honestly genius. The confined setting worked as well here as it does in many other films that adopt such a setting, and it was all brilliantly acted too. The characters struck the right balance between being hatable enough for the film's commentary to come across, but still extremely fun to watch and be in the company of, though my afore mentioned issue with the film's tone did hinder me from fully engaging in the latter. The film's commentary on paranoia and how the younger generations handle situations was well integrated and paid off perfectly, so it succeeds in being a satire in that regard, using the horror genre to go about exploring these ideas.
Overall, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a solid film and fun watch but I feel it could have been something even better if it didn't hold back so much as a comedy, or maybe if its trailers gave off a more accurate vibe. But even with that, an original film going for something slightly audacious is always welcome, so I can't complain too much.
I'm going to give Bodies Bodies Bodies a 7.5/10
Next up, See How They Run, which is coincidentally also a satire, in this case of the whodunnit genre. It concerns a grumpy police inspector, played by Sam Rockwell, and enthusiastic officer, played by Saoirse Ronan, who are tasked with solving a murder in the backstage area of The Mousetrap. I was ridiculously excited for this film; whodunnits are always fun but a more comedic take on the genre seemed like a recipe for brilliance, I love almost every member of the cast, namely Ronan, who I was looking forward to seeing in a comedic role for once, and the overall set-up tying into theatre and The Mousetrap was also intriguing. So, I went in with high hopes.
Expectedly, this was just delightful, and for a whole number of reasons. First of all, I was worried the film would do what a lot of supposedly satirical films tend to do, that being point out and make fun of certain tropes despite adhering to those very tropes, using a cheaply 'self-aware' nature as a way to excuse lazy writing, which often comes across quite smug and disingenuous. What works about See How They Run is the fact that it deliberately subverts a lot of whodunnit tropes as well as the typical structure of a story of this type. For example, one of the plot threads involves a filmmaker explaining how The Mousetrap could be made more distinct from the typical whodunnit structure, and the way the film pans out is in line with a lot of what is said here. I'm being vague as I don't want to spoil any of it, but just know that there is some very clever, if somewhat predictable, foreshadowing. The film also mocks particular tropes while adhering to those very tropes, but it didn't feel lazy here as you get the sense that the film only included them so they could be laughed at, and not that it wanted to get away with being conventional. The way the film ties itself to The Mousetrap is also very interesting - I've seen the show once before, though I don't remember an awful lot of the specific plot details. After seeing this film, however, I certainly want to see it again! The whole prospect of having a murder mystery occurring in and around an in-universe fictional murder mystery really solidified the film's self-reflexive angle and gave way to most of the film's best jokes.
Speaking of which, easily the most effective part of the film is the comedy, as this is an absolutely hilarious film. So much of the interaction between characters is just inherently funny, not least because of some excellent delivery from the actors. I was very impressed by just how funny everyone in the film is, as I don't necessarily associate many of these actors with comedy. Sam Rockwell and Adrien Brody have done their fair share and are just as terrific here, but Ruth Wilson, Harris Dickinson, and especially Saoirse Ronan are all people I've mostly seen in dramatic roles, so it was a pleasure to see that they all have very strong comedic chops too. It isn't purely down to the material; their unqiue ways of conveying it are what made it so entertaining, and also so quotable. I saw this film with my family and we spent most of the journey home recalling all our favourite lines, and my goodness there were ever so many to choose from. There's also a lot of well executed physical comedy too, with people being tackled, breaking down doors, flopping around while drunk, and more, which also impressed me as it can sometimes be hard to pull that off in a live action setting.
There's only one thing that I thought was particularly problematic about the film, and that was the style. It very clearly owes a debt to Wes Anderson in various ways - mainly the cinematography being a mix of static shots and sharp pans, and the humour being very dry and witty. However, because the film isn't actually helmed by Anderson, it doesn't go all out with his style, making it feel like an off-brand version of such. This was a bit distracting as, while the narrative and comedy kept me engaged, it felt very blatantly derivative in this regard. I wish it adopted its own style rather than attempting to go for an established one without completely committing to it, as not only would that have given it a unique identity, but it also could've further cemented how the film doesn't behave conventionally, in other words, the icing on the cake of what is already quite a subversive film. That being said, this doesn't apply to the humour in my opinion, as Anderson obviously didn't invent the dry / witty style of comedy he's best known for, so it's unfair to say it's a rip-off in that sense. It was mostly the ways the filmmaking mimicked his work around such that ticked me off.
As a whole, this was just everything I hoped it would be. Despite its unoriginal style, See How They Run is nonetheless a refreshing take on whodunnits that lovingly laughs at the tropes of the genre while also offering something new. Add in a marvellous ensemble and some pitch-perfect comedy and it's just the complete package for me. Needless to say, I cannot wait to rewatch this an endless amount of times. One of my favourite films of 2022 by far!
I'm going to give See How They Run a 9.0/10
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