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Cthulhu Directed by: Dan Gildark Starring: Jason Cottle, Scott Green, Cara Buono & Tori Spelling Review by: Scott West |
| Final Score: Movie:   DVD Extras: N/A Overall Score: |
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I'd heard very little about Cthulhu before seeing it. What I did know was: 1. It was yet another spin on Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth". 2. It was set in modern times rather than being a period piece. 3. The tale hinged on the main character being homosexual. 4. The only "star" in the film was Tori Spelling of Beverly Hills 90210 fame. Obviously none of these things gave me much hope of this film being any more than a disaster as so many Lovecraft-inspired movie usually are. I'm pleased to say that my preconceptions were wrong. The film centers around Russ Marsh (played in a brilliant turn by Jason Cottle who I'd never heard of before this, but want to see more of). Russ returns to his hometown of Rivermouth, Oregon to seek to the estate of his recently deceased mother. As soon as Russ arrives home, something is amiss. His father has become leader of a strange cult. The rest of the townsfolk take turns acting very queer and turning a collective cold shoulder to Russ. This seems to be in part some small town homophobia, but it also hints at something more sinister. As the story progresses, Russ meets up with a childhood friend/lover and gets a beyond-the-grave message from his dead mother warning him of a dark future. The look of the film is a sight to behold. It goes from helicopter angles of lonely seaside spreads to dark underground tunnels and keeps a feeling of claustrophobia and eeriness throughout. A lot of the shots are tinted with an appropriate ocean-like blue hue. The film definitely takes advantage of the widescreen aspect and all the benefits that this provides. It is truly a piece of art to watch. The story is told from the point of view of Russ so, as acting goes, Cottle carries most of the film on his shoulder and does so with apparent ease. The rest of the cast does well in their turn. Yes. Even Tori Spelling is good in a strange turn as a tart looking to have Russ give her a child that her wheelchair bound husband can't. Not all the performances are brilliant, but all in all, they're strong enough to support Cottles descent into the chaos that comes. In the FX department, there's nothing that stands out. The Lovecraftian creatures one would expect are there, but they're only glimpsed. This actually works to the benefit of creating more unease and horror that I believe Lovecraft fans will enjoy. It looks good, the acting is better and the FX do their job, but it's in the atmosphere that Cthulhu really shines. Through the eyes of Russ, the view is taken on a trip filled from start to finish with a sense of unease, dread, confusion and eventually hopelessness. All in all, this is a movie that Lovecraft fans will enjoy while others will probably take it or leave it. The only reason it didn't earn a full 5 skulls from me is that this reviewer personally likes a little more mythos in his Lovecraft. Well, that and that it bugged me that the cult referred to their deity as Cthulhu rather than Dagon as it should've been. Back to Reviews |
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