Rating: B-
Dir: Giulio De Santi, Tiziana Machella
Star: Ilaria Caloisi, Damiano Chionni, Peter Cosgrove, Vishal Rajput
It was over nine years ago that I reviewed my first Necrostorm movie, Taeter City, and concluded there was potential, if the makers just calmed their shit down. Three years ago, Little Necro Red proved a step in the wrong direction, thanks to a script of near-epic awfulness. Would De Santi and Machella ever be more than purveyors of top-tier special effects in otherwise lost causes? I am pleased – and, to be honest, quite surprised – to report that the pieces have finally come together. Oh, make no mistake: you should still be watching this for the outrageous splatter, first and foremost. However, the other elements only occasionally reach painfully inept depths. It’s almost a proper movie!
Like City, it takes place in dystopian metropolis of Taeter City. It’s the year 2161, when criminals are ground up and turned into burgers to feed the needy. One such fast-food joint is a little short on raw materials, so the customers are queuing up. But digestive concerns are suddenly replaced when a terrorist attack targets the venue. The main thrust is a sonic weapon, which triggers savage, homicidal reactions in anyone who hears it. However, what the terrorists don’t know (and subsequent events suggest they probably should have), is that three of the employees are deaf, and so immune to the audio assault. Trapped in the kitchen and bathroom they, with the help of the restaurant’s computer, have to try to survive and escape.
As noted, you are here for the effects, and what is done really well is the way practical and CGI effects are combined. The latter do not replace the former, they are used to enhance them, and the results are spectacular. I’m not a n00b in the area of gorey special effects. It takes a good deal to make an impression on Mr. Jaded and Cynical here. I was still left audibly expressing my admiration more than once. Firearms, blunt objects, pointy objects chainsaws – standard equipment for evert Taeter City restaurant, I imagine – and even a fan (top), are used to inflict damage on the customers, staff and a couple of cops, unfortunate enough to be present. And it’s glorious.
The performances are mostly serviceable. Caloisi does well enough as heroine Daisy, but some of the supporting characters seem to only have English as a second language, and “acting” ranked somewhere in the sixth to tenth range. The idiotic TV host (?), who acts as a propaganda mouthpiece for the authorities, is the worst, though not only, offender in this area. There’s a twist in the middle that I’m not sure works. I preferred the cynical edge present, when both the terrorists and those in charge were equally uncaring about the population. It’s no disaster though, and compared to previous efforts, is a lot stronger in storyline. Previously I’ve said a “real” film-maker needs to hire Necrostorm. On the evidence here, they might be becoming real film-makers themselves.