Movie Review - Septic Man

Septic Man

(2013)

Foresight Features : Starz Digital Media / Anchor Bay Entertainment

3.5 /10

This film is a missed opportunity.  The writer should have sped up Jack's transformation into the Septic Man, then let him loose on the township.  However what you have is a meandering story of Jack who gets trapped in a water treatment plant where two maniacal killers are using one of the sluices as a dumping ground for body parts, which is causing mass contamination of a township's water supply, and his transformation... along with an awful amount of vomit.

I watched this film as I had previously viewed Pontypool, which was written by the same writer, Tony Burgess.  That was an original horror movie based on a noise created virus affecting people.  On that, I took a chance on this.

... and wish I hadn't.  The two movies are similar in a couple of ways, as that they basically revolve around one man.  In Pontypool, it's the DJ in his booth, Stephen McHattie (who gives a cameo in Septic Man as the Mayor), who gives a believable performance and is helped with tight direction.

In Septic man, Jack, portrayed badly and unbelievably by Jason David Brown, is hindered with bad direction, from Jesse Thomas Cook, and strange and implausible characters, especially the killer brothers.  Even Molly Dunsworth gives a lacklustre interpretation of Jacks dowdy, browbeaten, pregnant wife; I've seen her in other roles, such as Haven, and she can do so much better.  And genre regular, Julian Richings, feels like he's turned up on site and read his lines.  It's nice to hear his original English accent.

This is a dull and boring film, for the most time, though the special effects when Septic Man starts to become are pretty nice and gruesome - respect to The Brothers Gore.  The scene where Jack peels back the skin on his arm is cringe-making.

There is so much of Troma's Toxic Avenger in this movie.  By the end of the movie, Septic Man looks like a more up-to-date, bigger budget, Toxi.  Regrettably, it's not as good.

Check out the trailer below, but be aware that this in itself is a work of art, and bears little or now resemblance to the actual pace and feel of the movie.

Bet you'd like to see that movie - Me Too!!!

Here's the film's opening sequence, probably the best part of the movie - and has NOTHING to do with the film or story at all.  Just another way to drag you into a crappy movie.