John Dies At The End

PLOT:
How you perceive the world is not how David Wong (played by Chase Williamson) and his friend John Cheese (played by Rob Mayes) see it. For these two friends their world is one that’s filled with creatures from other worlds and dimensions that are going around killing people in the pursuit of taking over the world. Then again, David Wong might just be loosing his mind because he finds himself talking to John through a hotdog, being able to see the future before it happens, and people he’s killed are still coming after him. The world David Wong once knew is falling apart and it all started because the Soy Sauce.

ACTING:
Surprisingly, this movie has some really good acting being done by all the actors. Ok, I really wasn’t surprised that Paul Giamatti gives a good performance, the man is a really good actor and he gives another of his great performances in John Dies at the End. Though I would have liked to seen more of him in this movie, his role in it is short and spread out in short bursts throughout the run. Though, Chase Williamson does a great job considering this is his first full-length feature film he’s acted in. His portrayal of David Wong is spot on for making this character into the reluctant hero that must save the world from an invading force only he and his friend can see. He could have easily over played his role in this but he seems to have known what makes the character tick. If the acting had been bad this movie would ended up being one of those cheesy bad horror flicks but the acting made it into a movie that will become a cult favorite.

ORIGINALITY:
The reluctant hero having to save the world, ok that’s what makes for a good hero movie so it’s not new. Building off that plot device is a story that is quite different and original. John Dies at the End is a movie that that’s twisted, funny, dramatic, and thought provoking while also being a bit on the demented side. Sure it might use some common elements for a story to progress the story, such as having the main character telling his story to another person who don’t believe him, or how he gets picked up by the police for something he has no idea about, but it’s been put together in a fashion that makes it different.

TONE:
John Dies at the End is a dark, yet light hearted horror/comedy movie. It’s not a movie to be taken lightly when it comes to some of the gore laced scenes, but it’s done in a manner that don’t quite make it as sick as it could have been. It’s also a good friendship movie where these two characters share this crazy ability that will only make their bond grow because it’s a do or die situation. There’s a somber mood that goes throughout the whole movie, which I think is there because of the title. Through this whole movie there is only one thing that was on my mind, John Dies at the End. Not that I’m giving it away mind you, but the title does set the mood of the movie.

STORY/EDITING/FORMAT:
I’m very impressed with how this movie has been edited. I don’t talk much about the editing of movies but in this case I can’t let it not be talked about. Oddly enough I saw a high budget movie, I’m talking about near $100 million to film, and there are editing mistakes that a student would see, in fact someone who don’t even edit could have spotted the mistakes. This movie though could have been a huge disaster with the way the story jumps around as David Wong tells his story. There’s sequences in this where the time frame is all over the place but it’s been edited so well that it all fits together to tell a story that’s out of sequence yet still has a start and end.
My one and only problem with this movie was that some of the characters are under used. Paul Giamatti’s character for one could have been put in the story more but it’s the character Dr. Albert Marconi (played by Clancy Brown) that needed to be in the movie more. I was left wondering how this character really fit into the story of David and John’s life. There’s enough of his character and story given to make sense on how all of them know each other but I would have liked to seen what made them go from meeting each other to having a relationship that allows David and John to have a direct line to him.

PROGRESSION/SPEED/FLOW:
For a movie that does jump around, not a lot, but enough so that the flow of the movie would have been confusing ends up making some sense. It’s not a quick movie because there is a lot of dialog being done in it but it’s neither slow or boring. This movie flows at a steady pace where I was left with something to contemplate by the end. Too fast I might have missed something or just don’t remember what happened, too slow and it could have been boring, but John Dies at the End keeps a solid pace which let me stay interested in it and has given me something to talk about.

BONUS FEATURES:
Ah, now here’s the one little item that can be a make or break for me when it comes to buying a Blu Ray or even a DVD. These bonus features are what I look for when I decide on if I want to shell out those extra dollars and John Dies at the End fulfills that requirement, nearly. I say nearly because the only feature that’s missing is a blooper/gag reel. With all that happens in this movie, especially when David and John meet the pig masked guy, there had to be some good blooper/gag moments. Still, even with that one feature missing there are some really good bonuses on this Blu Ray that made watching them worth it. My first of course was the deleted scenes, which some I could see what they where deleted but most of them I think would have still worked fine staying the movie. Best though out of these features was the making of and then the interview with Paul Giamatti.

BLU RAY/AUDIO:
This is a good looking movie for a Blu Ray. For a movie that’s easily spotted to be a low-budget film, it has a sharp, clear picture. It was shot with the Red One camera, which is what gives it the clear detail that stands out on the close up shots. This movie looks really good with sharp clear colors and high detail that shows the textures of the actors clothes and skin. The biggest problem this Blu Ray has is with the audio levels. When the movie first started I had my volume set at what the level I listen to regular TV shows but I couldn’t hear the opening monolog. I had to rewind and pump up the volume to near 20 just to be able to hear what was being said and this kept through the whole movie. Audio levels where just way too low for a Blu Ray where they forced me to have to rewind a few times just to mess with the volume.

BUY/RENT/BORROW/DON'T BOTHER:
This is a strong buy for anyone that loves independent horror movies or cult movies. It’s one that is a break out movie and one that can easily become a cult classic because it’s so much fun and is made so well. John Dies at the End should be one of those movies that has to be watched at least once.