This wasn't at all what I expected when I threw it one one night out of boredom. I'm a huge gorehound, and because this film (and, perhaps more notably, its sequels) have a reputation as decent gore flicks, I expected something trashy and violent and bloody, and, as it turns out, I expected a lot more than I got.
Some other reviewers complained about the cold and detached nature of the main characters and their attitudes regarding violence, but I actually felt like that was part of the film's charm, and perhaps what makes this otherwise sub-par gore film worth watching. The callousness displayed by our wicked young heroes is probably the most disturbing aspect of the film, giving Alex and his droogs a good run for their money in the psychopathy department.
This also does manage to feel like a "real" snuff film, being filmed on what looks like an old VHS camcorder, and while that definitely enhances the feel of some of the more brutal scenes (including the less gory brutality such as the gas station bit), the filmmakers, for whatever reason, feel the need to intersperse the actual gore with long, droning scenes revolving around comic book stores or sub- par sex scenes.
As a result, the film falls flat in the actual gore department, with only a couple of scenes featuring the bloody sort of hyper-torture that you'd expect from a film like this. A gore film without much gore is difficult to recommend to anyone, but it's worth watching for any connoisseur of the genre, if only so you can say that you've seen it. And, apparently the sequels are far more interesting than the series' first outing, so maybe this could just be seen as a teaser trailer for the real deal; not much substance here, but just enough to make me want to keep watching in the hopes that the next film picks up the pace.
Some other reviewers complained about the cold and detached nature of the main characters and their attitudes regarding violence, but I actually felt like that was part of the film's charm, and perhaps what makes this otherwise sub-par gore film worth watching. The callousness displayed by our wicked young heroes is probably the most disturbing aspect of the film, giving Alex and his droogs a good run for their money in the psychopathy department.
This also does manage to feel like a "real" snuff film, being filmed on what looks like an old VHS camcorder, and while that definitely enhances the feel of some of the more brutal scenes (including the less gory brutality such as the gas station bit), the filmmakers, for whatever reason, feel the need to intersperse the actual gore with long, droning scenes revolving around comic book stores or sub- par sex scenes.
As a result, the film falls flat in the actual gore department, with only a couple of scenes featuring the bloody sort of hyper-torture that you'd expect from a film like this. A gore film without much gore is difficult to recommend to anyone, but it's worth watching for any connoisseur of the genre, if only so you can say that you've seen it. And, apparently the sequels are far more interesting than the series' first outing, so maybe this could just be seen as a teaser trailer for the real deal; not much substance here, but just enough to make me want to keep watching in the hopes that the next film picks up the pace.