{"id":1944,"date":"2012-03-16T13:20:05","date_gmt":"2012-03-16T19:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=1944"},"modified":"2012-03-16T13:20:05","modified_gmt":"2012-03-16T19:20:05","slug":"john-dies-at-the-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=1944","title":{"rendered":"John Dies At The End"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Even with its relatively limited resources, John Dies at the End creates a bigger and more involving world than most films with over 20 times its budget. This is one crazy world filled with even crazier characters. Writer\/director Don Coscarelli\u2018s adaptation isn\u2019t a lick afraid of silliness, and that is John Dies at the End\u2018s key charm.<\/p>\n

To describe everything that goes down in John Dies at the End would be a massive and confusing chore. In short: there\u2019s a lot. From alternate universes to a meat monster, it\u2019s got plenty going on. The two leads, young and good-looking twenty somethings Dave (Chase Williamson) and his buddy John (Rob Mayes), take a drug known on the streests as \u201csoy sauce,\u201d and it\u2019s the kind of drug that opens one\u2019s eyes in ways unimaginable. The pair get into some oddball situations, involving the likes of Paul Giamatti and Clancy Brown.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s always exciting to see both Giamatti and Brown having fun, there\u2019s a specific problem that arises when both appear on-screen. For one, the film makes you wish Clancy Brown and Paul Giammati were playing Dave and John. Williamson and Mayes are funny at times, but having them matched against Giamatti and Brown isn\u2019t the best idea. Brown acts all-out ridiculous, while Giamatti plays it straight as an expository device, albeit a good one. Who wouldn\u2019t want to see a straight-faced journalist, played by Giamatti, and a wacky psychic\/spiritualist, played by Brown, team up to battle the supernatural versus two plain kids? Well, everyone reading this, of course.<\/p>\n

As previously hinted, John Dies at the End is a film that goes on many tangents. The structure\u2019s a mess, but it fits the characters and this world. There\u2019s very few aspects of John Dies at the End you could label as conventional. The somewhat episodic flow will throw off some viewers, and it\u2019s unquestionably jarring. The first act is John and Dave working as low-rent Ghostbusters, the second act is stuffed with exposition, and the third act is set in another universe. Again, sloppy, but so is what the characters are experiencing. When we first see them discover all these slimy and grotesque things, it\u2019s a blast. We get a new dirty and funny world we\u2019ve never really seen before, at least not lately. I won\u2019t spoil all the imaginatively goofier encounters John and Dave face, but about every one of them makes for something new and energetic.<\/p>\n

The highest compliment I can pay to John Dies at the End is, once the credits roll, you\u2019re left wanting more of this world. Don Coscarelli gives us tons of ideas, effects, and jokes to have fun with, but there\u2019s plenty left to explore. Anyone who embraces the oddness of John Dies at the End will leave the theater with the same sentiment, along with a smile on their face.<\/p>\n

The Upside: Paul Giamatti\u2019s use of the word \u201cshit\u201d; Clancy Brown\u2019s accent; the cool, dirty, and silly vibe; the world-building; a handful of easily quotable lines; leaves you wanting a sequel; John and Dave are a decent enough duo.<\/p>\n

The Downside: John and Dave are nothing more than a decent enough duo; the third act loses some steam; iffy green screen work.<\/p>\n

On the Side: Has a movie ever featured a doornob penis? \u2018Cause this movie\u2019s got one.<\/p>\n

From Film School Rejects http:\/\/www.filmschoolrejects.com\/film-festivals\/sxsw-john-dies-at-the-end-is-light-wacky-b-movie-fun.php