Feast is a 2005 action horror comedy film directed by John Gulager, starring Balthazar Getty, Henry Rollins, Navi Rawat, Judah Friedlander, Jenny Wade, Clu Gulager, Josh Zuckerman and Jason Mewes. The story revolves around a group of people besieged by a horde of monsters while gathered inside a local bar.
Feast is an entertaining thrill ride through and through and almost as soon as the movie starts, everything just goes to hell. There’s not much of a story but it’s still entertaining as hell, and we do have room for character development thanks to good pacing. If you’re looking for an explanation to the monsters, the film doesn’t provide one but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. One of the biggest hooks in the film is how the film opens, the event that ignites the story, and the twist, which was executed pretty well.
One of the best things a film like this can have are good characters. It’s an isolated location with most of the screentime focused on these characters and their relationships. You have your archetypes, and, in most films, it would be annoying, but here, they’re actually fun. Still, a little goes a long way, and the fact that they’re paper thin can make it hard to relate. Perhaps the biggest things for viewers to accept is that this is a gorefest, so it isn’t about getting to know the characters but figuring out who’s going to live and die.
Overall, the story, setting, and characters are okay. Standard B-movie material to be sure. (3 out of 5)
Visually this a good movie. Although, it’s one location, it’s utilized effectively creating a sense of claustrophobia. The special effects of the monster designs looked really good. There’s a lot of blood and gore and the kills are over-the-top, but it doesn’t feel wasteful. There is cool visualization for the introduction of the characters which I think stylized the film. Now, there is an issue with the way the film is shot. The jerky cam techniques are the absolute worst, the jump cuts can be annoying, and the sped-up sequences (especially during the encounters) is just disorienting.
The sound design and overall score is decent for the most part. It’s definitely something you won’t remember. I’ve watched the movie several times and can’t replay much of any of the music in my mind. I will say that the creature sounds are as impressive as the overall design. I like that the creatures express two different sounds, one when they’re hidden and one after the official reveal.
Even though I had issues with the way action was shot the violence, gore, and practical effects are to be commended. (4 out of 5)
The cast and performances are good. Not great but good. Most of the cast I haven’t heard of nor heard from since (but that’s not to say that haven’t had good careers). The film includes performances by Balthazar Getty, Krista Allen, Navi Rawat, Josh Zuckerman, Jenny Wade, Henry Rollins, Duane Whitaker, Clu Gulager, Judah Friedlander, Eileen Ryan, and Eric Dane. Personally, I thought Rawat had the best performance of the cast.
I will say that the writing and direction is…clever. There’s a clever use of dialogue that makes for some really funny moments. There’s a lot of F-bomb dropping. So much so it feels like Rob Zombie wrote it. John Gulager directs the movie and for the most part he does a good job. He’s had his hand in a few projects, such as Pulse 2: Afterlife (2018), Zombie Night (2013), Piranha 3DD (2012), and Hellraiser: Judgment (2018), a lot of which are horror themed. I would’ve liked stronger characterization but for a film like this it’s not shocking it’s not there. Then there’s the horror and comedy, which is hard to pull off. When something tense is happening, you don’t want the comedy to disrupt it and when the comedy happens it has land correctly or risk being cringe. Well, the film manages to do good, and not so good. It’s more gore fest than scares, and the comedy misses the mark as much as it hits it. This is a B-movie and does have the typical B-movie formula.
The film does have good direction despite its budget and constraints B-movies typically deal with. (3 out of 5)
The Verdict: In the end, Feast is definitely worth a watch if you have friends over and just want to watch a bunch of random people get killed in some pretty horrofic (and funny) ways. It isn’t breaking any ground but it is entertaining. The best aspect is how well the film delivers on its premise and it doesn’t waste time doing it. That and some good performances from the cast and some decent humor leave Feast at 3 out of 5.
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