A gigantic, killer, horned pig. I have always thought wart hogs and such were pretty scary looking. And I've always wanted to see one as a monster on movie. Apparently I missed this masterpiece when I was a teenager and it's not an easy movie to catch.
This is a bit of a cheat because it's not streaming free and the budget is kind of big to consider it "indie". In fact, according to the IMDB trivia section, even back in 1984, they spent $250,000 on a full sized animatronic pig.
But, the movie is definitely "niche". I managed to DVR it when it ran on TCM. You can currently RENT it on Amazon.
"Razorback" is a mix of three revenge stories and a giant monster movie. Two men have reasons to want to kill the titular creature and at least one of those men, Carl Winters, played by Gregory Harrison, also has some human villains to contend with, although he doesn't know it. You know me, I like to let you guys get the plot from watching the movie, but those are the bones of it. Giant pig, bad guys, heroes out for justice and/or revenge.
The cinematography is just amazing. Another trivia tidbit refers to this movie as "Ozploitation". Australia was very popular in the 80s, I think mostly thanks to "The Road Warrior". Cinematographer, Dean Semler, set a very dark, desolate mood. The landscape became a character and every shot was more impressive than the last. The movie is worth watching for some of the truly beautifully shot scenes alone.
Russell Mulcahy didn't do a bad job at directing either. Another reviewer stated that he felt the action sequences were a bit hard to follow, but if you're used to 70s and 80s monster movies, you're familiar with the standard "Monster Cam" POV shots, not showing the creature in full much, if ever, and all of the tricks a good director will use to cause viewers to build the monster in their minds. I think it's an art that CG has largely killed. Audiences just expect to see the monster now. The whole thing, jumping and climbing and running and eating people. Mulcahy relied more on atmosphere and suggestion most of the movie. Giving us glances here and there until things really get moving. It's an art form all its own and done well here. We do get some nasty close ups of the Razorback and it's actually not bad looking. Good by the standards of the day.
The creature F/X are on point, but we're given very little explanation as to where a pig the size of a Buick came from. "Interbreeding" is mentioned and we're told that it's bristly hair makes it hard to shoot. (Really.) Aside from that, little explanation is given and little is needed. We know it's strong as a rhino and hard to kill. A proper monster.
The human villains would be comical if they weren't so violent. That's not to say that comedy can't be dark. In fact, there are one or two scary moments in the movie that definitely have a comical tilt.
I recommend this one for fans of cinematography, mutated animals, gigantic monsters or Australia.
It slows down now and then, but the atmosphere is relentless from about the 20 minute mark, keeping you on edge even when not much seems to be going on.
This is a bit of a cheat because it's not streaming free and the budget is kind of big to consider it "indie". In fact, according to the IMDB trivia section, even back in 1984, they spent $250,000 on a full sized animatronic pig.
But, the movie is definitely "niche". I managed to DVR it when it ran on TCM. You can currently RENT it on Amazon.
"Razorback" is a mix of three revenge stories and a giant monster movie. Two men have reasons to want to kill the titular creature and at least one of those men, Carl Winters, played by Gregory Harrison, also has some human villains to contend with, although he doesn't know it. You know me, I like to let you guys get the plot from watching the movie, but those are the bones of it. Giant pig, bad guys, heroes out for justice and/or revenge.
The cinematography is just amazing. Another trivia tidbit refers to this movie as "Ozploitation". Australia was very popular in the 80s, I think mostly thanks to "The Road Warrior". Cinematographer, Dean Semler, set a very dark, desolate mood. The landscape became a character and every shot was more impressive than the last. The movie is worth watching for some of the truly beautifully shot scenes alone.
Russell Mulcahy didn't do a bad job at directing either. Another reviewer stated that he felt the action sequences were a bit hard to follow, but if you're used to 70s and 80s monster movies, you're familiar with the standard "Monster Cam" POV shots, not showing the creature in full much, if ever, and all of the tricks a good director will use to cause viewers to build the monster in their minds. I think it's an art that CG has largely killed. Audiences just expect to see the monster now. The whole thing, jumping and climbing and running and eating people. Mulcahy relied more on atmosphere and suggestion most of the movie. Giving us glances here and there until things really get moving. It's an art form all its own and done well here. We do get some nasty close ups of the Razorback and it's actually not bad looking. Good by the standards of the day.
The creature F/X are on point, but we're given very little explanation as to where a pig the size of a Buick came from. "Interbreeding" is mentioned and we're told that it's bristly hair makes it hard to shoot. (Really.) Aside from that, little explanation is given and little is needed. We know it's strong as a rhino and hard to kill. A proper monster.
The human villains would be comical if they weren't so violent. That's not to say that comedy can't be dark. In fact, there are one or two scary moments in the movie that definitely have a comical tilt.
I recommend this one for fans of cinematography, mutated animals, gigantic monsters or Australia.
It slows down now and then, but the atmosphere is relentless from about the 20 minute mark, keeping you on edge even when not much seems to be going on.
Em luso ele é diѵuⅼgdo como Desenvolᴠimento de Páginas.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone translate this for me? Google translate made it out to be: "In Portuguese it is called as Pages Development." and I feel like that's probably wrong.
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