The description for "Decapitarium" on Amazon Prime is that it's "Reanimator meets Stranger Things".
That description is wrong. In fact, if writers, P.J. Hruschak and Jeff Dunn (also the director) didn't start off with the idea to an homage to The Brain that Wouldn't Die, I would be very surprised. So, really, the movie is The Brain that Wouldn't Die meets West World (1973) on a college campus.
This description is not only more accurate story wise, but it also sets up expectations for the budget, f/x and campy acting style you can look forward to in the movie. If you're going in expecting blockbuster CGI and Oscar worthy performances, you will disappointed. If you want to see retro cyborg monstrosities tangle with local cops and a bunch of college students, you're going to have a good time. A really good time.
Even the cover art has a comic book cover feel to set you up for the less serious tone throughout the movie.
The cyborg designs are mostly pretty simplistic, using coveralls and oversized orbs for heads. The reasoning for the simple designs becomes evident later in the movie. I don't want to spoil it, but hang on until the finale. It's epic.
Overall the F/X are effective, clean and well used. Few if any are awe inspiring, but let's face it, that's tough when everyone has access to things like face-replacement and adding a background as a phone app now. It's kind of like the idea of people being perplexed by seeing a car without a driver in Knight Rider doesn't make much sense in 2021, when you can fetch your Tesla with the push of a button, but in 1982, it was hilarious, every week.
The acting is a bit more uneven. It ranges from painful to watch to elevated above what you would expect from a B-movie. Oddly, some of the worst moments come from actors who do pretty well the rest of the film. As a director, I can tell you, this is usually the fault of someone behind the camera or just plain tight scheduling. We get a take, all the lines are right, we're losing light or have to be at some other location that is only available for an hour so we shout, "Great! Got it! Let's move on!"
I apologize to every actor I've ever done that to, but sometimes the first take is all we get.
So, if you're looking for deep, socio-political science fiction that pushes the limits of what the future may bring, this move sort of claims to be that in this article. It also mentions being loosely based on The Pit and Pedulum, which I can honestly see, but didn't pick up on while watching it. I am a Poe fan, but it was also after midnight.
Anyway, ignore the 2.5 (as of this writing) rating on IMDB if you enjoy carnage, killer cyborgs and want to see Flash Gordon's Sam Jones in a movie with the fabulous Christine Nguyen. They both deserve more screen time, but Jones does get some of the funnier lines and it's worth watching for Nguyen's scenes just to see the boots she's wearing with her camo overalls. I'm not sure if they chose them for style, which they certainly have, or to make her taller to make easier to shoot her scenes alongside her male co-stars.
The trailer gives a pretty good idea of what to expect. Also, watch for a nice touch with the Cyborg-vision. As I did in Jack vs Lanterns with Pumpkin vision, you can tell which cyborg's eyes your seeing through based on the number (or JvL's case, shape) of the eyes.
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