THE FACULTY
Directed by Robert RodriguezWritten by Kevin Williamson
Starring Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Famke Janssen, Clea DuVall, Usher, Jon Stewart
Did you ever
think that your teachers in high school were aliens? Yeah, me neither.
Apparently some did, though and that’s the conceit of this 1998
extraterrestrial extravaganza. What if they really were aliens, body snatchers style, taking over the town one drone
at a time? Of course because you’re just a teen, no one believes you. It’s up
to this misfit Breakfast Club to save
the school and the world.
Since the
inception of his career, Robert Rodriguez has proven himself to not only be the
epitome of DIY filmmaking, but also being a very open collaborator. He’s the
kind of writer/director that would be comfortable scrapping his idea for a
better one and making a movie as a team effort. Following his successful
partnership with Quentin Tarantino a year earlier on From Dusk Till Dawn, Rodriguez collaborated with Kevin Williamson
during the height of his popularity.
For those
unaware, Kevin Williamson was responsible for the mid-nineties wave of post
modern horror having penned Scream,
Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and eventually creating the
massively popular television show, Dawson’s
Creek (I’m so glad Joey and Pacey ended up together, they were so cute). Rodriguez, being the team player he is
thought, “hell yeah, let’s make this alien invasion high school movie.” I’m
paraphrasing, of course.
Collecting an
insanely nerd and 90s friendly cast (Elijah Wood, Jon Stewart, Josh Hartnett,
Robert Patrick, etc.), The Faculty is a very classically paced homage to
Invasion of the Body Snatchers filtered through the self-aware lens of the
era’s horror movies. At the time it was still cool to have characters comment
on their predicaments with similar pop culture references. There’s even a
loving rip off of The Thing’s wire in
the blood scene.
By the beginning
of the second act, the geeky school photographer, the new girl, the emo punk
girl, the jock, and the cool, older drug dealer are on a mission to stop the
school’s faculty from infesting the entire town at the homecoming game. How do
they plan to do this? Well, with drugs of course.
What The Faulty lacks in originality, it
makes up with pure charisma, character, and fun. The hero shifts characters multiple
times throughout the story and even though these actors are portraying
caricatures in an extraordinary situation, you never question their commitment
or validity. The care that they give transcends the final product beyond being
a rehash of horror tropes.
Rodriguez deftly
handles all the characters and doesn’t make it too obvious whom will eventually
save the day. There are enough hero moments to go around and there’s a point
where we aren’t sure who will make it to the end. As always, his camera work
benefits from him also being an editor. There is no wasted time or space on the
screen, making The Faculty as easily digestible as a bucket of popcorn.
The creature
effects are a touch lazy in scenes, especially the use of CGI (pretty great for
only a $15 million budget, though). But, when the movie commits to a full
prosthetic monster baddie, it’s completely beautiful. The fully revealed
monster at the end of this is one of my favorites, especially the balletic
transformation from monster to human underwater. You’ll know the scene when you
see it.
The Faculty is a fun movie that elevates itself from
schlock brethren with wit, skill, and a stellar cast. Is it Laurence of Arabia good? No. But, when
it comes to Rated R, high school alien invasion movies, it’s by far a favorite.
Currently
available on Netflix streaming, The
Faculty is a fun treat on a weekend afternoon.
Side note: One
of the better (or worst) aspects of most 90s movies were their soundtracks, bloated with
“hits” and covers from popular artists of the moment. For optimal marketability, they would cram tracks in every quiet moment in the movie. A-mazing. Enjoy this
embarrassing little vid.
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