Peter Jackson is one of the most creative mainstream filmmakers working today, and I do not think that a lot of people will disagree with me here. His imagination and his earnest desire to conjure up fanatic, and sometimes insanely chaotic, images has always been strong. None of his work is lacking in energy, but perhaps his most interesting films, in my opinion, are his first four. Bad Taste is perhaps his most curiously unusual. It's obvious that he pulled this picture off with little to no money, and he's obviously talented when it comes to visuals. This relatively plot-less film is pretty much just about aliens who have taken over the earth and are eating human beings as part of an extraterrestrial fast-food relocation program. The film is pretty much just about how the few survivors do battle with the aliens and what kinds of crazy things happen in their fight. There are more colorful characters than I can even remember, but there's also a lot of bloodshed. This gory, over-the-top, tasteless film throws in everything but the kitchen sink in it's abundant display of mayhem, flesh eating, and exploding body parts. It's utterly surprising to me that this film was not released by Troma, because it'd make a perfect double feature with The Toxic Avenger. Bad Taste is insanely disgusting, but also very campy. What normally passes for undisciplined action films of the 80s has instead been given a rather retro downgrade by this film. It is reminiscent of an Ed Wood film, but obviously more self-aware. The only thing that Bad Taste lacks is a heart, but I doubt that fans of the film will really care.
Bad Taste is the kind of film that I wish to god that I could have seen when I was younger. This is a juvenile film that has no fears or limits to it's depraved content. People who have an interest in film-making will be overjoyed by this film's brilliant use of it's budget limitations. This is one of the best films a wannabe filmmaker could watch. It's creative, cheap, effective, and very satisfying. The problem with it, however, is that as a film in general it's really not all that good. I wouldn't even say that it's as good as The Toxic Avenger, though it's certainly loads better than most Troma films out there especially considering such utter tripe as Maniac Nurses Find Ecstasy and Zombie Island Massacre. The main thing that Bad Taste delivers on, above all else, is the gore. If you're looking for a revoltingly gory film, this is one of the slickest you'll find. A lot of it's humor comes from the gore as well, and it's all in as much bad taste as the title of the film implies. This film succeeds in being what it's trying to be, and Peter Jackson must be applauded for that. The film works better when you view it as a master filmmaker's student film, however, because Bad Taste does not offer much else besides gross out humor, visual effects, and good make-up. The film just is not all that memorable. None of the characters were interesting or funny and none of them had traits that made them stick out. The film looks like utter crap, shot obviously on the most passable restraints. The film does not make good enough use of it's New Zealand location shooting, though the scenery does look absolutely beautiful. The aliens all look so fake and rubber that it's almost completely embarrassing. This is a really bad film.
On the other hand, however, I can't help but feel that all of this is what makes this so appealing. In that regard, the best way to watch this film would be with a group of friends. It would likely be a lot more entertaining and would be a lot funnier in that environment. With a film like this, or The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or Clerks, or Pink Flamingos, judging it as a film is not fair. It's more about quantity than quality, and viewing it as you would any other film will simply diminish it's power. Putting all this aside, I think that there are far better films out there that are more worth watching than other people. One thing is for sure though, it is definitely one of the more disgusting films of it's kind. Peter Jackson later went on to improve his craft with films like Braindead, but the inspiration that was garnered from this film has been excellent. I'm thankful that this film went on to inspire better, more exhilarating films. Besides, just because I can't tolerate this film's stupidity doesn't mean than everyone else will be left in the dust. That's why I wish that I saw this film as a youngster. I'd at least be able to like it in the fact that it would hold a special place in my heart. As it is, however, it's more a film that is a piece of history to me.
Bad Taste is the kind of film that I wish to god that I could have seen when I was younger. This is a juvenile film that has no fears or limits to it's depraved content. People who have an interest in film-making will be overjoyed by this film's brilliant use of it's budget limitations. This is one of the best films a wannabe filmmaker could watch. It's creative, cheap, effective, and very satisfying. The problem with it, however, is that as a film in general it's really not all that good. I wouldn't even say that it's as good as The Toxic Avenger, though it's certainly loads better than most Troma films out there especially considering such utter tripe as Maniac Nurses Find Ecstasy and Zombie Island Massacre. The main thing that Bad Taste delivers on, above all else, is the gore. If you're looking for a revoltingly gory film, this is one of the slickest you'll find. A lot of it's humor comes from the gore as well, and it's all in as much bad taste as the title of the film implies. This film succeeds in being what it's trying to be, and Peter Jackson must be applauded for that. The film works better when you view it as a master filmmaker's student film, however, because Bad Taste does not offer much else besides gross out humor, visual effects, and good make-up. The film just is not all that memorable. None of the characters were interesting or funny and none of them had traits that made them stick out. The film looks like utter crap, shot obviously on the most passable restraints. The film does not make good enough use of it's New Zealand location shooting, though the scenery does look absolutely beautiful. The aliens all look so fake and rubber that it's almost completely embarrassing. This is a really bad film.
On the other hand, however, I can't help but feel that all of this is what makes this so appealing. In that regard, the best way to watch this film would be with a group of friends. It would likely be a lot more entertaining and would be a lot funnier in that environment. With a film like this, or The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or Clerks, or Pink Flamingos, judging it as a film is not fair. It's more about quantity than quality, and viewing it as you would any other film will simply diminish it's power. Putting all this aside, I think that there are far better films out there that are more worth watching than other people. One thing is for sure though, it is definitely one of the more disgusting films of it's kind. Peter Jackson later went on to improve his craft with films like Braindead, but the inspiration that was garnered from this film has been excellent. I'm thankful that this film went on to inspire better, more exhilarating films. Besides, just because I can't tolerate this film's stupidity doesn't mean than everyone else will be left in the dust. That's why I wish that I saw this film as a youngster. I'd at least be able to like it in the fact that it would hold a special place in my heart. As it is, however, it's more a film that is a piece of history to me.