Make no mistake--- this movie is awful in many, many ways. The acting is wretched, the plot is full of holes, and the 'special effects' are the most impressive part of the whole production. And oh, what special effects they are.
But Despiser is also something meaningful. However mangled it's substance is, it has something to say. And while the 'something' it has to say may not even be all that brilliant, the fact that it wasn't just another standard sci-fi romance horror adventure buddy-flick with pseudo spiritual themes actually counts for something. Yes, Despiser is a bad movie, and one cannot excuse it's badness on 'budget' (as many have) since it relies so heavily on effects when it really isn't necessary. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, and have watched it many times, and have concluded that it is an amazing and inspiring piece of film, not because of how good it is (because it's horrible)but because it at least suggests what bad movies could be. It makes you appreciate failure in a whole new way that is somewhat moving.
*SPOILERS* There are lots of bad movies out there, and they find their way into major movie rental outlets because there is a pretty significant market for bad movies. Lots of people who have no ability to produce a film enjoy watching movies that were poorly made and conceived, not only because the films themselves turn out to be entertaining, but because it's somewhat akin to living vicariously through someone else. Some bad movies, I watch and think to myself 'Man, if I had a camera and these actors available, I could have done better'. Watching bad movies, knowing they are bad movies, is somewhat interactive. You're aware that you're critiquing and evaluating the film the whole time, in a way that you wouldn't spend watching a 'good movie'. You wind up learning more about film as a media by watching it's failures than it's successes.
But Despiser is different. Within the first minute of the film, you already know that it's going to be awful, and you'll probably start preparing for the worst. You have a Samuel-Jackson impersonator delivering Biblical verses before he kills 'bad dudes'. You have the whole 'evil vampiric alien zombie in a church' thing going on. And a magic bullet. It's all done without remorse, all done very seriously, as if this film might actually change the world if people see it. And you'll think 'I could've done this. Hell, I could've done better...' But as the film goes on, you realize that in fact, Despiser is something you would have never been able to spend so much time on. For instance, there are dozens and dozens of scenes where firearms are used, and in each case, a small burst of 'fire' and smoke come out of the barrel, and a bullet casing flies out and hits the ground. And all that smoke, fire and the bullet casings were added as CGI, individually, one by one. And there is a lot of gunfire in this movie. That alone is mind-blowing. The sheer amount of time and energy that was put into creating this film are what carry it. Nothing else. there's not much you could even generously refer to as 'quality' in this film, but the dedication that was put into it could put any Hollywood blockbuster to shame. There is one scene in particular, where our protagonist 'Gordon' camps out next to a lake for a night, which is almost enough to break your heart and make you feel like someone really put their soul into this movie. The whole scene is CGI but for Gordon, and has an odd surrealistic quality mixed with the trashiest sort of New-Mexico style art, all too bright and pastel and swirly to be seen as anything tasteful, but by this point in the film, you're in awe at how much the film-maker cared about this project.
*END OF SPOILERS* I rated Despiser fairly low, because in good conscience I couldn't say it really deserves more than a '4'. But I'd recommend it nonetheless, especially if you enjoy bad movies. Despiser is the strange exception to 'what makes bad movies'. Usually, it's the laziness and lack of effort exercised by the film-makers. In this case, however, it's sheer obsession and excess, dedication even in the face of laughable failure that make this film wondrous to behold. It fails horribly as a movie, but it succeeds at making us wish it hadn't so we could take it more seriously. It's like hoping a kid with a bad stuttering problem will win the spelling bee. You know this kid's a good speller, and they spent so much time studying that you really want them to win--- but in the end, they stutter and don't even qualify. And really, the best you can do is assure the kid that it all meant something, even if the world will never know.
But Despiser is also something meaningful. However mangled it's substance is, it has something to say. And while the 'something' it has to say may not even be all that brilliant, the fact that it wasn't just another standard sci-fi romance horror adventure buddy-flick with pseudo spiritual themes actually counts for something. Yes, Despiser is a bad movie, and one cannot excuse it's badness on 'budget' (as many have) since it relies so heavily on effects when it really isn't necessary. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, and have watched it many times, and have concluded that it is an amazing and inspiring piece of film, not because of how good it is (because it's horrible)but because it at least suggests what bad movies could be. It makes you appreciate failure in a whole new way that is somewhat moving.
*SPOILERS* There are lots of bad movies out there, and they find their way into major movie rental outlets because there is a pretty significant market for bad movies. Lots of people who have no ability to produce a film enjoy watching movies that were poorly made and conceived, not only because the films themselves turn out to be entertaining, but because it's somewhat akin to living vicariously through someone else. Some bad movies, I watch and think to myself 'Man, if I had a camera and these actors available, I could have done better'. Watching bad movies, knowing they are bad movies, is somewhat interactive. You're aware that you're critiquing and evaluating the film the whole time, in a way that you wouldn't spend watching a 'good movie'. You wind up learning more about film as a media by watching it's failures than it's successes.
But Despiser is different. Within the first minute of the film, you already know that it's going to be awful, and you'll probably start preparing for the worst. You have a Samuel-Jackson impersonator delivering Biblical verses before he kills 'bad dudes'. You have the whole 'evil vampiric alien zombie in a church' thing going on. And a magic bullet. It's all done without remorse, all done very seriously, as if this film might actually change the world if people see it. And you'll think 'I could've done this. Hell, I could've done better...' But as the film goes on, you realize that in fact, Despiser is something you would have never been able to spend so much time on. For instance, there are dozens and dozens of scenes where firearms are used, and in each case, a small burst of 'fire' and smoke come out of the barrel, and a bullet casing flies out and hits the ground. And all that smoke, fire and the bullet casings were added as CGI, individually, one by one. And there is a lot of gunfire in this movie. That alone is mind-blowing. The sheer amount of time and energy that was put into creating this film are what carry it. Nothing else. there's not much you could even generously refer to as 'quality' in this film, but the dedication that was put into it could put any Hollywood blockbuster to shame. There is one scene in particular, where our protagonist 'Gordon' camps out next to a lake for a night, which is almost enough to break your heart and make you feel like someone really put their soul into this movie. The whole scene is CGI but for Gordon, and has an odd surrealistic quality mixed with the trashiest sort of New-Mexico style art, all too bright and pastel and swirly to be seen as anything tasteful, but by this point in the film, you're in awe at how much the film-maker cared about this project.
*END OF SPOILERS* I rated Despiser fairly low, because in good conscience I couldn't say it really deserves more than a '4'. But I'd recommend it nonetheless, especially if you enjoy bad movies. Despiser is the strange exception to 'what makes bad movies'. Usually, it's the laziness and lack of effort exercised by the film-makers. In this case, however, it's sheer obsession and excess, dedication even in the face of laughable failure that make this film wondrous to behold. It fails horribly as a movie, but it succeeds at making us wish it hadn't so we could take it more seriously. It's like hoping a kid with a bad stuttering problem will win the spelling bee. You know this kid's a good speller, and they spent so much time studying that you really want them to win--- but in the end, they stutter and don't even qualify. And really, the best you can do is assure the kid that it all meant something, even if the world will never know.