Review
In the early hours of a Black Friday sale, icky, mutative aliens land on Earth and begin attacking and infecting people. At one of their landing sites, a franchise toy store (We Love Toys), disgruntled workers fight off monsters before the aliens devour them.
BLACK is an okay, idiot-padded movie. It has a good cast, a relatable anti-corporate/blue collar worker message, fun/solid FX, and promising set-up as well as good pacing (at least initially). About a quarter way of the movie, as it becomes clear that there’s an alien invasion, the characters make Plot Convenient Stupid choices─this makes up a good portion of the middle section of this eighty-five-minute flick, while previously well-constructed characters almost cheerfully sacrifice themselves for vague notions of an idiotic greater good. The ending is relatively upbeat and solid, with an opening for a sequel, one I hope they don’t make.
BLACK’s notable cast includes: Devon Sawa (FINAL DESTINATION, 2000) as the cool-headed, working-class dad Ken Bates; Ivana Baquero (PAN’S LABYRINTH, 2006) as Marnie, a two-year employee who’s ready to call it quits; Michael Jai White (SPAWN, 1997) as Archie, a cool, ripe-with-possibility character who’s largely wasted in BLACK; and a buttoned-down Bruce Campbell (MANIAC COP, 1988) as the mild-mannered, upbeat Jonathan Wexler.
Is BLACK worth seeing? Yes, if you don’t expect too much, and are looking for a Park Yer Brain flick that mixes science fiction monsters, horror, an homage to THE THING (1982) and characters who don’t think too far ahead.
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