Tusk: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
A podcaster (Justin Long) looking for a juicy story is plunged into an unpredictable, unsettling, and absurd nightmare after he travels to the backwoods of Canada to meet an eccentric recluse (Michael Parks) with a lifetime of adventures – and a disturbing fondness for walruses.
I’ve been a huge supporter of all things Kevin Smith ever since Clerks (just like many other people) so of course I had to see this movie. It’s a film that you can tell is very close to him because of its podcast origin. The film has everything you would expect from a Smith movie including the witty banter that we all love but that’s just in the beginning. What the film transforms into is the most sinister and disturbing thing that has ever come from Smith….and that’s a good thing. In all honesty I was a little worried (just a tad) because Smith has made a career of being a comedic director and sometimes a jump in genre doesn’t always produce the same success but thankfully in this instance it works great. Long’s sarcastic and asshole demeanor is the perfect setup for what happens later in the film because let’s face it, no one feels bad for an asshole. However, Parks character is so crazy that you can’t help but feel bad for what he does to the guy. Parks has already played a crazy antagonist in Red State (another Smith film) but this character is by far the crazier of the two. His horrible fascination with walruses is probably one of the most deranged things I’ve seen but it also makes you want to know what the end result is going to be. Genesis Rodriguez and Haley Joel Osment are fantastic support to the film and really drive it along nicely. Their exchange with Johnny Depp (yes, Johnny Depp) was another great moment in the film. Rodriguez has had an awesome 2014 and I predict this movie to be the jumping off point for her career. Osment looks like he’s about to get a refresher in his career and I for one can’t wait. He’s an actor that still has way more ahead of him (as if he hasn’t accomplished tons already) and this film seems to be just the beginning. The only thing that kind “off” about the film was that with Depp being in prosthetics for the role it almost made him a bit too comedic and practically a caricature in a dark horror movie. I’m not opposed to having comedy mixed in but that really walked that very thin line of almost making it a bad thing. As for the walrus suit, it was one thing that I had been curious about and it didn’t disappoint one bit. It was grotesque and horrifying but really impressive how a design like that was created so that won me over right away. This was a great first run at a horror flick from Kevin Smith and I think if he gives this genre another go then we could get something even better. To that I say #WalrusYes.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes – Two decent deleted scenes with introductions by Kevin Smith
20 Years to Tusk – This feature talks about Smith’s path to getting to the point of making this film and what it took to get it done.
The Making of Tusk – A really good multi-featurette Behind The Scenes look at the film.
Smodcast #259: The Walrus and the Carpenter – The podcast episode where the initial idea for Tusk came from.
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Kevin Smith
