WRECKAGE - **

Directed by John Mallory Asher. Starring Aaron Paul, Kelly Kruger, Scoot McNairy. Horror / Slasher. USA. 2011. Running Time 86 Minutes. Certificate 15.

UK Release Date : 22nd August 2011

Don’t you just love advertising? Doesn’t it make that oh so desirable product look even better, those glorified picture perfect McDonalds burgers and a carton fully of crispy golden fries and then when it comes down to it, when you open that packaging it kinda hits you that hey this doesn’t look like what you promised me. And this is exactly where the flaw is in Wreckage, the latest generic, watered down American slasher hitting DVD shelves soon.

I always try and give every film I see a chance to impress but Wreckage is exactly just that, a shambles of a slasher that never really gets going, holds no interest and adds exactly zilch to the genre. Slashers have never been the most well respected of the various styles of horror but when they get it right they are enjoyable for the vast majority of horror fans. But this isn’t bringing anything new to the table, it’s just pilfered the leftovers and left us feeling hungry.

Starting with a shooting at home, we move on to meet the films main characters Jared and Rick and their love of cars and drag racing. Whilst out on the open highway with their respective partners they get involved in a race only to end up losing when the fan belt in their car snaps. After much indecision and the over used dilemma of no phone signal they head back to a scrap yard in hope of finding a replacement part. And this is where the action and excitement in Wreckage is supposed to get going but much like their knackered car, it doesn’t. From here on in it’s just a tired and uninspiring mess, you find that you just don’t care who lives or dies or whose behind the killings and why. After waiting for things to get going in a slasher film you feel very let down when that fails to happen. Why not just have some bogeyman living in the scrapyard, why does it need to be any more complicated, keep it simple but do it well by injecting some good scares, death scenes and some knowing humour.

The worst part in all of this was I hoped to actually like this film, what it promised on that cover and the actual reality of what you get are miles apart. I’d rather not see another slasher film if this is the half arsed effort that people think is acceptable these days.

To balance it out I did take to some of the cast members and the highlight was the sarcastic town sheriff, played very tongue firmly in cheek. Some of the death scenes are fairly original and not all of which you will see coming and that is worthy of one star alone. But it’s just not enough to save Wreckage from a long line of mediocre releases, my patience as a fan of slashers is tested by films such as this and has me longing for the glory days of the 1980s or something that reinvents the genre such as Scream or Hatchet did.

Disc Extras : Plenty of but nothing that captured my interest, after seeing the film I had well and truly had enough.

Kristian Keogh.

GORE IN THE STORE
REVIEWS BY FANS FOR FANS
5 STAR FAB - 1 STAR RUBBISH