Popeye the Slayer Man overview: He’s Popeye, however as a substitute of popping open cans of spinach he’s crushing heads on this horror flick.
PLOT: A bunch of school college students embark on an investigation into the legendary Sailor Man. Sadly for them, they discover him.
REVIEW: He’s Popeye the Sailor Man! For many years, the animated character has delighted younger followers. From the cartoons to the live-action Popeye that includes Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall, he’s an iconic and beloved character. And similar to Winnie the Pooh, the copyrights have lapsed, sending the spinach-guzzling hero into the Public Area. And my, oh my, Popeye is kinda pissed. Together with his puffy, bloated face and ridiculously cartoonish arms, Jason Robert Stephens is undoubtedly having a very good time killing off quite a few victims in wacky methods.
Popeye the Slayer Man is what you’d count on from a B-movie horror flick. It tells of the native legend rumored to be stalking the deserted Anchor Bay Cannery – search for various enjoyable Easter Eggs. After plans floor that town is tearing it down, a gaggle of “college-age” children resolve to go inside to analyze the creepy tales of The Sailor Man. Sean Michael Conway is Dexter, and the gang he brings with him contains his BFF Lisa (Marie-Louise Boisnier) and a mysterious lady named Olivia (Elena Juliano). This crew of beginner filmmakers makes the work of Heather, Josh, and Michael from The Blair Witch Mission seem close to Kurosawa-level of their expertise.
As soon as the group arrives and discovers that Olivia has the expertise to choose the lock to get in, they discover what you’d count on: a spooky warehouse. As they wander round with ‘Director Dexter,’ he units up a couple of cameras, they usually start investigating. In the meantime, Joey (Steven McCormack), Olivia’s jealous boyfriend, brings his buddies alongside to see what his lady is absolutely as much as. All of the fodder traces up for a pleasant little bit of slaughter, and the sailor man begins his reign of terror. And in relation to the sensible results, they’re actually loaded up on some goofy gore.
If you’re wanting strictly for the purple stuff, it will not be at Terrifier 3 ranges, nevertheless it’s obtained the bloody items. You’ve obtained a scalping, a person crushed by his personal severed arm, twisted heads, and far more. But it’s not gonna hold you up at evening with fright. Nah, this Popeye is pleased with over-the-top gore and a few groovy cameos. As grotesque as it may possibly get, the kills do are likely to really feel the identical after some time. Popeye loves smashing heads. Relating to bizarre cameos, my favourite second is a person searching for a cheeseburger on the native pub. I received’t spoil something extra about who that occurs to be, however the reveal was an excessive amount of enjoyable for this viewer.
So far as a creepy location, Popeye gives that. And sure, the Anchor Bay shout-out delighted me to my core. And I even discovered a number of of the actors to be fairly charming. Sarah Nicklin provides a strong efficiency, and I loved Steven McCormack as “bad boy” Joey. Sean Michael Conway and Elena Juliano do positive work. And surprisingly, I discovered the odd relationship between Lisa (Boisnier) and Seth (Thomas) enjoyable all the best way up till their remaining scene collectively. Humorous stuff. The 2 labored fairly nicely collectively. Whereas no person will likely be sneaking away with “a surprise Anora win” on the subsequent Academy Awards, they do what they should do.
It certain appears like a blast, doesn’t it? Effectively, as a lot enjoyable as it may be, generally it felt like spoiled spinach. The characters often make jaw-droppingly dumb selections. Most of the kills are repetitive. Tonally, it was a little bit of a combined bag. Relating to the steadiness of humor and horror, it labored significantly better when it centered on the foolish stuff.
As for Popeye himself, Jason Robert Stephens is fairly menacing when wanted. I wouldn’t wish to face this fellow in a darkish alley. Though, as a complete, the character’s look didn’t essentially ship shivers. The script by John Doolan, with story credit score going to Cuyle Carvin and Jeff Miller, has a couple of humorous moments, nevertheless it in the end felt a bit predictable. Nevertheless, it has affectionately goofy moments of Popeye lore. And that’s when Popeye is essentially the most enjoyable. The Robert Michael Ryan-directed flick is greatest when it isn’t taking itself too significantly.
