So I recently rewatched 2012’s Project X, a movie most people have largely forgotten about. When it came out, I was still in grade school and DEFINITELY not old enough to watch it. That said though, I found it online and watched it for the thrills. At the time, I didn’t really have any idea what was going on.
Looking back on the flick 7 years later, however, I’m kind of surprised at the level of hatred this movie garnered. An unimpressive 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and a general disdain for it was completely unexpected for me.
I personally think the movie is great and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. It rips through its runtime at a breakneck pace and leaves no time for the audience to catch their breath. One of the main complaints I’ve heard about the film is that it doesn’t spend any time on conventional cinematic elements. Characters are flat, plot is one-dimensional, etc. But I thought it was fairly obvious that the filmmakers were not concerned AT ALL with those things. They set out to make what is essentially an extended music video, and they succeeded with flying colours.
Another thing that people bring up a lot is the camerawork in the film. Looking back on reviews, many complaints were lodged against the found-footage style. But I really don’t think that the film was intended to be “realistic” in its portrayal of found footage (like The Blair Witch Project, for example). I think the style of the film was clearly meant to place the audience INSIDE the party, removing the glossiness of standard camera movements. This makes the viewer feel every ounce of anxiety, excitement and terror that the characters have.
Speaking of the characters, the film is also incredibly well acted, in my opinion. While the secondary characters are kind of annoying and subpar, Thomas Mann is incredible in the movie. For what I can assume was largely an improvisational script, I really loved what he did with the material. I believed every emotion he portrayed and he was easy to latch onto and sympathize with.
All in all, I’m curious to see if Project X will ever rise to Cult status. While it doesn’t have the relatability of Superbad or the charm of Dazed and Confused, I think it absolutely has a batshit craziness that both of those movies lack. I was seriously disappointed to see the lack of love for the flick, and I hope to see future appreciation for it.
Submitted March 08, 2019 at 09:54AM by JarJarJacobs https://ift.tt/2HmhpjW