Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Blu-ray Movie Review

Starz provides a solid video transfer for a surprisingly good Horror/Comedy.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 15, 2009

Somewhere beyond the sea...

Make no mistake, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is worthless drivel, but it's good worthless drivel. A preposterous movie all around, there's no redeeming value to be found here, except in the filmmakers' insistence on making a so-bad-its-good mindless romp through the world of plumbing, night school Chemistry classes, monsters, and mutated humans. Absurd acting and predictable developments -- not to mention buckets of slime, gore, and creature tentacles -- define the film's third act, a solid payoff to an otherwise slow-to-develop but never dull or unproductive first hour of fun. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is the complete package for a movie of this type, a B-grade Horror outing that knows its place and never once aims for some false self-importance that keeps from the fun of the moment and the quality of the entertainment value found within.

JBMS.

Simpleton Jack Brooks (Trevor Matthews) is trying to make ends meet as a plumber and attempting to better himself by taking night classes in the field of Chemistry. Jack's traumatic past has defined his life; he's a bitter and angry man, taking much of his frustrations out on his therapist. One day after class, his Chemistry professor, Gordon Crowley (Robert Englund, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon), asks Jack to fix the plumbing in a decrepit old house he's recently purchased. Jack obliges, but his work accidentally unearths a mysterious gas that overpowers Crowley and leads him to unbury an old wooden crate from deep beneath his yard. Inside, Crowley finds the remains of a human body and a gray but still beating heart, the latter of which he immediately consumes. Crowley finds himself a changed man, devouring everything in sight and coming to class disheveled and bloated. As he transforms into a grotesque monster, Jack Brooks must choose fight or flight and, just maybe, put his aggression to good use.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is the perfect example of simple entertainment. It's a B-grade flick that the producers of most of the unbearably bad made-for-television movies could use as a guidepost on just how to handle low-budget and preposterously-storied films. Indeed, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is no better in theory than any number of generic, forgettable, and borderline unwatchable drivel that populates late-night television and the bargain bin of the local video store and chain emporium. However, the filmmakers behind Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer acknowledge the absurdity of the film in every scene, the picture always playing with a not-so-subtle but certainly not completely overt wink-and-a-nod that distances the movie from any hint that the audience is meant to take even a single frame of it seriously. It's that all-too-serious tone that hinders the epically-bad Syfy Channel sort of movies that might be fun if they weren't so stuck on themselves, stringent and serious about every little plot and character development, all of which add up to a big pile of nothing. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer avoids this deadly trap, and the audience is free to go along for the ride without any excess baggage that otherwise hinders the ability to enjoy gross-out simpleton absurdity and its finest.

Making the film all the better is a standout performance from the relatively unknown Trevor Matthews; "standout," of course, a relative term taken here in the context of similar B-level films. Matthews takes the whole experience in stride; he never overplays the character or becomes some superman that takes away from the charm of the film. He's particularly good as something of an invisible man, an ordinary guy struggling through his own little corner existence, using what he knows and what he has to his advantage, whether tools or his deeply-ingrained anger, the latter handled particularly well by the actor during the therapy sessions where he seems to lash out more in his counselor's office than he does in the real world. Matthews gives the character a dry wit and an approachable and believable front that makes him all the easier to cheer for, as if it's hard to cheer against the slayer of monsters as ugly as the ones seen here. Speaking of, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer enjoys quite the cheesy yet stomach-churning villainy; the special effects department definitely earns their keep, and the monsters' vile appearance makes the movie all the more whacky and fun. Finally, Director Jon Knautz and Writer John Ainslie keep things moving along rather briskly, even considering it takes a full two-thirds of the film to get to where it's going. The film's lengthy exposition and jaunts into character backstory are nevertheless entertaining and attention-grabbing; unlike a Syfy movie of the week, there's never really a dull moment here, even when the screen isn't covered in slime and gore.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer serves up a dependable 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The image offers a fair sense of depth throughout, whether in the jungle locale as seen at the beginning of the film or the poorly-lit classroom setting that features prominently in much of the movie. Fine detail is rather good; whether frays on Brooks' well-worn cap, various grasses and weeds as seen in daytime outdoor shots, or the gruesome details of the creature effects, this Blu-ray renders most every object handsomely enough. Color reproduction, too, impresses, whether the aforementioned greenery or a blue shirt worn by Robert Englund's character through much of the film, a bright and pleasant shade until it falls victim to blood, slime, vomit, and other assorted nasties. Additionally, background noise is kept to a minimum, flesh tones exhibit no push towards an undesirable shade, and blacks are fairly inky if not a bit overly absorbing. Considering the film's low-budget nature and the flesh-and-bones Blu-ray release, Starz has given Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer a rather good 1080p transfer.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer hacks into Blu-ray with a fairly strong, albeit lossy, Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; no lossless or uncompressed options are available. The film's open features a solid atmosphere as a monster fights a tribal peoples in a jungle setting; the constant hum of insects, warriors scattering about in preparation for battle, and a monster breathing ominously as it tackles lesser opponents makes for an enjoyable listen. Additionally, a good low end accompanies both several musical cues and the beating of an exposed heart in one scene; never does the track offer an overpowering thump from the subwoofer, but what's here is enough to be noticed and adds a decent amount of heft to the proceedings. Directional effects, too, are nicely done, particularly in a scene featuring Jack attempting to fix Crowley's plumbing; creaks, cracks, and spraying water are heard all around the listening area, creating a good sense of space, the track taking advantage of the entire 5.1 configuration with a surprisingly rich cacophony of sound. Additionally, dialogue is consistently stable and easy to discern. All said and despite a couple of half-second audio dropouts (confirmed via two players), Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer delivers a solid and active listen, even in the absence of a high definition offering.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All extras -- even the menu -- have been slain for this Blu-ray release.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

So maybe there really is one redeeming lesson to be found in Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer: always pay attention in Chemistry class; who knows when it will come in handy against evil monsters. All kidding aside, this budget Monster flick is perfectly-pitched, allowing all of the bad movie elements to entertain rather than bore, the film taking itself as seriously as it should: not at all. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is simply really good at being really bad, and the result is a fun, somewhat gory, and never tedious 85-minute Horror/Comedy hybrid romp into the life of a simple man who finds a purpose in slaying monsters. Go get 'em, Jack. This Starz Blu-ray release features a decent technical presentation (despite the absence of a lossless or uncompressed soundtrack) and no extras. Still, fans of bad moviemaking done right will absolutely want to add this to their collections, particularly considering the cheap asking price. Recommended.