Bad Taste

The headshot's the only true stopper 

I'm going to preface this whole review with what will probably be a very controversial statement that a lot of people will probably disagree with and may even question my intelligence over, but here goes. Peter Jackson is one of, if not the, most overrated and over praised directors in the entire history of cinema. He directed The Lord of the Rings and suddenly he's bigger than god and the greatest son of New Zealand. Personally I think he's a less fun, less exciting James Cameron. Fight me. But I'll say this in his favour, he may be one of the best shlock directors who ever lived based on what I experienced watching Bad Taste.

Bad Taste is the 1987 directorial and acting debut of old Petey boy, and stars him and a handful of his mates. Filmed in Peter's home town of Pukerua Bay, Bad Taste tells the story of the Astro Investigation and Defence Service, a group of guys who all look like people you'd see in a country pub on any random Sunday who are inexplicably charged with defending earth (or at least New Zealand) from alien invasion. On an investigation in the town of Kaihoro, they discover that the entire town has been taken and killed by aliens who plan on taking the bodies back to their home planet to sell at a fast-food chain. And the good ol' boys of A.I.D.S aren't really keen on that, so gunfights, decapitations and the death of a very unlucky sheep ensue.

The name Bad Taste tells you all you need to know about this movie going in. Its dirt cheap, it's poorly acted and its bloody as all hell. The level of gore and violence is so high that you can't help but laugh as your stomach turns at the sight of a man trying to shove his own brains back into his head after fighting off a flock of seagulls. Or when a man in full body armour accidentality rips off the head of an alien and kicks it out an open window, or when that poor sheep meets its untimely end. Too call this movie a black-comedy doesn't really seem accurate to me, its more a gore-surrealist piece that happens to very funny.

The film's low budget actually works in it's favour in my opinion. One of my biggest gripes with Peter Jackson's recent work is his dependence on making everything CGI and going for grand scale scenes with a lot going on visually but very little of substance. He couldn't do that here so he uses every shot a lot more carefully. If it doesn't advance the plot, have action or tell a joke, it's just not there. And I think that lets him focus on making the movie fun to watch, rather than just something you look at for the sheer spectacle of it. But he still manages to make things spectacular, it's just got an endearing amount of rough edges to it that elevate this film to it's cult status. Do I like this Peter Jackson movie? Yes, absolutely. Should you watch it? Again yes, absolutely. Do I think Peter is the greatest kiwi to ever live? No, that's a three way tie between Taika Waititi, Temuera Morrison and Pauly Fuemana (the guy who sang How Bizarre).