June 5, 2007

FIRST LOOK: BLACK SHEEP (June. 07) by Jsyn

Mutant Killer Sheep – Chris Farley and David Spade = Movie About Mutant Killer Sheep

Once in a great while a film comes along that completely resets the “what the fuck” (or WTF) o-meter in our head. DEAD ALIVE was one of those films, as was MEET THE FEEBLES and later, THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS. Not surprisingly, it seems that most of these WTF movies come from weirdo countries. Like New Zealand.

BLACK SHEEP is definitely high on the WTF-O-METER. For example: I have never witnessed a sheep drive a truck over a cliff. Have you? Before you can say, “Yes, once!” I say not until now you haven’t, you lying prick.

Mix a bit of THE BIRDS with a smattering of DAWN OF THE DEAD and a dash of THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, maybe a wee bit of AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and you sorta have BLACK SHEEP.

Two animal rights activists “liberate” a genetically engineered sheep fetus from a very unscrupulous genetic testing farm owned by a greedy, equally unscrupulous prick who tries to buy the family farm out from under his sheep-phobic younger brother. When that little bugger starts spreading its mutant germs to man and fellow sheep, the green rolling hills of the Kiwi countryside are laid waste with blood and carnage. Once cute and docile sheep develop an appetite for human flesh! Men bitten by mutant sheep turn into mutant sheep-men themselves!

You would think the killer sheep gag would fall flat halfway through the film but it totally doesn’t. There are some really funny, clever moments with these newly maniacal farm animals going all kinds of buck on the local yokels.

The attack on the garden party was especially oh so wrong. Lots of gags stuff happening with Simpson’s-like timing. A typically innocent looking herd of sheep becomes just as terrifying as a mob of sprinting zombies…and equally ridiculous.

Without giving away the farm here, we are treated to all kinds of gory, disgusting and wonderfully offensive nonsense that crescendos into a hilariously cheeky explosion of almighty grue.
I never thought I’d say this but I never thought I’d watch a movie that made animal cruelty hilarious. And if a man-sheep hybrid has relations with a genetically engineered sheep, does that count as bestiality? If conservative pundits need one more reason to rally against genetic animal testing, then mutant carnivorous sheep are a great bullet point.

For me the thing that undeniably stood out were the absolutely awesome FX works by WETA. They were the glue that held the entire film together and some of the effects they created were nothing short of incredible. I think it’s really clever to take this totally cheesy, tongue in check B-monster movie premise and then smack people upside the head with utterly fucking amazing creature work, all while keeping a sense of humor. Trust me people, the man-sheep transformations are unlike anything seen before in film.

BLACK SHEEP is a unique and riotous horror-comedy that equally delivers on belly laughs and stomach–turning splats. See it and then bust out that Showtime Rotisserie oven for a nice leg of lamb dinner complete with mint jelly! Remember sheep, mutant or not, we’re still higher on the food chain than you…

Highly Recommended. – Jsyn