Review of Ginger Snaps (2000) by Tim B — 06 Aug 2009

I never had my emotions do a complete 360 so fast as I have while watching this one. By the end of it I was completely depressed and wanted a drink. This movie will undoubtedly fare better with women as the curse of the werewolf bite is compared (blatantly and subtlely) to a girl experienceing her first period.

I was a bit turned off by that idea at first. But as the movie progressed, it brought up themes that were more universal and the two sisters became more human (even though one literally wasn't). The portrayal of adults in this one was also interesting, especially the role of the parents.

Although presented as weirdos and a tad annoying (which is what we all thought at age 15), they still had enough camera time to develop as normal human beings. The gore and effects here were outstanding and seemed more real than the majority of these types of movies.

There's a lot of shed blood here. John Fawcett kept it very bleak and showcasing his eye from time to time, when it was necessary. Good job. The two leads in Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins are outstanding and play off eachother wonderfully.

I heard in real life they're best friends so the chemistry must have helped them in that aspect. Isabelle goes through quick transitions perfectly and Perkins evolution is incredible. Mimi Rogers worked wonders here in the mom role.

I don't know what her character was about but the writing along with her portrayal worked on me. Kris Lemche plays a pseudo-jerk again here and although I would've liked to have seen more of him, he still worked.

Some bits didn't always work on me. There was a subplot involving another dude getting the virus and although he was good in the role, it felt pretty trivial. There's another plot device that had me wondering what the rush was (made a cure THAT fast, huh?).

Lastly, the ending didn't grab me as a whole, it went on a tad too long and dropped certain characters out of the movie (mom? Where you at?). But in the end, this is a bold, inventive and depressing movie that gets me almost every time.

It's a teenage movie with none of the cliched crap you see today. It's got brains, heart and a supernatural element in the mix. Add to this a depressing and beautiful score by Mike Shields and you get one of the better werewolf flicks I've seen in a long time.