Review of Red State (2011) by Nick R — 26 Dec 2011

Kevin Smith has possibly penned the sequel to "Jesus Camp" without knowing it...but knowing Smith and his detest for religious extremism he's probably well aware of this.

Three tempted teenage buddies are lured to a trailer in hopes of hopping in to bed with their anonymous online temptress, only to wake up bound, gagged, and caged on a far right Christian extremist's compound. What follows is a scenario of suspense and survival when the friends attempt an escape from the gun toting, God fearing fundamentalists. The movie pokes fun at Westboro Baptists when John Goodman's ATF field officer character says "Hell, them? They're sue-ers, not doers.".

The movie has spirit and preys upon some subdued paranoia I'm sure Smith has of the right wing and religion in general. The movie classifies itself as a horror film, but never quite reaches that plane. A foreboding sermon meant to build you up to think "WTF these people are nuts" drags on for a little too long. Smith uses religious extremism as a source of terror, but we're never really scared by the movie itself. That being said, Smith is probably hoping the events that unfold on screen translate in to your distrust and eventual paranoia towards your far right neighbors. He hopes the real horror exists in real life and simply not on the screen.

The acting is nothing to write home about other than the nut job pastor who scares the demons out of me. Goodman is...well, just good. There are a good number of people you wish would just get shot...which brings me to my next point: The action. Fun as hell. Literally? I don't know I haven't been. Guns and extremism make for loads of ammunition. And those annoying characters? Well, those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.

This movie is by no means a philosophical treatise by Bertrand Russel or Dawkins, but I'll be damned if it wasn't fun. Hopefully you find it to be a fun ride because I really don't want to end up sitting on a pile of sulfur with Koresh or Phelps.