Review of The Faculty (1998) by Spangle — 26 Sep 2016

"Why are you naked?" - Zeke.

Because what sexist film would be complete with a completely naked girl being the source of all of this mayhem and chaos at this school? How could a woman not be to blame for all that has occurred in The Faculty? It is really only the natural progression for a film that asks us to identify with Casey (Elijah Wood). A dorky kid who is constantly bullied, Casey is the classic underdog hero in film and despite obvious character flaws such as sniffing Delilah (Jordana Brewster) while hiding in the closet and despite creepily having a shrine dedicated to Delilah (okay, Jordana Brewster is attractive, but Jesus that is not anywhere near a free pass for being a 100% creep). I am not one to sit here and criticize how sexist a film is, but I feel is truly that obvious in The Faculty, which is a shame.

With sexism as its main argument against, The Faculty comes armed to the teeth to appeal to kids who were marginalized (read: boys who were not popular in high school) by having Casey be bullied, pine after the hottest girl in school, have parents who cannot give two **** about him, not be athletic, and be a complete loner not just save the school, but also manage to scoop up the girl of his dreams in the process. Written like a wet dream, The Faculty is a creepy film that continues to dehumanize women in its treatment of women throughout. Not just Delilah and Marybeth are marginalized, but girls are all frequently called **** and shown to be quite **** and aggressive **** You Girl" and Ms. Burke, in particular). Additionally, when Professor Furlong (surprise appearance from Jon Stewart) hits on Nurse Harper (another shock appearance from Salma Hayek) in a creepy manner, we are left to sympathize with him because how could anybody ever turn down such Oh and, lest we forget, the demonization of the unseen wife of Mr. Tate (Daniel van Bargen). In spite of his alcoholism, somehow she is the evil one for leaving him for somebody else. God forbid.

Other than latent and prevalent sexism, The Faculty is faulty in many other ways as well, if you are left unswayed. I can deal with a wildly unoriginal film, but this one is truly revolutionary in this regard. References to prior science fiction films does not get you off the hook for ripping them at every chance you get. It honestly felt as though ever line mentioned a different film and how it is possible that the events of this one were going to follow the same line. I love the Amazon Prime X-Ray feature, which shows you goofs, trivia, continuity errors, cast on screen, and other little tidbits about a film while you are watching it. For The Faculty, I was floored. Practically every shot had some tidbit about how it referenced a film. Some shots had multiple films. Truly impressive level of copying. I get the sense that if Robert Rodriguez had to use Turnitin for this film, it would come up with 0% originality.

Now, there are a few positives. In spite of these concerns, it is quite a fun film. I was certainly entertained by the film and I am sure many who can overlook my aforementioned problems will enjoy The Faculty. Rodriguez's films certainly always have flair to them and this one is no exception. A fast paced thrill ride, The Faculty may be unoriginal, but it does ape many of the better qualities of past films and is filled with camaraderie, high school hijinx/personalities, thrills, and teenage angst classic rock hits that many would request of a science fiction/horror film set in a high school. These overtures on the part of the film are, admittedly, hard to resist. It hits all the right notes with its plot and the return is pure enjoyment.

Additionally, Rodriguez has great attention to detail that clues you into characters or are simply quality jokes. From Zeke (Josh Hartnett) having "USA Sucks Big Time" in his locker to a car supporting the Herrington High School Hornets having "Me So Hornet' written on it, there are some subtle jokes along the way. The film also showcases attention to detail in delivering thrills by having a banner hanging in the gym the reads "Feel the sting" as the monster corners Casey. These details were not lost on me as a viewer and were among the reasons why I was so disheartened that it opted to be so unoriginal and sexist in its plot and characterization, respectively.

A fun and detailed film from director Robert Rodriguez, The Faculty has a solid cast filled with recognizable faces, plus Josh Hartnett with significant bedhead. That said, despite its boyish charms, the film is overtly sexist and as unoriginal as they come, thanks to familiar plotting, characters, and references. The film often feels as if Robert Rodriguez had just caught up with all of John Hughes' 1980s teen comedies, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, all films by Steven Spielberg, and all of Stephen King's books before opting to just smash them into one film.