Review of Tusk (2014) by Logan T — 07 Aug 2016

IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, WHAT THE F#CK HAPPENED TO KEVIN SMITH? (Do I Mean That in a Good or Bad Way? Find Out Here).

Tusk is written and directed by one of my favorite directors Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy). Tusk is about a U.S. podcaster, played by Justin Long ( Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Live Free or Die Hard) ventures into the Canadian wilderness to interview an old man, played by in my opinion, a very underrated actor Michael Parks (Red State, Django Unchained) who has an extraordinary past, and the American learns the man has a dark secret involving a walrus.

Kevin Smith is a very talented director and writer. I love his films, Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, you name it. I also respect what he has done for the filmmaking business, and his passion for storytelling. For instance, he sold his comic book collection, and stayed up for countless hours just to make an independent movie called Clerks. Clerks is a great movie, well-rounded characters, great dialogue, it's funny, it changed the way we look at independent cinema, and overall the film has a large value of entertainment. He comes off like a cool person, a fan of comic books, and someone you could easily have a conversation with. In my opinion, Kevin Smith has not directed a great film since Clerks 2, and has not directed a decent movie since Zach and Miri make a Porno and Red State. If anyone would love to give the film Tusk a good rating it is me, because I really like Kevin Smith. On the other hand, I believe Tusk is the worst film Smith has written and directed.

I was so interested in this movie, because the plot seems so interesting. The positive outcomes of the film are the tension is there, builds up horror; Justin Long does a good job, Michael Parks is phenomenal in his performance, it's well shot, and damn it I wanted to see a man turn another man into a half man half walrus! In my opinion, this is the Michael Park's film. If you want to see a creepy old man, who will scare the hell out of you, see Michael Park perform. He was in another Kevin Smith film called Red State. I did enjoy that movie. Accordingly, this is a nice throwback to old school cinema, and grindhouse/exploitation films. However, the same problems I had with Red State finds its way into Tusk.

For instance, our main character is not very likeable. He comes off as sleazy, rude, and arrogant. There are scenes throughout the film where they try to mix horror and comedy, and for me this doesn't blend all that well. I love when horror and comedy can combine, and make a well-crafted film. But, it comes of a little confusing, and downright awkward at times. I can't tell if this film is trying to be so bad that it's funny, or is it just that bad of a film? The horror elements work beautifully; to me this should have just been a straight up horror flick. In addition, there is a cameo in this film, and I actually didn't recognize him at all! Therefore, I give props to whoever did the design/makeup. Once I found out who it was, I was actually surprised, and I found it to be funny. What I didn't find funny was how long the scene goes on for. It drags, and drags, to the point where it is not funny anymore. They had a good joke, and just like that, it died. So my biggest issue with the film is the writing.

Why do walruses go to Tupperware parties?

To find a tight seal.

Okay, that joked sucked. Let's get to what everyone cares about, the damn walrus. All I have to say is when you see it is disturbing and you can't help but to look away, but find away to still look at what's on screen. (Does that make any sense?) Once you get a good look at the walrus human hybrid, that's when you know the film is once again trying to be an awkward blend of horror and comedy.

So these are my final Bitchin' Buddha thoughts on the film Tusk. It is far from Kevin Smith's best movie. What works is the horror. What doesn't work for me is the writing, characters, and honestly how Kevin Smith went from amazing films to this. I believe the movie has more weak spots, than good spots. I really hope Kevin Smith can come back and make a spectacular film. Maybe, it will be his next upcoming film titled Moose Jaws. It's like Jaws but with a moose...I can hop can't I. Maybe I just didn't understand the movie. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea, even though I like tea. If you truly want to know the history of filmmaker, writer, and entertainer Kevin Smith, you should definitely check out his previous films before this one. I believe the film Tusk earns a...

2 out of 5.

Thank you for reading and or viewing. I hope you all have an amazing day as always. :).