Feast [Blu-ray]Feast [Blu-ray]In need of some good old-fashioned gore? You’ll find it by the bucketload in the low-budget monsterfest Feast, which arrives on DVD in an even bloodier unrated edition. The winning entry in the third season of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s reality series/talent contest Project Greenlight (Wes Craven is also on board as an advisor/producer), Feast is a wall-to-wall splatterthon that operates on an agreeably simple premise: A crew of motley characters is trapped in a remote location (in this case, a desert bar) by ravenous, flesh-eating monsters (here, a quartet of toothy and astoundingly fecund humanoids). The result? Lots of gruesome deaths and plenty of manic action, delivered with kinetic style by first-time feature director John Gulager. Not everything about Feast works–Gulager’s drive is thwarted by the unfocused script, which favors smarmy dialogue over substance–but the effects are impressive, given the film’s price tag, and the cast is incredibly game for the gory goings-on, with Krista Allen (Entourage), Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), Balthazar Getty (Alias), and Gulager’s father, veteran actor Clu Gulager, among the stand-outs. The DVD includes a smattering of outtakes and deleted scenes (including an alternate ending); commentary by Gulager, the screenwriters, and two of the film’s numerous producers; and a making-of featurette, which Project Greenlight viewers should find interesting solely for producers Chris Moore and Michael Leahy’s attitudes towards Gulager (both were a hair’s breath away from firing him throughout the production, but here, amusingly suggest unconditional support). — Paul Gaita
Rating:  List Price: $ 19.97 Price: $ 17.99 |
(out of 157 reviews)
Review by Zepplyn for Feast [Blu-ray]
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I saw this movie this past weekend at one of its very rare theatrical screenings (which happened to be at the theater where co-screenwater Marcus Dunstan used to work in Macomb, IL). What the film lacks in originality and budget it makes up for in attitude and ends up a fun, entertaining movie. The plot is a simple rehash of From Dusk Til Dawn, only this time it’s monsters/aliens(?) attacking the bar, and the people are trapped inside, defending themselves like the folks in both the original and remake of Night of the Living Dead. The writers know what the audience expects from a film like this, so they throw a monkey wrench in here and there to dispel a few of the B-movie horror cliches, their tongues planted firmly in cheek. This movie is down right hilarious, but there are a few surprise moments. Don’t expect to be scared, but there is plenty of blood and gore. As one person said on another site, the only element missing from the classic late 80′s horror flicks is the gratuitous nudity – No T&A!!! (Just a little bare cleavage). The character profiles which pop up when the characters are first introduced have a Tarentino feel to them, and are a hoot. If you like From Dusk Til Dawn, Jeepers Creepers, the Evil Dead or Tales From the Crypt movies, or Return of the Living Dead, then this movie is a must see.
Review by FBRobertson for Feast [Blu-ray]
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Ok. Yes. The movie is not original. The monsters, well, we’ve seen those kinds before. The characters, of course these are cliche characters, the movie practically points that out to you. Yet the movie is probably the best American horror movie I’ve seen in the past year. I’ll compare this to another movie I saw yesterday (I saw Feast movie just a while ago), that movie was another cliche movie called Are You Scared. That movie compared to this movie shows just how a cliche can work well (as in Feast) and work badly (as in Are You Scared). Both copy what we’ve seen before, but Feast revels in the passion, the gore, the humor, something that the other cliche lacks. Yes. Nothing new under the sun you might as well say, at least in the horror genre, but this can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you know your work in your hands. The people that bring us Feast know what we want, know what we like, and presents it in such a twist that keeps us glued to the action throughout the whole movie…something that many other movies out there in the horror field lack these days. I really hope that the director of this, along with the actors and actresses, along with the special effects people, go a long way and will be seen again. The movie kind of reminds me of an early Stephen King (as in The Mist or Pet Semetary) or Clive Barker (Books of Blood), fast, furious, bloody, funny, and want we want in our horror.
Review by Mel Odom for Feast [Blu-ray]
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I bought the DVD because of Navi Rawat. Love her in NUMB3RS and wanted to see her in something else. I also love the occasional horror movie, but they have to be ones that creep me out or have really “killer” special effects (pun intended).
FEAST moves a long at a rapid clip but ultimately progresses very little. The opening is interesting, especially when we see what happens to HERO right off the bat, but then it downgrades into a somewhat predictable slayride.
None of the characters were truly given the chance to come to life. They served the needs of the role, but little else. The tags identifying the characters were humorous and well done, I thought, but that was really about as much characterization as you got.
The special effects were good, and there was plenty of gore to spread around. The bar felt real because I’ve been in that part of the country and seen plenty of them just like it. The fact that the movie was shot almost entirely within the bar and maintained suspense is credit to the director and the actors.
FEAST is a good buddy flick for a night when you don’t really want to get heavily involved in something but would like an hour and a half of diversion. You’re not going to see anything overtly original, but there are some moments of the truly unexpected that do shine.
Review by J. D. for Feast [Blu-ray]
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This movie isn’t perfect, but I’m giving 5 stars for effort. Despite the low budget and no name actors, Feast delivers a fast paced, gory and wildly entertaining ride that undoubtedly deserves more respect than many big studio horror films. Special Kudos to the film’s first act, which has to be one of the most original set up’s in horror history. The only problem Feast really suffers from is the formulaic structure. Some reviews complain Feast lacks a plot and they’re right. The story is very simple. An eclectic group of people find themselves barracaded in a rural bar while a family of deadly abject monsters with huge teeth lurk around outside. What the monsters are or where they came from is only briefly explored but it doesn’t matter. The story is about the humans trying to outwit the monsters and survive. Its substance comes from the sub plot which pits man against man inside the bar. A couple of pop culture icons do appear, most notably Henry Rollins and Jason Mewes, but overall the cast is a group of new faces. Fortunately, most of them do the best job they possibly could given the dialogue and deserve recognition for helping make Feast the entertaining gore-fest it turned out to be.
Review by bob lundy for Feast [Blu-ray]
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F**k this s**t was the line. Well, I guess you can say what you want when your son is directing the movie and doing a right fine job, I might say.
Feast is a frenetic gore fest that takes the edge off with a lot of comic relief. Lots of pulling the rug out from underneath you and a very effective monster gimmick keeps the viewer involved right to the end. I not totally enamored with the cinematic style during the action scenes but after Savings Private Ryan this has been the norm and probably will be for a long time and besides it covers for a lot of budget constraints.
Overall, a lot of fun, who’s going to win, who’s dog meat. This is an excellent GreenLight entry. Highly Recommended