Before getting into the review, here are my ratings for this movie.
I give the story, 0.75 out of 2: The direction, 1.25: The pace, 0.75: The acting, 1.25: And, the enjoyment level, 0.75. These give Patchwork 4.75 out of 10.
There are two bad things about the movie. The first is that they are calling it a horror. The second is the many links to Reanimator. These are intentional as the director thanks Stuart Gordon in the credits. It wouldn't have been so bad if the correlations weren't there to sell the film. It's good to pay homage but do it more subtly.
I was okay with the glowing green reanimator fluid, which was understated in its appearance. However, the more prominent character of the surgeon is in your face. He is loud, brash, and completely ignorant, and an idiot to boot. But, you can see Herbert West just under the skin. Regrettably, the actor Corey Sorenson is not Jeffrey Coombs, and the surgeon is not Herbert West. The writer, Chris Lee Hill, along with the director, Tyler MacIntyre, should have created their own character here. Somebody more believable and less the village fool.
The story goes a step further than Reanimator in the respect that science can now recreate people as they wish... by using spare body parts. And, with the reanimation agent, there's no longer any time limit to how long a limb can last... or even if it comes from a cadaver.
So, shades of Frankenhooker here, though Frank Henenlotter doesn't receive a thank you. And, Patchwork does walk like and look like an up-to-date Frankenhooker.
It's here the story gets too clever for its own good. It would appear that the flesh holds the soul and the memories and the feelings of the owner, and not the brain. Because when the three ladies get stitched together, each of their psyches and personas remains. So now the host body has two more people to contend with. Oh, the joys of hearing these women grumble, whine, and moan about their lives. This belly-aching becomes nerve grating fast. And, for me, it lost all the humour it possessed. These segments needed to be wittier and funnier. Maybe the writers should have gone down to their local comedy club and asked an expert for help. Though looking at the trash the movie industry calls humour nowadays, all this film needed were more severed phallic members. There's one guy who enjoys his food. But, wait... What's that in his hot dog? It doesn't look like a sausage to me.
Don't get me wrong, there are some humorous moments throughout the film, but not many. The slapstick comedy segments suffer from timing and direction issues. Both of which needed reviewing and tightening.
I do have to give MacIntyre credit as there are a few scenes that work brilliantly. The first time we realise that Patchwork is three people and not one is a brilliant well thought out segue, and it's carried out in a blink of an eye. Patchwork enters her house and walks through the door into her kitchen and finds her two new personas waiting. This is a fluid transition that you may not even notice. But it is great in its simplicity and effect.
The special effects are haphazard. Sometimes the fake limbs are too floppy, and you wonder if the team had forgotten to slip the bone in, to give it stability. Then you have the great fx of the stitched face. When we first see Patchwork you can differentiate between her skin doners. Each lady has different skin tones and textures. The reveal in the mirror is shocking and beautiful. I loved this scene and effect. It's a pity that in the later scenes you know the actress is wearing a second-rate mask. The women's skin tones and textures vanish.
The acting is above average, though I would have prefered one of the other actresses to take the lead as Jennifer. Both possess better acting skills and on-screen presence. Especially, Tracey Fairaway, who plays Elle. Elle is the only character who has depth. And I believe most of her richness is due to Fairaway,
Even Corey Sorenson isn't too bad. It's a shame they took the character in the direction they did. I would have liked to have seen what he could have done with a better role.
Patchwork is more Dark Fantasy than a horror. And, I can't bring myself to call it a comedy, either...
So if you like Dark Fantasies about stitched up women with some humour thrown in, then this may be for you. I can say I'll not watch this again; I'll stick with the original Gordon films as they're all superior. The film did make me laugh... and that's always good. And, I'm glad I saw Patchworks crazy stitched face, which will stay with me for a while.
Now speed on over to my Obsidian Dreams to find out where Patchwork tripped and fell in my ratings.
Take Care & Stay Well.
I give the story, 0.75 out of 2: The direction, 1.25: The pace, 0.75: The acting, 1.25: And, the enjoyment level, 0.75. These give Patchwork 4.75 out of 10.
There are two bad things about the movie. The first is that they are calling it a horror. The second is the many links to Reanimator. These are intentional as the director thanks Stuart Gordon in the credits. It wouldn't have been so bad if the correlations weren't there to sell the film. It's good to pay homage but do it more subtly.
I was okay with the glowing green reanimator fluid, which was understated in its appearance. However, the more prominent character of the surgeon is in your face. He is loud, brash, and completely ignorant, and an idiot to boot. But, you can see Herbert West just under the skin. Regrettably, the actor Corey Sorenson is not Jeffrey Coombs, and the surgeon is not Herbert West. The writer, Chris Lee Hill, along with the director, Tyler MacIntyre, should have created their own character here. Somebody more believable and less the village fool.
The story goes a step further than Reanimator in the respect that science can now recreate people as they wish... by using spare body parts. And, with the reanimation agent, there's no longer any time limit to how long a limb can last... or even if it comes from a cadaver.
So, shades of Frankenhooker here, though Frank Henenlotter doesn't receive a thank you. And, Patchwork does walk like and look like an up-to-date Frankenhooker.
It's here the story gets too clever for its own good. It would appear that the flesh holds the soul and the memories and the feelings of the owner, and not the brain. Because when the three ladies get stitched together, each of their psyches and personas remains. So now the host body has two more people to contend with. Oh, the joys of hearing these women grumble, whine, and moan about their lives. This belly-aching becomes nerve grating fast. And, for me, it lost all the humour it possessed. These segments needed to be wittier and funnier. Maybe the writers should have gone down to their local comedy club and asked an expert for help. Though looking at the trash the movie industry calls humour nowadays, all this film needed were more severed phallic members. There's one guy who enjoys his food. But, wait... What's that in his hot dog? It doesn't look like a sausage to me.
Don't get me wrong, there are some humorous moments throughout the film, but not many. The slapstick comedy segments suffer from timing and direction issues. Both of which needed reviewing and tightening.
I do have to give MacIntyre credit as there are a few scenes that work brilliantly. The first time we realise that Patchwork is three people and not one is a brilliant well thought out segue, and it's carried out in a blink of an eye. Patchwork enters her house and walks through the door into her kitchen and finds her two new personas waiting. This is a fluid transition that you may not even notice. But it is great in its simplicity and effect.
The special effects are haphazard. Sometimes the fake limbs are too floppy, and you wonder if the team had forgotten to slip the bone in, to give it stability. Then you have the great fx of the stitched face. When we first see Patchwork you can differentiate between her skin doners. Each lady has different skin tones and textures. The reveal in the mirror is shocking and beautiful. I loved this scene and effect. It's a pity that in the later scenes you know the actress is wearing a second-rate mask. The women's skin tones and textures vanish.
The acting is above average, though I would have prefered one of the other actresses to take the lead as Jennifer. Both possess better acting skills and on-screen presence. Especially, Tracey Fairaway, who plays Elle. Elle is the only character who has depth. And I believe most of her richness is due to Fairaway,
Even Corey Sorenson isn't too bad. It's a shame they took the character in the direction they did. I would have liked to have seen what he could have done with a better role.
Patchwork is more Dark Fantasy than a horror. And, I can't bring myself to call it a comedy, either...
So if you like Dark Fantasies about stitched up women with some humour thrown in, then this may be for you. I can say I'll not watch this again; I'll stick with the original Gordon films as they're all superior. The film did make me laugh... and that's always good. And, I'm glad I saw Patchworks crazy stitched face, which will stay with me for a while.
Now speed on over to my Obsidian Dreams to find out where Patchwork tripped and fell in my ratings.
Take Care & Stay Well.