John Dies At The End Movie Review (2012)
A wonky film that feels like a combination of Men In Black and Everything Everywhere All At Once, John Dies At The End is an interdimensional dark comedy that has two college dropouts fighting to save the world.
I have mentioned many times now that I’m not into horror films, but occasionally I’ll try a horror comedy. My main issue is with the creepy music and jump scares in scary movies, and typically, a comedy will leave those out.
John Dies At The End is about two college dropouts with no prospects, Dave and John, who find themselves in a situation where they are seeing things that other people aren’t after being exposed to a drug known as “soy sauce.” The drug changes them and allows them to see and interact with multidimensional beings as well as ghosts and other paranormal activity.
There is a lot of silliness in this horror comedy that had me laughing out loud. The opening scenes are of John cutting off the head of a zombie-type guy, but because he keeps breaking his ax, he has to go and have it repaired year after year. The zombie guy returns, having reattached his head, and he is also attacked by a being that is made up of lots of frozen meat parts. That is the tone of this film.
The score is more otherworldly and rock and roll than scary or creepy. You are in this vibe with Dave, who mostly plays the “straight man” to other people’s (and random beings’) oddities, and it is very forward moving with minimal eeriness.
The actors are fun and in on the joke, but the story isn’t completely clear. Ultimately, I decided that it didn’t matter. It is entertaining enough without the fine details and when you are watching something about intergalactic beings (who don’t exist) among multiple dimensions, you pick your battles.
While there are a few creepy visuals, almost everything is played for laughs. The paranormal beings reminded me very much of little creatures from Men In Black and other “bad guys” are often characters you’ve met who have died and reanimated for a little while.
This film is based on a book of the same name (that began as a webserial, turned into a manuscript, and was ultimately published) from 2007. While John Dies At The End isn’t great cinema necessarily, it does have some interesting ideas and a few genuine belly laughs. I’m curious if the book does a better job explaining everything, but the movie is a good start. Besides, it also has the best service dog in history.
Runtime: 99 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes, it’s weird
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
Available: Free on Tubi and PlutoTV, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
