While many of you may becoming to the site because of the many blurbs that my fellow writer Steven West has dawning both the front and back of the SEED box cover, your going to get a different review from myself. If you have seen or are yet to see SEED, I think you’ll be able to respect my opinion of the film from the perspective of a parent, especially with a scene that takes place within the first ten minutes of the film. Now I’m very well aware that with the horror genre, especially recently that the artistic merit is no longer safe, and that in some cases in order for a film to be effective shock must be ensued upon the audience. The time we live in is almost as unsafe as the actions of a horror film. With that said I want to touch briefly on the first ten minutes of the film before I go into my rants about the overall film itself.
Many horror fans, especially here in the United States dismiss Uwe Boll as a modern day Ed Wood. His first few horror films he made were all based on video games, and lets face it folks; they were pretty bad. However, Boll has hit me with a vengeance with SEED. He may be known for his past efforts like ALONE IN THE DARK and HOUSE OF THE DEAD which were jokes as films, but SEED is a whole other level and makes films like HOSTEL and SAW look like Disney produced them. At least the first ten minutes anyway.
The first scene in the film involves real footage that PETA released of a Dog being slaughter by a butcher as the dog howls in pain for it’s life. It is very, very disturbing, but not as disturbing for me as what was to come next. A flashback scene of sorts takes place on a bus, where the films detective watches the killer get a hold of baby and toss the baby across the bus. As a father, I didn’t need to see that, but that was only a quarter of what would be the most disturbing scene of this film. We are treated to video first of a rat being starved to death, then a dog, Disturbing enough, right? But what about a few minutes of a baby being put in a room, with no food. At first the child is fine playing in the dirt and even talking baby talk among itself, but over the elapsed time you see the child begin to cry, them lay down and cry when the hunger pains kick in, then the child dies. To myself, this is sick and twisted, something that I never want to see in a film. It not only anger me, but brings tears to my eyes. But; in the same breath of anger, I know there are people in this world that would do such a thing, children are neglected by their parents everyday and it’s just a reminder that their are not only monster hiding behind masks, but true monsters with faces that walk by us everyday on the street and we don’t even know it. With that said, I’ll move on.
SEED is about a serial killer who obviously has major issues and likes to kill everything from rats to dogs, children and adults. The whole first half of the film gives us his back story on how he is captured and bought to justice. He is sentenced to death. However according to state law if a prisoner survives more than three killer volting shocks in the electric chair, he is to be taken to the nearest hospital, treated and then released. However, in this film the killer survives all three attempts and the warden decides to just bury him alive. Big Mistake! The killer simply known as Max Seed, digs himself out of his grave and begins to seek revenge on those who buried him alive and the ones who bought him to justice as well as their families and anyone who happens to be in the way.
The script for SEED is one that starts off with very shocking sequences of events but then slowly takes a dive down as the plot movies along. It does seem that the film pace is cruising along, but instead it slows down to a snails pace and what can be perceived as a predictable film, begins to move slowly. The film does have decent dialogue, but it’s pacing it far to slow and we’re treated to death and torture that are so drawn out that they lose their shock value and just become to much leaving the viewer unable to be effected by their imagination. Such a scene includes a women tied to a chair who is repeated hit with a hatchet until her head no longer exists. It’s a scene that clocks in at almost five minutes.
As far as the overall production value and acting goes, both are alright. I can’t sit here and say that the performances were anything great and that I was able to relate to any of the characters with the exception of Detective Matt Bishop Played by Michael Paré who not only play a character who does his job by the book, but also has a family to protect. The rest of the cast was not half bad, but nothing I’m going to say stood out for me to praise. The production value on the other hand was very dark. The overall look and feel of the film was very dark, but for some reason it didn’t give off that suspenseful feel you get with torture films like SAW or HOSTEL. The effects were good, I’ll give them that much, even though the scenes were way to over the top and gave the audience no though or use of their imagination, this film delivers on the blood and guts.
Overall, I found this film to be mainly very scary and shocking within it’s first ten minutes. The baby stuff really got to me, and although I am sickened by the scene, I do know that shit like this happens all the time. I agree that the killer in this film Max Seed is a character that is just as twisted as Michal Meyer and Jason Voorhees, and the ending to this film is very unexpected and shocking. But to start off on a shocking note, then drag the audience across the floor for in a snails pace to deliver us a shocking over the top ending with no real conclusion. I just can’t say that it was a film that I enjoyed. Yes it did have some very shocking moments and it’s violence does rival that SAW and HOSTEL, but it does not keep us on the edge of our seats the whole way though. Some will like it, while other’s won’t I for one like and dislike it for my own reasons. But from a perspective as if it’s a well made film I can’t really say that it is.
The DVD has artwork that I just don’t get how it even relates to the film, but besides that it includes Commentary by Director Uwe Boll, A featurette called “Criticized”- How a filmmaker gets back at his critics, Behind the scenes with the cast and crew, deleted scenes, trailers and more…
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
