Review: Kevin Smith's TUSK Is Nightmare Fuel
I thought I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into before I watched Kevin Smith's horror movie Tusk. Everything I heard about the movie and saw in the trailers let me know that this was going to be a very insane and disturbing film, but I really had no idea how extremely jacked-up it would actually be. Smith didn't hold anything back; he made some very bold decisions and followed through with them. He took this story all the way, and it was one nightmare-fueled ride.
The story starts off simply enough with a couple of friends who run a successful podcast called Not-See Party. The first act of the movie is light and funny, and you get to know the outspoken characters really well. But when Justin Long's character leaves his podcast buddy (Haley Joel-Osment) and his girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) to go to Canada to interview someone for the podcast the shit hits the fan, and it gets incredibly messy. The pacing of the movie moves fast and before you know it, Long's character meets an old man (Michael Parks) who wants to turn him into a walrus named Mr. Tusk. After Long's friends receive a distressing message from him, they set out on a journey to find him, help him, and bring him home.
That's just the basic plot, the trailers hardly even touch on the madness of this story! This is seriously one of those movies that you have to see to believe. I'd love to talk about certain scenes, but I don't want to spoil anything for you. No words can truly describe the horrors that await audiences who go out and see Tusk. One of the reasons why I enjoy the films Smith makes is because he simply does what he wants, and he doesn't have any studio executives telling him what he can and can't do. If that were the case, the stuff we see in this movie would have never happened.
Long and Parks both gave incredible performances. I honestly think they are worthy of Oscar nominations, but it probably won't happen. You really feel for Long's character, and it's hard to watch him go through the things that he endures. Parks is just freakin' terrifying! That's a guy I would never ever feel comfortable hanging out with after watching this movie. Johnny Depp also has a role in the film as a detective named Guy Lapointe, and he's virtually unrecognizable. He was great as always, though, and he completely disappeared into his role, which is something he's great at.
I thought the movie was really good, but that's coming from a guy who is a little twisted and enjoys the horror movie genre. This movie is not for everyone, and I'm sure some people will hate it, but I appreciated the way Smith told the hellish story. I will say that that there are some conversation scenes in the movie in whch the talking goes on for a little too long, but that's something Smith has always done. He likes his characters to talk in his movies. It all pays off in the end, though.
If you're a fan of Smith's work, then I don't need to talk you into seeing the movie. If you're into horror films, then definitely give this one a shot. If you don't like either of those things, then you probably won't like it, but if you're a little curious and feeling adventurous, then by all means check it out!