Highly Overrated But Still Good

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

As Good As It Gets

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Jack Brooks (Trevor Matthews) witnessed the murder of his family by a morlock looking monster as a child and ran away. Since then he has had anger management issues which provides us with much of the comedy aspect of the film. Part of his counseling is to take a chemistry night class with Professor Gordon Crowley (Robert Englund) along with his girlfriend Eve (Rachel Skarsten) who he mostly ignores.Crowley lives in the house on top of Watson Road which has a history. The plot, isn't too hard to figure out, but basically there is just one real monster battle, although there are a number of them he has to fight, I was expecting something different. From the title I expect some kind of Dylan Dog type of film. It was not. The film leaves off for a sequel that never came.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Monster horror/killing. Blood

How difficult can it really be to make a horror movie? "Ah, but that is why so many bad horror movies are made", you say, "because everyone thinks it will be easy." Well plot-wise, it has to be easy. Where most horror fails is not in the plot, the make-up, or even the casting because you can get away with inexperienced actors if you give them something to do. You cannot scare or horrify people with mountains of dialog. Don't tell me the history of the evil, show me. Don't explain the nature of the evil in tedious detail, show me. Or better yet, don't explain anything and just keep horrible things happening. Don't give inexperienced actors pages and pages of dialog, just keep them moving, running, screaming, chopping, crying, dying; anything except talking. JBMS spends far too much of the movie developing a complicated back story about rage and shame that has squat to do with the ending. Oh but the ending was good, if only it had started earlier in the movie.

Jack Brooks is a 2007 indie horror comedy. So Jack Brooks starts out with something that will make sense later in the film, but then it explains that Jack is just a troubled soul who saw his family massacred by a forest troll. Jack has a serious anger problem, he works as a plumber by day and attends night school at night. One day Jack's teacher asks him to fix one of his pipes, and by accident Jack unleashes a terrible force that posses the teacher and turns him in to a ravenous monster. Jack Brooks is what you get if you stick Evil dead,Hell Boy, and Slither in a blender and hit the "On" button. Jack Brooks isn't anything really really good, but it is really really fun. If you go into this film with the right expectations, you will come out more than happy. See this flick if you like cheesy over the top fun in the vein of the Evil Dead trilogy. Skip this if you are not in the mood for a stupid fun blood-fest. 7/10

After witnessing the brutal murder of his family as a child, Jack Brooks has grown up to be one messed up cat. Jack has some anger issues and the therapy sessions don't help at all. When Jack's Night School Professor unleashes an ancient curse, he is forced to confront some old demons and save the day.The films greatest strength are those fabulous, rubber suited monsters. Their faces were grotesquely comical. Each unique monster was lovingly created with creepy, campy perfection. There is a healthy helping of bloodshed and gore too. Trevor Matthews is quite good as Jack Brooks and Robert England gives a hilariously memorable performance as Professor Crowley. The film does suffer some pacing issues. There was more build up than necessary, and the action takes a little too long in coming. But when the action starts, the film goes full throttle. It is one high energy, entertaining scene after another. This is an action-packed, funny, and gory monsterfest, only slightly marred by a slow start. Highly recommended!