Remember the 2000s? Remember how great they were? Wall Street, the war on terror, freedom fries, balloon boy…uhh, scratch that, remember 2000s movies??? The decade was filled with high-school-set, pop-punk scored, heartfelt, and hilarious fun on the big screen. No matter the genre, never was an era’s films more steeped in the aesthetics of its own decade, breathing in the wafting clouds of hairspray, letting eyes sag under the weight of Gerard Way’s eyeliner brand, and pulling up the latest bangers on an original iPod. While modern movies set during the 2000s have tried to capture the era through occasional needle drops or casual references that elicit a light chuckle, Joseph Kahn’s Ick truly understands what makes 2000s movies tick in a way that other nostalgia-fests don’t.
Ick follows Hank (Brandon Routh), a dorky, depressed High School science teacher who never left his hometown after a sporting accident left him unable to play Football in college. An ex-quarterback and ex-Prom King, one who lost the love of his life to his best friend, his life is spent living the glory days of the 2000s. But as a thought-to-be docile, terrifying alien substance begins to take over the town, he begins to suspect that his student Grace (Maline Weisman) might actually be his Daughter. Turns out, he might just finally have something to fight for. Hilarious, visceral, and heartfelt, with a killer pop-punk soundtrack perfect for Warped Tour, Ick is a feel-good horror-comedy throwback to emo cinema —and perhaps the most effective creature feature in years.
Ick Does Nostalgia Right
We live in an era of nostalgia. 80s nostalgia has dominated media for some time, and our collective brains are beginning to reflect on the 90s and 2000s. Ick works not because it’s a nostalgia vehicle, but in spite of it. The movie does not simply reflect on the surface-level aesthetics and visuals of the time period, but truly understands what makes a great 2000s High School movie.
The film has a genuine, heartfelt nature rarely seen in movies today, with a sense of humor straight from the time period and setting. Hank is a true underdog protagonist, and his journey is an optimistic and relatable one. While the ending (slight spoilers) may not completely resolve the threats at hand, it remains hopeful. As will be discussed later, nostalgia also works as one of the most important metaphors of the year.
Additionally, Brandon Routh is at his best in this leading role. He is so damn charming, every second he is on screen is a dorky delight. The supporting cast is also great at portraying a likable high school class, simultaneously grounded in realistic archetypes and problems, but heightened in some ways for comedic value.
The comedy is an absolute blast. By far the funniest movie of the year, the jokes only rarely miss. Kahn’s dynamic and fast-paced timing work perfectly in this witty, satirical comedy. Some of the millennial jokes going after Gen Z’s dialect can get a little bit old, but it never goes far enough to elicit a full groan, but maybe just the occasional eye roll from a younger viewer. This millennial-at-heart could not stop smiling for a second of the runtime, though.
Now, let’s get to the horror.
Image via Interstellar Entertainment
A Dynamic, Suspenseful Creature Feature
It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a truly great creature feature. Wolf Man was fun, and Sinners is the most talked about movie, horror or otherwise, of the year, but vampires and werewolves are sort of genres unto themselves. Ick truly understands how to make an original monster, even if one could hope for an even bloodier edit.
The Ick itself is pretty damn creepy. It works similarly to the 2008 movie Splinter, the creature is a plant-like substance that grows and overtakes everything in its path like the Blob, but expands into either goopy, fluid tentacles, or tree-branch-like appendages. It’s pretty damn gross. Additionally, this is combined with the brain-controlling powers of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, where the titular being can also zombify townspeople into cult-like, hive-minded worshippers. The movie has fun playing with numerous sci-fi horror tropes, blending The Faculty with The Blob, and perhaps a touch of Cronenberg for good measure.
The gore and kills are also great! Director Joseph Kahn has a lot of fun tearing people apart from the inside, having people eaten alive, burned, frozen, and bashed. No one killed the same way twice, and it is the perfect kind of alien mayhem cinema has been missing. However, it could still go that extra step. The movie is rated R, and it does not feel quite earned-just a little bit more practical blood and guts, and we would have total splatter nastiness. However, considering the heartfelt nature of the movie, this might be tonally for the best.
Dynamic Filmmaking
Picture above: The All American Rejects
A KILLER Soundtrack
When Fathom Events started its screening with a recorded intro from the Director, alongside some words from Tyson Ritter, frontman of All-American Rejects, you know the soundtrack is gonna be killer. As promised by the marketing, the soundtrack is perfect, and emo as HELL. All-American Rejects, Creed, Paramore, Blink-182…it is a scene kids’ dream movie soundtrack, and might even give Jennifer’s Body an emo run for its money.
The needle drops are over-the-top, and wildly over-dramatic, but would we really want it any other way? Ick promises a 2000s alternative soundtrack, and it does not disappoint. How can you possibly complain when the film’s all-is-lost moment is set to Hey, Delilah?
Monstrous Metaphors
Considering the movie is mostly set in the 2020s, with the main protagonist longing for the days when Blink-182 was associated with frat guys rather than emo kids, the movie utilizes its nostalgia as a metaphor for hope. We live in cynical times. The “Ick” in this movie can be a stand-in for any number of current worries. Nuclear war, COVID, political tension, McCarthyist era paranoia…the list goes on.
However, the Ick’s greatest threats are the characters’ working together, forming bonds, finding love, and, ultimately, rediscovering hope. Optimism. Again, the movie is not set in the 2000s, but purposefully lets that decade’s optimism seep into our time. Maybe, just maybe, hope is not something from a bygone era to be nostalgic for—it’s something we can still find in our current day, regardless of which bands are together and which have broken up.
So, is Ick the most important movie of our current day, then? Probably not. It’s far from perfect, but it might be exactly what we need as a society right now. It is a skin-crawling, feel-good horror movie that reminds us that maybe with the right people, the right motivations, and the right music, everything might just be okay.
Check out Ick in theaters now for a limited time through Fathom Events. Its more than worth the watch!
SOURCE: The Wrap, Drew Taylor, ‘Ick’ Director Joseph Kahn Is Tired of Being Head of the Curve
