Epic Movie

Directors: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer

Starring: Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, Faune Chambers, Jayma Mays

From the twisted minds of two of the six writers of Scary Movie comes the latest offering of slapstick, satire and outrageous visual comedy. The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Da Vinci Code are just some of the films that fall prey to Friedberg and Seltzer’s spoof of all things epic. The story follows four orphans who meet after being invited into a chocolate factory and from there must go on to defeat the White Bitch and save Gnarnia from her evil influence.

The characters that our heroic foursome bump in to along the way include an inebriated Jack Swallows, a forty year old Harry Potter and a half-man half-lion creature named Aslo. Special mention should go out to Crispin Glover and Darrell Hammond who give Johnny Depp a run for his money with their hilarious depictions of Willy Wonka and Captain Jack respectively. The story is easy to follow and anyone who has been to the cinema recently will be able to spot which films are being parodied without difficulty.

The references to pop culture also stand out as some of the funnier moments in this film. Spoofs of shows like Cribs and Punk’d are well placed and work well on two levels, spoofing not only the programme but a film at the same time. Several musical numbers also keep the story engaging and entertaining.

It is worth going to see this movie just for some of the impressive ‘special effects’. A painfully mechanical beaver, fight scenes where hiding the stuntman isn’t even attempted, and the most fake looking octopus mask ever are just some of the gems that this movie has to offer. Visuals prove to be a key way this movie keeps the comedy coming – Peter’s haircut is enough to have anyone crying with laughter.

Although ultimately Epic Movie turns out to be more of a spoof of the last few years of cinema rather than tackling such films as Lord of the Rings or Gladiator, it still proves to be an entertaining and enjoyable viewing. This film goes recommended for fans of the original Scary Movie series or anyone wanting to see a movie that doesn’t take itself or any other film too seriously.

Julia Huntenburg