'HIM' Review: The Ultimate Fumble
SOMETIMES THE PROMISE OF PREMISE IS TOO MUCH TO LIVE UP TO, AND DESPITE A MISHMASH OF SOME INTERESTING IDEAS, THIS film FAILS TO MEET THE MARK.
Moviegoers waited in anticipation to find out if he is indeed ‘Him’ in what looked to be one of the more unique and refreshing original films to hit movie theaters this year. Based on the early teaser, ‘Him’ looked like it would be a firecracker of a film that saw an opening into a particular zeitgeist of our culture in sport and competition, and it felt as though it could weave itself right into the sweet spot of being something truly promising. The film opens with a sequence of high intensity. A young Cameron “Cam” Cade is sitting in front of the TV with his family, practically glued to a football game. The hero in the household is star quarterback for the somewhat overtly named Saviors. That star is Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) and in the midst of a big moment in the game he suffers a brutal injury which is a gruesome viewing experience for those at home. Cam’s father tells him that is what a “real man” looks like, someone who is not afraid to lay it all out there in the ultimate sacrifice. A young Cam Cade is in awe. Fast forward some ten plus years and we get up and coming future draft pick, Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), who clearly took these words to heart and has molded himself into quite a stunning athlete.
Following a head injury that puts the future of our rising star quarterback in jeopardy, there is worry now that his position as a number one draft pick might be in trouble. To help the young stud, legendary Isaiah White, who is on the verge of retirement, asks Cade to come to his personal training grounds where he will put him through a few days of rigorous training to display to team owners if he is cut out to still be a draft pick. Think of this training as a ritual, and Isaiah White is some sort of mythical figure who has the footballing world in the palm of his hands. As Cade pulls up, zombie-like fans are outside the training grounds just praying to get closer to White’s facility. Upon arriving at the facility, there is an instant sense of unease that washes over you, and we soon learn that all is not as it seems.
‘Him’ held so much promise, and with many of its issues rooting directly in the screenplay, this promise soon faltered. Writers Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers, and director Justin Tipping all hold very little experience when it comes to writing credits in Hollywood. There is a reason why producer Jordan Peele’s name was lathered all over the advertisements for this film. Every single piece of promotional material made sure not to leave out that this work was produced by none other than the man himself. There comes a point where we might have to worry about how general audiences may start to perceive Jordan Peele’s future directorial efforts when work that is not even written or directed by him is promoted as his very own. There can be a role that producers play in the creative process, but there seems to be an intentional manipulation of audience perception and knowledge of how all of this works when his name is used heavily in promotional material. This point only comes up out of fear, as Jordan Peele is a master at what he does and this film, well, does little to service those involved.
The script feels very chaotic. From distracting dialogue, to confusing character progression, and a through line that feels so ham-fisted, there is just too much that does not work. There would have been a lot more potential in a work that was wound up in a style that was more of a slow burn. From the jump there is very little tension, mystique, or buildup that adds to the overall goal that this film is aiming for. The satirical approach about sports culture, masculinity, money, power, and control is worthwhile to discuss, and all these ideas combined together in a horror-thriller about football sounds fantastic in theory, but there needed to be more thought put behind the work here. Nothing is earned, nothing is constructed, and we merely follow a series of sequences that do nothing to concisely up the ante.
Marlon Wayans is often great in everything he does, but even here his character is fed lines that just come across as comical. Similarly can be said about much of the supporting cast that includes Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, and Jim Jeffries. There’s promise to be found in elements of each of their performances, but no one felt consistent. Wayans’ character should have more of a menacing, mysterious nature about him, but there is a missed opportunity there as he comes across as rather hokey.
‘Him’ wastes its R-rating too, with a lack of scares and intensity. In films, a lot can be benefitted from sound mixing and sound effects work. A scene that seeks to get under your skin needs to have a sound design that pairs well with it to truly give the impact that the film needs. There were so many occasions where the film felt too quiet, and too tame. Sure, some of the imagery is graphic but you don’t feel it.
Director Justin Tipping put forth some unique visuals here which service the film well and really give us a look that has a lot to be admired though. Many sequences (as seen in the trailers) feature an infrared-like visual over our characters which gives us this gross, unsettling look at their bones and brains as they clatter together. This worked, and any time the film chose to unleash this look on us it was undeniably awesome to watch. There were a slew of visual and editing choices that just felt right from the eye test here, and it’s a shame that some of them were put to waste as the film fails to deliver much of the promise we saw in aforementioned teaser trailers. Ultimately, despite a strong premise, ‘Him’ ends up being more of a fumble than even a Hail Mary, which undoubtedly would’ve been more interesting than what we got.