A BATCH OF SPOILERS AHEAD

I’m perfectly fine and able to accept a movie that isn’t holding my hand, telling me about just what the heck is going on but, if that’s the case, at least make things interesting for a reason. If someone is building an alternative timeline world for me to accept then I need some footing as well as a little bit of a “wow” factor. Dangle that treat in front of my face and make me beg for more. I don’t need razzle-dazzle over-the-top craziness but marbling fat in all the right places makes things so much sweeter.

Including recognizable celebrities (industry buddies) for cameos or barely recognizable bit roles needs to either sit left-center of the frame (innocuous), propel the plot, or provide service to the main characters. Throwing in a crazy person for the sake of it without adding a moment of clarity or deeper purpose is a waste of time. I need to say this now: Giovanni Ribisi had no serviceable purpose; his character had zero reason to be in this movie.

Is the movie trying to break traditional screenplay 101? No, there are enough “rules” that it does follow that the rest of the bending doesn’t break. At this point you’ve most likely realized I was underwhelmed after screening THE BAD BATCH.
The good: it starts out compelling and right-out-of-the-gate intense. We’re thrust into a exile territory with no US governing rules (aka Escape From New York – but in the desert) along with our lead protagonist and shit goes bad, fast.

The not so good: the first 15 minutes is probably the most compelling moments until it just ends with a “5 Months Later” screen card. Those missing 5 months would be the most compelling part of adjusting to this environment in opposition to the actual threadbare plot.

The good: cannibals.

The not so good: doesn’t ultimately matter nor sway me to convince either approach between veggie farmer and human BBQ is justifiable.

Obvious: a pet rabbit is going to be fodder.

Turning points or “Ah-ha” moments are to make sense in the way of levity: a character’s turning point, refuel, repurpose, and recharge into the third act of the movie. There is a setup where I thought it was going to pay off as a way to propel and revitalize motivation but fell completely short by making the tool a proverbial thumb in your eye. This movie needs mysticism and more affective fantasy coincidence/happenstance.

Keanu as “The Dream” delivers the worst dialog in recent film history. If you want a WTF he’s taking about but not in ironic an way (mostly, now, realizing it’s from a pretentious filmmaker) you’ll also wonder why a lot of what is happening was put into the movie or how this movie got funding.

Although I like the backdrop, the cinematography is very pretty, and the music is slamming it doesn’t make for a compelling exploration into this right-now alternative timeline.

The ending felt like the director/screenwriter built the whole movie around that moment of ethical/moral/survival questioning but I still felt nothing toward any of them or what will happen next. I also had an overtone promoting abusive relationship dependency.

Watch these close-to-perfect dystopian landscape movies instead: SIX-STRING SAMURAI, CHILDREN OF MEN, MAD MAX (all), LOGAN’S RUN, DOOMSDAY, 1984, BRAZIL, REPO MAN, NIGHT OF THE COMET, BLADE RUNNER, GATTACA, 12 MONKEYS, DARK CITY, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, SNOWPIERCER, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE RUNNING MAN, ROBOCOP, STARSHIP TROOPERS, DEATH RACE 2000, THEY LIVE, DEMOLITION MAN, TOTAL RECALL, STRANGE DAYS… ugh, I have to stop even though there are many more I’d add to that list.

Additional: at Alamo Drafthouse THE BAD BATCH was an advance-advance screening exclusively for the Film Club members and from their feedback was mostly positive, so, I could be too judgmental but, at the same time, I did look forward to viewing this movie with an open mind but discovered it was shallow, pretentious, empty, wasteful, derivative, and borderline insulting.