2012
18
Directed by Nima Nourizadeh
Starring Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel-Brown
When Thomas’ parents leave town for their anniversary
weekend, his best friend decides to throw him a Birthday party in the house.
Welcome to the age of smart phones and internet! What was supposed to me a
small high school party quickly spirals out of control into absolute carnage.
You know the party scenes in movies that last a couple of minutes and that’s
it? Well Project X is what it would be like if it was extended for an hour:
madness.
Don’t think for a second that this is going to be anything
other than wild, untamed and vacuous partying; because that’s precisely what it
is. It’s unapologetic in its approach. Filmed in the hand held style, Project X
threatens to undo some of the hard work Chronicle did with that genre. It’s
unfair to utter these films in the same breath however they do share some
similarities. Where Chronicle succeeds and Project X falls short is that the
dialogue matches up with the filming style, as the lines in Chronicle
encapsulate a natural teen dialect. Project X on the other hand uses that home
movie style, but the script hasn’t adapted to it, and the dialogue is not
believably natural.
With that said, anyone who tries to review this film in the
same way you would a film like Chronicle is already onto a loser. This is because
Project X is essentially one massive music video of the party you always wished
you could have. It’s obvious that the demographic is teenage girls and boys who
will resonate with the sheer brat-like nature of the boys. I read a review of
how Project X lacked the heart and wider message of Superbad, I’m not trying to
say for a second that real people lack heart, but they’re not the caricatures depicted
in Superbad, and I can very much believe that boys would throw a party
motivated by popularity and getting laid. But in some respects the film does
shy away, it could go a lot further
at times, and it doesn’t which is a shame.
This film is not a cinematic masterpiece by any means, but a
lot of people find it entertaining, funny and enjoyed it; why should that be
frowned upon? Let’s face it, the film is an 18, but the kids watching it will
be younger than that and will think it’s cool. To call it the worst film of
recent years is horrendously extreme. Make no mistake, this film is for the
kids, you need a sense of humour; no ones trying to say this will happen at the
house next door.
The soundtrack of this film is immense; if you want a party
playlist, buy the OST. This won’t be the last we see of Thomas Mann; and quite
frankly that’s not a bad thing.
Rating 5.5
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