Masterpiece Cinema - Bad Taste

‘Bad Taste'

Starring Terry Potter, Pete O'Herne, Craig Smith, Mike Minett, Peter Jackson.

Written & Directed by Peter Jackson.

Genre: Comedy / Horror / Sci-Fi

Released: 1987

Running time: 91 mins.

Rated: R (American rating for comic gore, violence and some language).

IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0092610/

So last week I said I'd be getting away from puppets with this week's column. Well, that's what I'm kind of doing. Kind of.


Peter Jackson is pretty much a household name these days with the
success of ‘The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, a series of films that will
inarguably became a major part of cinematic history in time to come.
It's kind of funny; this short, hairy, dumpy, quirky little man has
achieved what so few directors in



Hollywood
have – he's ascended to the rank of ‘celebrity director'. The celebrity
director is one of those few people behind the camera who are just as
recognizable as those in front of it. It's a lofty position, and one
that many filmmakers aspire to, but very few manage to achieve. This
strange little guy from New Zealand, however, has managed it, and
what's more, he actually deserves it.

You've no doubt heard
that Jackson is following up the success of ‘The Lord of the Rings'
with a big-budget remake of ‘King Kong'. You may have even heard how
his next project after that will be an adaptation of the novel ‘The
Lovely Bones'. If you've heard both those things…well, stuff you.
Nobody likes a smart arse, and thanks ever so much for taking the wind
out of my sails. And if you're such a smarty pants, lemme ask you this;
have you ever seen ‘Bad Taste'?

‘Bad Taste' is Jackson's
very first feature film (though it's the eleventh film he's made over
the course of his life). Released in 1987, it took four years to make,
filmed entirely on weekends and with a next-to-nothing budget. It's
basically the definition of guerrilla filmmaking.




The story revolves around the efforts of a small platoon of amateur
soldiers known as "the boys", who the New Zealand Prime Minister hires
to rid the countryside of invading, shape-shifting aliens. What follows
is ninety minutes of gory mayhem that involves everything from
dissections with chainsaws to the eating of vomit. When Jackson decided
to call this movie ‘Bad Taste', it was more than just an apt
description; it was a public safety warning.

There's a number
of things that make this movie worth watching. First of all, it's
amazing to see what one can do on a nothing budget. Jackson made all
the prosthetics and special effects pieces himself, which is impressive
when you consider all the aliens and explosions the movie is rife with
(this is where the earlier mentioned puppets come in).

Then
there's also the fact that Jackson plays not one, but two characters
himself, and is almost unrecognisable in both. As Derek, one of the
alien-fighting Kiwis, he leaps to and fro, spraying the countryside
with machine gun fire and screaming like a stabbed cat. As Robert, one
of the aliens, he gets the opportunity to fight himself, and does so in
glorious, zombie-esque fashion.

But really, the reason to watch
this movie is just how much dumb fun it is. You'll laugh, you'll
squeal, you'll feel a little nauseous. If you're a fan of low-budget,
high-fun fare, check this out. I doubt we'll be seeing Jackson make
anything like it again anytime soon…

Next week: Wait and see!