A documentary masquerading as a horror film, Morgan
Spurlock's latest effort is a revolting examination of the evolutionary and
cultural significance of the one world's most resilient creatures. Featuring a string of rodent related
vignettes from around the globe, spliced with a devious mixture of genre
elements, Rats is a putrescent expose with frightening implications.
Each of the film's segments are book ended by an anecdote
from Ed Sheehan, a veteran New York exterminator whose cigar choked voice narrates
the film with Bubonic premonitions and grim insinuations as to the species'
underestimated abilities. Spurlock's
decision to present the film in a quasi-anthology format is the first of many
horror tropes that he endlessly exploits throughout the film's 87 minute
duration. From the swollen gutters of
the Big Apple to the plague ridden streets of Mumbai, everything is displayed
with the intent to repulse and frighten.
Sheehan's grizzled hunter archetype is offset by white jacketed
scientists whose genuine interest in the rats' uncanny survival capabilities
are twisted to appear as if the scholars are B movie prognosticators, vainly
toying with natural forces they can't possibly control.
Luca del Puppo's cinematography is a faithful homage to its
predecessors and a slick parody of its contemporaries. There are some remarkable micro scenes
featuring horrifying close ups of the beasts in their subterranean kingdoms,
writhing and reproducing in the shadows, instantly evoking comparisons to The
Hellstrom Chronicle and Phase IV. Pierre Takal's machine gun editing supports
the visuals by adding hideous sound effects and periodic mammalian intrusions
that keeps the gag alive throughout.
Takal also scored the film, composing a rhythmic synth blender that pulsates
and contorts into a different melody each time the location changes, signifying
that the danger is the same no matter the level of exterminating proficiency
that is available.
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| Super size me, bitch! |
One of the most interesting, and perhaps controversial
elements of the film is how it treats its subjects. The rats endure several narrative
definitions, beginning as an insidious swarm freeloading off the waste of a
metropolis, perhaps signifying that humanity is complicit in the propagation of
the horde. As the locations switch to
new countries, the rodents are treated to various forms of reverence and
brutality, contrasting religious identity, public health, and even culinary
value.
Available now for digital rental, Rats is being touted as
one of 2016's best horror films.
Ultimately, this is a movie that will effect each viewer in a different
manner, depending upon their enjoyment of the concept, their ability to handle
candidly disgusting sequences, and their personal tolerance for the prolific
pests that haunt Spurlock's shockumentary at every turn. A filthy odyssey that presents the plight of
a casual menace in a spoiled package, Rats is an intriguing departure from the
conventional documentary.
Share it, rat.
Score:
-Kyle Jonathan