The final film of the festival was setup as a mystery film, and it just happened to be a test screening for Chris Sun's "Boar". I knew nothing of it, no expectations, so once the final credits started rolling. I was left hemming and hawing. Enjoyable enough, but there's nothing all that resonating about this generic, abnormal freak-of-nature runs amok feature of a gigantic boar (about the size of an caravan) terrorising people of a small country community. Simple as that. It's certainly no "Razorback". Although, the boar design... Wow!
The first half is like a brisk collection of unrelated set-pieces and baseless characters coming face-to-face with the raging boar, which had little to do with the central plot of a family returning to their home town after a tragedy many years ago. These early scenes are held together by the comical lingo being bantered between Aussie stars John Jarratt and Roger Ward. They were like a charming, bickering old couple with a lot of idle chat. So when they encounter the boar, you are truly invested in their well-being. I found the stalking and attack sequences to be better handled here. Mainly because the action, is so intense, and it takes place mostly at night with POV shots and a mechanical beast of a boar. Oh, it's a sight for saw eyes! Damn, some of those deaths are bloodthirsty and nasty, as we see people getting chewed up, flung about or impaled on the boar's tusks. It doesn't hold back! At first I was a little worried, because of the cartoonish graphics used in the opening sequence when we see a bunch of pigs/boars running across the screen. But those worries would resurface again in the second half and stay.
This latter half focused on Bill Moseley and the dynamic of his mundane family. Here the formula starts becoming a touch repetitive, and aimless. Nathan (built like a brick house) Jones was one of only a few things keeping me entertained. Well, the plot would always cut back-and-forth to the locals at the town's only pub to recount barroom tales of something strange going on in their neck of the woods and to obviously joke around. Cool to see a bunch of Aussie TV stars like Steve Bisley, Ernie Dingo, Simone Buchanan and Chris Haywood in those moments.
As I mentioned earlier, this is where it becomes a noticeable mixture of computer graphics and animatronic FX. The CGI didn't look the greatest, and it was only highlighted during the daytime scenes. It stuck out big time, like something brought over from a scyfy production. Some nighttime scenes in this half shared similar results too. It felt like it favoured using the CGI, unless there were problems or limitations with the mechanical boar? The boar was more on the move, and on camera a lot so I can see why it might've been the case. I just found it very contrasting, because the practical resources were effective when used while the CGI looked less so. Another aspect was the intensity of the first half evaporated, and the attack scenes lost their edge becoming overly silly, and anti-climatic in their impact. That also goes for how the boar is defeated. There's almost a rushed quality to it. I must say, I thought it had a lot guts in who it knocked off, but alas it all comes crashing down in its crowd pleasing, cop-out ending.
It's well-made for what it is, a polished looking B-grade creature-feature, but yet it plays out like a bog standard straight-to-dvd outing with a contrived pay-off. So come for the fierce boar attacks and practical FX, but stay for Jarratt and Ward's crackling combination.
The first half is like a brisk collection of unrelated set-pieces and baseless characters coming face-to-face with the raging boar, which had little to do with the central plot of a family returning to their home town after a tragedy many years ago. These early scenes are held together by the comical lingo being bantered between Aussie stars John Jarratt and Roger Ward. They were like a charming, bickering old couple with a lot of idle chat. So when they encounter the boar, you are truly invested in their well-being. I found the stalking and attack sequences to be better handled here. Mainly because the action, is so intense, and it takes place mostly at night with POV shots and a mechanical beast of a boar. Oh, it's a sight for saw eyes! Damn, some of those deaths are bloodthirsty and nasty, as we see people getting chewed up, flung about or impaled on the boar's tusks. It doesn't hold back! At first I was a little worried, because of the cartoonish graphics used in the opening sequence when we see a bunch of pigs/boars running across the screen. But those worries would resurface again in the second half and stay.
This latter half focused on Bill Moseley and the dynamic of his mundane family. Here the formula starts becoming a touch repetitive, and aimless. Nathan (built like a brick house) Jones was one of only a few things keeping me entertained. Well, the plot would always cut back-and-forth to the locals at the town's only pub to recount barroom tales of something strange going on in their neck of the woods and to obviously joke around. Cool to see a bunch of Aussie TV stars like Steve Bisley, Ernie Dingo, Simone Buchanan and Chris Haywood in those moments.
As I mentioned earlier, this is where it becomes a noticeable mixture of computer graphics and animatronic FX. The CGI didn't look the greatest, and it was only highlighted during the daytime scenes. It stuck out big time, like something brought over from a scyfy production. Some nighttime scenes in this half shared similar results too. It felt like it favoured using the CGI, unless there were problems or limitations with the mechanical boar? The boar was more on the move, and on camera a lot so I can see why it might've been the case. I just found it very contrasting, because the practical resources were effective when used while the CGI looked less so. Another aspect was the intensity of the first half evaporated, and the attack scenes lost their edge becoming overly silly, and anti-climatic in their impact. That also goes for how the boar is defeated. There's almost a rushed quality to it. I must say, I thought it had a lot guts in who it knocked off, but alas it all comes crashing down in its crowd pleasing, cop-out ending.
It's well-made for what it is, a polished looking B-grade creature-feature, but yet it plays out like a bog standard straight-to-dvd outing with a contrived pay-off. So come for the fierce boar attacks and practical FX, but stay for Jarratt and Ward's crackling combination.