So weird and, at times, wonderful. It's got lush, beautiful music. Very quirky and surprisingly bouncy. Sorta like Drive. Anthemic electronica.
But The Bad Batch is A Clockwork Orange-level dystopian walkabout comprising routine dismemberment, cannibalism, and concubines.
If you put Mad Max in a blender with, say, City of Lost Children, Soylent Green, Snowpiercer, and Children of Men...I dunno, maybe you kinda get there. But not really.
Though filmed in California, it's set on the Texas/Mexico border, occurring at some point in the not-too-distant future and involving a couple rival clans, the "Bridge" people and "Comfort" people. It stars Suki Waterhouse, Jason Momoa, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, and Giovanni Ribisi.
I saw it with a dozen hardcore film nerds, 50% of whom thought it was "pretty good, but not great," 25% of whom thought it was "really unique," and 25% of whom "hated it." The consensus is you'll love it or hate it. Not much middle ground to be claimed here.
If I were predicting, I'd say most people will dislike it. It's just really slow, quiet, dusty, windy, bleak. Not much happens. Lots of wandering around in the white desert, punctuated by moped rides, golf cart rides, and total weirdness. If I'd taken my wife, she woulda been outta there at the first sign of chains, a bone saw, and a meat cleaver. Or, more rightly, during the Neon Shorts-produced film short that preceded it, entitled "six and a half," involving an innocent looking 6 1/2-year-old blonde girl in a sundress who clubs a frog with a stone whilst chillin' beside the swimming pool at her country club.
On the bright side, I was able to snag a few great songs for my current playlist, but otherwise I'd say I came up empty. The Bad Batch is truth in advertising.
Wait for it on video, if at all. Caveat emptor, y'all.
