John Dies at the End - I’m not entirely sure what I just watched (but I’d probably watch it again)

‘John Dies at the End.’ Is that a ‘spoiler?’ I don’t know.  I guess mentioning whether ‘John’ (who is one of the two leads, along with ‘Dave’) does or doesn’t pop his clogs in the final act would really be the spoiler.  Anyway, I digress... with a title like that I knew I was in for a weird one.  And boy was I right.

I don’t think I’ve been so confused by a film since 'Donnie Darko.' That took me a few watches to truly ‘get’ and I think I may have to give 'John Dies at the End' a couple more goes before I can actually say (with any certainty) exactly what I watched.  It’s about a couple of guys – John and Dave – who take drugs which (sometimes) take them to another world and – always – give them mild superpowers.  On top of that, that other dimension I mentioned, if filled with weirdos who want to take over our world.  Guess John and Dave have their work cut out trying to save our world.

About halfway through the film I kind of gave up trying to understand it totally and just went along for the ride.  It certainly has a ‘feel’ of its own and I found it fun to just bask in the overall weirdness of its ambience.  If you’re into the odd (think Lynch/Cronenberg) then you should feel quite at home here.  Although many people have said that it’s probably a film for those of you who enjoy ‘recreational drugs.’ In fact... I can just picture many students all over the world all gathering around in a smoky lounge to watch – and enjoy – this.

It is an 'independent film' - and by that I basically mean 'cheap.' The special effects, although well-done, do look a little hokey here and there.  They do their best to keep most things 'practical' and I respect them for that.  However, the monsters aren't anywhere near as good as other films such as 'The Thing' which was made almost forty year earlier.  Sometimes they go for the computer-generated route and, yes, the effects then take on that 'made for TV' feel.  Perhaps the reason the effects suffered is because they employed (the ever excellent) Paul Giamatti, but don't get your hopes up too much when it comes to his appearance.  He's basically in it for what amounts to an 'extended cameo.'

You may have already guessed by now, but it’s pretty weird.  If you’re wondering whether you’ll like it, I should point out that there are flying moustaches who attack people in this film.  Yes, it’s that bizarre.  So, if you think you can sit through over an hour and a half of that, then you might like to give it a go.  Even though I didn’t fully understand it, I definitely think I’ll watch it again.

I read another review that describes it at ‘Bill and Ted’ meets ‘Naked Lunch.’ I couldn’t think of a better way of describing it.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that