“The Faculty”- Are they who you think they are?

Release Date: 25 December 1998 (USA)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Genre: Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, Salma Hayak, Elijah Wood, & many other well knowns
Best Movie Line: “I’m not putting that hack drug up my nose - it’s so 80’s!”

Introduction

There are certain movies that I can watch repeatedly, recite almost verbatim, and still I do not tire of them. The Faculty is one of those movies. It’s a classic B-film with most all of the required criteria even though it is delivered by what now is an A-list of actors (even R&B star Usher has a character part!)

Cause & Effect

Is something up with the water at Herrington High? It seems the faculty can’t drink enough of it. Not only are they constantly thirsty, but they appear to be acting strange and out of character. Too bad most of the students are too unaware as one by one they are being “converting” as well.

Casey Conner isn’t oblivious to this behavior and upon observing his schools football team at practice, finds in the field what is believed to be a new parasite on the food chain ladder of life (I don’t know about you guys, but to me this has the makings of a very cool alien takeover……..)

Result

A motley crew of kids team together to try and determine what is happening in their school. In looking for the parasite Casey found, they are confronted by their science teacher and ultimately discover he is possessed by some sort of alien life form. Luckily Zeke Tyler (played by Josh Hartnett) likes to dabble in his very own science lab, and has concocted an interesting cocktail that to teenagers produces an euphoric high, but they soon discover that it does not bode so favorably with aliens.

It’s not long before the Scooby-type gang of misfits are fighting for their school and their own humanity as the aliens try to take over their world.

Conclusion

Think The Outsiders meets The Thing - that will give you a pretty good feel for what The Faculty is all about. The acting is every bit as worthy as The Outsiders, and the special effects are every bit as cheesy as The Thing. The translation? A very enjoyable campy ride.

Recommendation

Although this is a B-feel film, the cast is very impressive in its delivery. Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett offer great performances, as do others. This movie may be cheesy and campy, but it does so with conviction.

This movie is definitely worthy of 3 thumbs up in my book. What do you think? Have you seen it?

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