Movie Details
Movie: severance (2022)
IMDb: 8.7/10
Stars: Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower
First episode date: 18 February 2022 (USA)
Directors: Ben Stiller, Aoife McArdle
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Language: English
Composer: Theodore Shapiro
Network: Apple TV+
Producers: Adam Scott; Patricia Arquette; Aoife McArdle; Amanda Overton; Gerry Robert Byrne
Production companies: Red Hour Productions; Fifth Season;
Runtime: 55 minutes
Trailer
Synopsis
It’s hard to make a movie entertaining and thrilling at the same time. Of the films made recently, I believe that only the American “Slither” and the British “Shaun of the Dead” have achieved this feat. Has Christopher Smith managed to create a picture that is not a horror comedy in name only? Well, in my opinion only halfway, and you can read about why below.
We won’t find anything groundbreaking in the plot of the film severance. A group of employees of the Palisade Defense arms company are sent to the forests of Eastern Europe to integrate and have fun. And here came the first clash. I understand if Americans treat the part of Europe we live in as the “Wild East” where fists rule, men’s favorite game is torturing tourists and raping sheep (or vice versa), and women only dream of giving birth to those who beat them. husbands of the first-born son, which is why the movie only made me laugh. I laughed a little more quietly at “Outpost” because it is a film made by our EU compatriots from the British Isles.
In the movie “Severance” we have the same situation. The characters seem to some how distinguish between individual countries, but generally speaking, whether it’s Hungary, Romania or Serbia – it’s one wilderness. But let’s get back to our armament workers. Individual employees are to transform into one coherent collective thanks to the game of paintball. However, nothing goes according to plan. On the way to the house in the forest, they have to stop because the road is blocked by a fallen tree, the Hungarian driver does not want to take a side forest path – he escapes by bus, leaving our heroes at the mercy of bears (and others). The abandoned English continue on foot, finally reaching a small cottage in the middle of nowhere…
In the film Severance we meet a whole range of well-drawn characters. Although painfully formulaic, they are quickly remembered. There is an unsure of his position as a manager, there is a sassy handsome guy, an optimistic loser, a stoned cool guy and a black man (this is not, God forbid, a racist statement – it’s just that those who have watched a few horror movies in their life certainly know these characters – their main feature is that they are black). There are also women, one pretty, the other smart – like Daphne and Velma from Scooby Doo. I missed some more interesting interactions between the characters, they are presented symbolically and don’t really lead anywhere. Danny Dyer was definitely the best actor as the cheerful junkie. He is the source of most of the funny scenes, and over time he becomes the main protagonist of the film.
Yep, Humor. I was a bit disappointed with this element. It is mainly based on situational humor (a great scene with a severed leg), and I expected humor based on dialogues. I was waiting for exchanges dripping with irony and flawless one-liners. I waited and, unfortunately, I didn’t get it. However, there are so many funny scenes that the film can easily be called a comedy. Certainly not fun for everyone, but still. Much better when it comes to horror. Good gore effects, well-executed action scenes. When more characters start dying, things get really interesting. Although after five minutes of the film you can guess who will survive and who will die a tragic death, the ending of the film “severance” can make your heart beat faster.
I have to mention one more thing that I don’t like about this movie. The theme of the Palisade Defense weapons company runs throughout its duration. Although Smith probably intended this plot to be a cutting satire on the arms trade, for me it all boils down to a worn-out moral that it’s better not to sell weapons because someone might one day use them against you. Maybe if the boss’ story had been handled differently, if the moral of the film had been that in the end the only thing that mattered was who had the bigger gun…
And that’s it. “Severance” is a pleasant entertainment film without aspirations to be anything more. Well made, well acted, sometimes funny, sometimes suspenseful. However, there is no element in this film, either a character or a scene, that would make us remember it for a long time. On the other hand, it may also have its advantages – today we can watch it and forget about it, and when we borrow it again next year, it will take us a while to realize that we have already watched it before…
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