Ick

There is an eight-screen movie theater in my town, and since I'd had some work successes, I wanted to treat myself to a movie. My choices were; yet another Superman reboot, yet another Fantastic Four movie (unsure if reboot or not), yet another Jurassic sequel, Elio, a Smurfs reboot, something called "The Home," and the "How to Train your Dragon live action."

Then, there was this.

It starred Brandon Louth, which made me go hm. Since his turn as the Man of Steel, he has kept fairly busy on television, but I remember his appearance in "Zack and Miri make a porno," which was only a short while after Superman Returns. He seemed animated and relaxed in his role (a very brief but somewhat important one in that movie) and I remember thinking that if they allowed that side of him to come through in his Superman movie it might have been better received.

For the first part, he's in high school and it made me wonder if they used de-aging technology or if, with the makeup he could still look that young even in his mid-40s. I think it might be both. Happily, for the rest of the movie he got to show the side of him that was so appealing in "Zack and Miri."

The movie itself is somewhat of a rapid-fire assault on the senses and is made for a completely different demographic than me. As other reviewers have said, the "Ick" depicted in the movie might be a metaphor for culture rot so prevalent today.

And yes, it does get a little slapdash at the end, but overall it was fun to see a little creativity and fun in a movie for a change. I also got the sense that some of the easter eggs other reviewers have described might reveal themselves more in a repeat viewing.

The length and pacing hit the sweet spots for a movie such as this, and as another reviewer has said, it looks like everybody had a good time making it. I had a good time seeing it, and since Brandon was one of the producers, I want to say thank you to him for turning out something semi-original.

If you're the kind of genre fan who can't get enough of Cooties, Night of the Creeps, or Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, then Joseph Kahn's ICK is your next late-night obsession. Equal parts slime soaked satire, throwback creature feature, and goofball gorefest, ICK is a B-movie with A-level confidence, a film that knows exactly what it is and owns it every gloriously gooey step of the way.

Brandon Routh delivers another enjoyable performances as Hank Wallace, a washed-up high school football star turned reluctant science teacher with a personal grudge against mediocrity, and now, apparently, aliens (I think). When a parasitic lifeform begins infecting his sleepy hometown, he's forced to team up with sharp witted student Grace (Malina Weissman, absolutely owning every line) to save the world or at least their zip code.

The script balances absurdity and affection with surprising finesse. While the satire could have easily veered into "try-hard" territory, it never does. Instead, it feels right, organic, self-aware, and just grounded enough to work. Think They Live, but with alien goo and gym class trauma.

Let's talk about that goo. The CGI? Well... it's fine. Serviceable. Some of the larger-scale creature shots look like they were rendered on a monster energy drink budget, but honestly, it just adds to the film's low-fi charm. Would practical effects have elevated it? Absolutely. But in fairness, some of the creature sequences are too bonkers to pull off practically without quadrupling the budget. Thankfully, the film leans into its own ridiculousness, never pretending to be more polished than it is.

Where ICK really surprises is in its heart. Beneath the eye-rolling puns, exploding heads, and sarcastic monologues, there's a genuine emotional throughline. Hank's journey from burnout to unlikely hero has weight.

ICK is exactly what the horror-comedy genre needs more of bold, messy fun with a sharp bite. It's not trying to win awards. It's trying to make you laugh, scream, cheer, and say, "What the hell did I just watch?" and in that, it completely succeeds.

ICK is honestly one of the most electric and inventive films I've seen in a while. It's a 2000s-infused creature feature with incredible performances by some of the best/most iconic names of the 2000s as well as a bunch who got to grow up watching these people. It had to have hit Malina Weissman at least once her teacher/father figure in the film was Superman.

Anyways, the script was super fun and extremely self-aware. It wasn't eye-rolly either. It actually had something to say and said it in a way that was exciting while also getting the message across. It was also a breath of fresh air to see a film that was actually directed and not shot on telephoto lenses at several points throughout the room. Each shot was meticulously crafted, blocked and executed. I mentioned Routh and Weissman before, but they were the heartbeat and soul of this film. Weissman specifically though has the chops that could definitely blow some A-listers out of the water. I know she came from A Series of Unfortunate Events working with Neil Patrick Harris, but her charm and charisma flows through the theater. Her chemistry with Routh too was so dynamic, and their banter literally made the movie that much more fun. The ick itself as an allegory for COVID was very fun to digest and allowed for the film to look upward towards a brighter future if we were to take a step against the societal woes that locked is inside the pandemic for so long. This movie just proves that you can use the medium of movies and storytelling to inspire instead of just depicting pure cynicism on screen for two hours. I can't believe I've gotten this far too without mentioning the soundtrack, and it was absolutely beautiful to be able to hear the soundtrack of my childhood to destroying monsters and fighting for what you believe in. It just reinvigorated my love for the medium, and I IMPLORE that EVERYONE go out and see this over the next couple days. You won't regret just having a blast at the movies!

IT'S WHAT WE GO TO THE MOVIES FOR!!!

Saw this opening at Screamfest at The Mann Chinese Theatre. Super fun film with a great cast. You can tell watching it that everyone involved had a really great time making the film. It feels like a movie made by people who really love films especially those from the 90s and early 2000s. Parts reminded me of Eight Legged Freaks, the Faculty, and Lawnmower Man. It harkened back to a time when popular horror films were more about having a good time then being a deep intellectual pursuit. Not that I mind a brilliant brain bender, but it is refreshing to see a film not take itself so seriously.

The cast was brilliant. Brandon Routh was incredibly charming and funny as the lead, Mena Suvari was great as well. Malina Weissman really carried the film well with her grounded yet endearing performance. Harrison Cone was hilarious as the overly performative, virtue signaling douchebag. Two great breakout performances came from Taia Sophia and Zeke Donovan Jones. Their awkward goth romance added a ton a heart to the film. I suspect these two actors will be future fan favorites.

Context: I am 60+ now, degreed and experienced in cinema, with three Generation "Z" boys. So this movie is not for me, it's for them. I only give it 6-stars because it misfits my own entertainment needs. I expect teenagers and young adults who were tweens and teens in 2000-2010 will connect with this much better.

That being said, I would describe this as being a hyper-paced satire that pretends to be about horror but is really about our modern culture, especially that which Gen-Z must suffer through.

The Ick, being a familiar but mostly ignored and unexplained creature that suddenly becomes destructive, is a METAPHOR.

It represents cultural rot, something that grows everywhere and we complacently ignore it until it becomes antagonizing, and many of us continue to try ignoring it, or minimizing it, to our demise.

Once you watch this movie with those lenses it begins to make more sense. Listen carefully to the dialog and you'll hear the indoctrination of critical theory (identity politics and oppression narratives), postmodernism (nihilism), postcolonialism (anti-settler narratives), and capitalism vs socialism debates. All of it is not to preach any of these, but to make fun of it. The Ick not one of these things or the other, it's the ignorance, the complacency, the intolerance, and the polarization of these variant invasive philosophies.

You could even frame the Ick as poststructuralism - which is best imagined as a culture-bomb - wherein all of these other ostentatious disciplines are its components.

In effect, the movie is a lot smarter than it appears, but if you are older than Gen-Z and you are not aware of its goals, then it's look completely dumb and a waste of your time. As I say, if that describes you, it wasn't made for you. It was made for the kids who grew up in our mess.

I cannot say its humor made me laugh a lot, but it delivered some chuckles - it's wit is dry and fast so you have to keep up.

I do think that the editing is very choppy though, and doesn't do it service. Had this been smoothed out a little it would have been more palatable.