Popeye's Revenge opens with an animated backstory to the film's killer which looks like it has been drawn by a ten year old. And not a very talented ten year old. The slipshod nature of this introduction is a very good indication of the film's overall quality: it's cheap, amateurish garbage.
The plot, for what it's worth, sees the young Popeye bullied by his peers until he snaps and retaliates with lethal force. An angry mob pursues Popeye, leaving him for dead at the bottom of a lake. Fifteen years later, a group of friends arrive at Popeye's old home to renovate the place and come face to face with the homicidal sailor.
Borrowing from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, there isn't an ounce of originality or invention in the script: it's a series of unimpressive kills, punctuated by scenes of sheer banality, most of which feature unattractive silicone-enhanced bimbos in various states of undress.
I have no problem with dumb, brainless horror in general, only when it is executed in such an uninspired fashion. Popeye is just some dude in a cheap sailor suit, and what little prosthetic make-up has been used on the actor is so poorly applied that it can be seen dangling off his face. The writers of this trash miss the opportunity to have the killer deliver amusing one-liners, the acting all round is atrocious and the characters are all thoroughly obnoxious.
The film's kills are the biggest letdown, completely lacking in creativity and devoid of cartoonish over-the-top splattery special effects. Popeye's nautical background could have resulted in some really inventive death scenes, but the obvious lack of budget means that most of the victims are simply splashed with a bit of blood. It's all very underwhelming.
I rate Popeye's Revenge 2/10.
