Apocalypse Clown

Stumbling upon director George Kane's 2023 movie "Apocalypse Clown" by random chance here in 2024, of course I opted to check out the movie. I have to admit that I was definitely instantly lured towards the movie, given the movie's title, cover and synopsis. It sounded very original and unique, and thus there wasn't a shadow of a doubt of me sitting down to watch this movie.

Writers Demian Fox, George Kane, Shane O'Brien and James Walmsley put together a very unique and outstanding storyline and script. This is most certainly one of the most original and unique storylines and concept ideas for a movie that I have stumbled upon in a long, long time. And it worked, because it was so wonderfully bizarre and far out there.

Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with Natalie Palamides, Tadhg Murphy and Ivan Kaye. The acting performances in the movie were good, as the actors and actresses put their heart of souls into bringing the characters and storyline to life on the screen. I was especially enjoying the Funzo character and the performance as Funzo that actress Natalie Palamides delivered.

If you enjoy offbeat movies, then I will say that you should sit down to watch "Apocalypse Clown", should you have the chance. It is a one of a kind movie, and that alone makes it worth checking out.

Visually, then the movie was fair. It wasn't a movie that relied heavily on special effects. But the effects that were in the movie were fair. And the props and wardrobe department definitely worked their magic quite well.

"Apocalypse Clown" was quite a surprise of a movie, and it is one for the books. It is a movie that I warmly and wholeheartedly recommend.

My rating of director George Kane's 2023 movie "Apocalypse Clown" lands on a six out of ten stars.

When a legendary clown dies while berating Pepe (Fionn Foley), a hapless wanna-be clown, the remaining clowning community in Ireland gathers for his funeral, including lovelorn Bobo (David Earl), pompous The Great Alphonso (Ivan Kaye) and the thoroughly crazy street clown Funzo (Natalie Palamides) who has already made enemies of two human statues after she bit off the ear of one of them. In addition, journalist Jenny Malone (Amy De Bhrun) attends the funeral, thinking it's at least a step up from the filler material she had previously been given. Before the funeral is over, the human statues have found Funzo and a fracas results in them all being jailed overnight. Come morning, their cells are miraculously open and the streets are empty - and none of their electronic devices work. Could the end of the world have happened while they were out of commission? If so, what could the world possibly need more than a group of clowns, ready to bring joy and laughter amidst the chaos?

This is a hilarious comedy, full of clownish humour and a few scary bits too - just what you want in a movie starring clowns! There is a fair amount of satire, and some of the gags are rather broad, which might be a problem for those liking more sophisticated humour, but again - it's about clowns, of course it's going to be broad! Definitely worth seeing, particularly if you're starting to freak out about the real end-of-the-world scenarios playing out around the planet these days; this will at least let you laugh for an hour and a half.

In case you missed it, there are some very strong productions coming out of Ireland these days, films and series both. A trend worth watching. Speaking of worth watching, this absurdist gem from writer/director George Kane is also in that category. Film historians will remember when this bizarre style of comedy -- non-sequiturs, inane characters, joined only by the flimsiest of plots -- was the rule, not exception. America in the 60s. Props to Kane and his team for not only retrieving that lost format, but for stretching it to the very limit. A solar flare end-of-the-world survived by roving clowns holds the attention nicely. Not every gag works, and not every character succeeds, but the off-the-wall performance of Natalie Palamides as Funzo more than compensates. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

This is not something I thought would be genuinely enjoyable, yet alone really good! I figured it would be cheesy and cringy. However, the performances are spot on, and the dark humour is perfect! There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and some clever hooks. It has the feel of so many movies that have come before it, yet it is most definitely unique. In combination, I'm not sure any of these elements would have worked in the same way if they weren't in Ireland. It is a movie I would watch again, and one I'll be recommending to friends. Testament to the skill of the director in pulling this off.

This is a comedy that you will either find hilarious or, if you are like me, sit stony-faced for 90% of the time. Having seen the initial reviews, I had high hopes for a really good comedy, and I really really tried to enjoy this, but most of the comedic moments just fell flat with me. There was the odd moment that made me giggle, with Natalie Palamides, as the crazy demented Funzo, being the standout, but the laughs were very few and far between. Still, give it a go, I may be in the minority here, as the the current reviews on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes are pretty good, with most being very positive.