Lately, I've been rewatching films released 10 years ago, to compare my opinions from then to now. However "Detention" is a film I'd almost completely forgotten. But I did remember it being the first film I watched on Netflix and it starred Josh Hutcherson. Let's see how it holds up.
The film follows a group of students at Grizzly Lake High who are sent to detention after one of their classmates is murdered by a killer, Cinderhella. Now they must work together to figure out who among them is the killer.
Firstly, the dialogue in this film is very much aimed at "Gen Z" and millennials, with constant references to social media and current trends of the time along with some 90s references with the films theme of time travel. On the surface, the film may look like a giant mess, but overall I did think it was a very entertaining film. It's a genre mashup unlike anything you've ever experienced - with it's blend of bizarre stories about aliens, time travel, body-switching, and apocalypse. It's unlike any teen slasher I've ever seen, or quite possibly will see. It's proof that fresh ideas and off the wall filmmaking are still a possible. It's hard not to admire the absolute commitment to a script that is very ambitious and totally bonkers in the plot department. And maybe its lack of focus is meant to reflect the scattered attention spans of its audience. It's like The Breakfast Club meets Scream with elements of Freaky Friday, Donnie Darko and a string of other movies thrown into the pot too.
Although sadly it's largely forgotten since it's release, and I haven't heard or seen a glimpse of the film since it's release (I had to seek it out on DVD) I still think it holds up rather well and is worth your time.
