Apocalypse Clown

This is such fun nonsense. It's like watching a slapstick film when you were a kid, laughing at ridiculously outrageous jokes that shouldn't be funny, not caring that nothing makes sense. Except with a good dose of solid swearing.

I've always thought clowns were weird, and definitely not funny, but these lot were great. Obviously, their actual clown acts were rubbish but that's what made it.

Everyone plays their role perfectly and just the right side of hammy.

And when you can spot the build up to a joke a mile off and start chuckling with anticipation and glee, like it's the 100th time you've seen it, then you know you've been entertained.

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.

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.

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))

The setting is simple, and yet so bizarre, that it's a wonder that this got funding -- but thank God it did! A group of washed-up clowns find themselves embroiled in a plan to save the day (or ruin it) when the power goes out from a supposed solar flare and everything goes to chaos.

While at times silly (though intentionally so), this film is packed with humour, both in the setting, the writing, and the very physical performances given by several of the actors.

It is this latter that makes this film really shine, elevating it from a fun romp to something more impressive. Natalie Palamides as Funzo and Ivan Kaye as the Great Alphonso are particularly outstanding, and not only deserve strong praise for their portrayals here, but deserve more major roles elsewhere to showcase their talents.

There's plenty of very Irish humour and references here that others might not get, but that's part of its charm. It's good to see Ireland put out interesting and odd cinematic experiences.