During the 1980s, many boys were enthralled by animated TV shows like G. I. Joe and M. A. S. K., which showcased a number of characters wearing high-tech armor and weaponry. The plot was not complex or deep in any way, although -in the case of G. I. Joe- it served as inspiration for many kids to actually become first responders or service members. The whole idea was, of course, to sell the action figures and vehicles, so that the children could play and create their own stories.
Now imagine one of those stories brought to film by older individuals, but add a number of other ingredients derived from arrested development, such as sexism, shallow political thought and agendas, and a general sense of puerile fancy.
The story is simple and straightforward; the hero (John Ozuna), a military assassin, is hired to get rid of a serial killer in some woods (another throwback to the 1980s, when Slasher horror was at its peak). Said killer is part of an illuminati-like "organization" that harvests the organs of young women, and the "twist" is that the protagonist has had previous ties to this group and has to go through some soul-searching along the way.
That's pretty much it, really. This sounds just like your average "so bad it's good" movie, right? Well, no. The direction and editing are so incompetent that watching this becomes a plodding experience. Director / Writer / Cinematographer / Editor Rene Perez is what you could call a Jack-of-All-Trades, were it not for his sheer incompetence at all those duties.
Then again, maybe it is a bit unfair to call his cinematography incompetent, mainly because he does show some degree of ability in that area. There are a couple of sequences that are actually visually appealing. The first one is an Extreme Long Shot featuring the film's heroine (Eva Hamilton) walking through a beautiful bridge surrounded by gorgeous natural scenery. Now, you could say that this shot is part of a composition that is there in order to create a shared sense of vulnerability and smallness, but honestly this would be giving Perez too much credit, as it was probably done because "it looked cool". The second sequence is, in fact, that. It looks cool and is well handled, almost as if it were part of a music video where style precedes substance on purpose. It comes across mainly as a vehicle for actress Rebecca Tarabocchia, as she is the center of attention throughout it, posing for the camera while playing with exploding paint. It even has a song playing during it.
However, those are the only two moments in the entire movie that could be called competent. The aforementioned puerile leanings, on the other hand, are too many. For starters, the audience is forced to believe that the heroine, a cleaner, is a shy, fragile and weak person who is overwhelmed by the hero's mere presence (yeah, I'm calling it, this is one of the the director's fantasies). The hero himself makes baby noises when he is fighting hand to hand ("mama"). The villains are so cartoonish and their scheme is so ludicrous that it's really appaling anyone involved with this movie could actually swallow the tripe that is spouted. Not to mention there is a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to anatomy, body organs and transplants. Also, the idea that the girls that are being killed are selected because they are "orphans" is a testament to the previously mentioned incompetence, this time in writing. The editing is so bad that sometimes there is a cut in the middle of an action scene, and it takes about 5-10 mins to return to it, when you already forgot about it because, well, it isn't really exciting anyway.
Just plain terrible. For Perez is not enough to fail at almost every task under his name, he must also add insult to injury by trying to force his (underdeveloped and childish) political agenda on his audience. 1 out of 10.
