Wreckage and Filmmaking Without Scripts: A Movie Review

Director: John Mallory Asher.

Writers: David Frigerio.

Wreckage is a film that feels like the film crew drove up to a set and said: "hey, let's shoot," without a script. Unbelievably released in the United Kingdom on DVD August 23rd, Wreckage is a dismal, dismal film that is full of continuity errors, overly long and boring credit shots and characters who could never actually be police officers. This title was released by Chelsea Films and Wreckage stars Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad") and Scott McNairy (Monsters). Everyone else is forgettable. Full of writing errors, a lackadaisical approach to filmmaking, and uncompelling storytelling, Wreckage is best avoided. If only you could go back in time to get your money back.

An eight year old kills his mom and his mom's drug dealing boyfriend. Strangely, this infant is sentenced to life in prison. This reviewer is not a justice student, but generally children are not sentenced to life in prison, surely! Has the scriptwriter, David Frigerio, never heard of juvenile detention or rehabilitation? The writing errors start early and soon, four youths are drag racing on an open stretch of highway, fifteen years later. They lose to a garish looking sports car, after their fan belt breaks. A one mile trip to the junkyard changes the afternoon sun to dark midnight. Huh? That continuity error aside, guns are shot off and characters disappear. The hero, Jared (Mike Erwin), heads off to town, like a diligent Lassie. However, the town's sheriff department is full of mentally deficient Barney Fife wannabes. Meanwhile, the convicted eight year old has escaped and murders begin to happen. Cue terrified face.

Wreckage is not satisfying on so many levels. Firstly, the film is not even ninety minutes, the bare minimum for a film to be seen as a feature. Instead, the film clocks in at an uninspiring seventy-eight minutes. As well, the filmmakers cannot decide if this is a horror comedy in the vein of Tucker & Dale vs Evil, or a straight-laced slasher. The genres are fumbled with, as McNairy plays an inbred junkyard owner trying to pull off comedy? Other characters struggle with their motivations. The lead sheriff (Roger Parry) is actually almost eighty years old in real life and he is outmatched by a constantly barking and annoying Erwin, as Jared. Some tense moments do develop with a car crusher and a few falling cars, but this film is beyond lackluster overall.

In all fairness, this is Frigerio's first feature film, but something in the script went missing somewhere along the way (and so did this reviewer's attention). Thankfully, there is no dubbing, and most filmmaking elements e.g. camera work and lighting are okay. There is atmosphere here. However, the film's score is atrocious: "the soundtrack simply drones in the background," as noticed by a review at Home Cinema. The characters act unbelievably stupidly. Three friends disappear and then one is found. Would anyone then leave this found character two minutes later? Very little makes sense in this terrible film.

Unsurprisingly, Wreckage has not secured North American distribution and here is one vote that it never does. Horror films like this, or was this comedy?, do not deserve fans' attention or the scorn of this reviewer's poison laced pen. Skip this one wherever it plays, as Wreckage moves into the top five of 28DLA's Worst Horror Films of 2011. They capture an escaped convict and let him ride in the back of the squad car without handcuffs, how ridiculous.

Overall: 5 out of 10 (this is the lowest score a film can receive at 28DLA, as the filmmaking elements of lighting, sound and directing were all achieved, what a dismal film).

*the recently released (VOD) Tucker & Dale vs Evil is recommended over this film. T&DVE knows how to use genre to entertain.

Wreckage's fan page is listed here. Go on this site and heap scorn on the filmmakers:

Wreckage at Facebook

A review of this title at Home Cinema:

Wreckage Reviewed at Home Cinema

Another negative review of this film at Best of Film:

Wreckage Reviewed at Best for Film

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