Capsule Reviews: Streaming and VOD

Quick Film Reviews of Extraction, Deerskin, The Wretched, and Blood Quantum

I watch a lot of TV and movies, but my obsession with writing in-depth reviews and articles often gets in the way of wider and more frequent coverage. This new column will be a way to remedy that, allowing me to write shorter and more digestible reviews, reserved primarily for when I don’t have a full review’s worth of thoughts to share about a particular film. On this week’s Capsule Reviews, we’re taking a look at Extraction, Deerskin, The Wretched, and Blood Quantum…

Extraction

Netflix’s new broad-appeal actioner, Extraction, hits like a ton of bricks, but it’s also as dumb as a sack of rocks. Chris Hemsworth, re-teaming with producers Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame) and director Sam Hargrave (stunt coordinator for many Marvel films), brings his physical best to the role of Tyler Rake, a black-ops merc tasked with rescuing the son of an Indian crime lord. With tinges of classic brawlers such as The Protector and The Raid, Extraction brings the heat when it comes to its expertly choreographed and hard-hitting action, even if its pièce de résistance - an uninterrupted, 12-minute “long take” - cheats a little with its editing. Extraction might bring the dumb fun for an easy watch, but unfortunately, with its scarce character work and bare-bones script, there’s nothing there to leave a lasting impression. C

Deerskin

Director Quentin Dupieux, perhaps best known for his killer psychic tire movie Rubber, returns to the well of Dadaist absurdity with yet another personification of an inanimate object: this time, it’s a deerskin jacket. A deranged portrait of a man in the throes of mid-life crisis, Deerskin follows a confidence man named Georges (Jean Dujardin, The Artist) as he falls deeper and deeper in love with his new piece of outerwear. Deerskin’s joke is singular, but wildly amusing when taken to its extremes, especially when Georges entangles himself with a local bartender (Adelé Haenel, Portrait of a Lady on Fire) and embarks upon a demented quest to purge all other jackets from the world. Don’t be fooled by Deerskin’s innate listlessness - it’s a trap, waiting to be sprung in a wild and genre-hopping third act. B+

The Wretched

What can only be described as Rear Window crossed with The Witch, The Wretched follows a troubled teenage boy (Jean-Paul Howard) who suspects his next-door neighbor (Zarah Mahler) is something other than human. Directed by the Pierce brothers - who grew up on Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead sets - the film is light on guile and true scares, but there’s something impressive about its craftsmanship and creepy practical effects. As a run-of-the-mill teen horror flick, there isn’t a single twist you won’t see coming, but underneath its PG-13 veneer are some nasty R-rated surprises that elevate it above standard horror fare. B-

Blood Quantum

A Native community is rocked by a zombie plague. Making its way through the town’s ecosystem, the sickness first infects the wildlife and livestock, then it starts spreading to its people, but there’s a catch: Indigenous people are immune. A far, far cry from the offensive Native American tropes that have wormed their way into modern horror, Blood Quantum is a refreshing take on the zombie narrative that is also a massive step forward for representation. Director Jeff Barnaby shows clear horror chops with his masterful camerawork and confident storytelling, not to mention a keen eye for bloody chaos and mayhem. If you want to know more about Blood Quantum and its Indigenous roots, you can read Shea Vassar’s illuminating review here. B