Marshmallow
Marshmallow
Starring Kue Lawrence, Kai Cech, Max Malas, Winston Vengapally
Directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio
Morgan (Kue Lawrence) is a young boy who's sheltered and quiet, the kid everyone picks on in school. He's haunted by nightmares of drowning and is afraid to get in water, so when his parents sign him up for summer camp, he's less than enthusiastic to attend, but his parents force him. When he arrives, he's befriended by a group of outcast kids and finds his summer crush in Pilar (Kai Cech), and things seem to be looking up for him, except for camp bully CJ (Sutton Johnson) who goes way overboard in his bullying.
One night around the campfire, lead counselor Rachel (Giorgia Whingham) tells the story of The Doctor - a man who once lived where the camp now stands who stitched patients together to make the ultimate human, and who did the same to his family to keep them together. Thinking its just a story, Morgan is still rattled when he sees a mysterious person wandering the camp at night, before all hell breaks loose and the supposed Doctor returns to kill those invading his land.
"Marshmallow" is a refreshing take on the 80s camp slasher subgenre in a few ways, but also falls into the generic pitfalls as well. The movie takes a long time getting to its point, unlike other camp slasher films where bodies slowly begin piling up. Here, it happens in one explosive moment, where total carnage invades the camp and kids run for their lives. This is the part I appreciated the most - the fact that, unlike most summer slashers, the main characters are actual children who's lives are in actual danger, with the killer using a stun baton to incapacitate and possibly even kill children as they lay lifeless all over the camp. It's a shame that at 93 minutes, this takes place around the 70 minute mark, but once it happens its something that's hard to forget.
The leadup is filled with character development which is enjoyable, but Morgan isn't a likable lead character. He's sympathetic, haunted by traumatic events of the past, and is basically your typecast nerd that talks quietly, has no confidence, and is overall weak. Kudos to child actor Kue Lawrence for playing the role so well, but when you have a non-charismatic lead it makes it difficult to want to pay attention, while instead you just wait impatiently for the bloodshed to begin.
To be honest I don't know why the movie is titled "Marshmallow" because the killer in the story is known as The Doctor, and the only thing I can think of is the fact that the killer's getup resembles a marshmallow with its black and white look. To that end, it doesn't do the film any favors as it looks laughably bad, not inciting any type of fear in the viewer apart from wanting to find some graham crackers and Hershey's chocolate bars.
Thinking the film is going to be your typical slasher, I was very surprised in the turn it took in the end, almost leaving my jaw on the floor with the premise of it. It took me a bit, but ultimately it did make sense and I liked the direction it went in, but it didn't develop their idea completely, leaving gaping holes of logic in its wake. The ending itself is also rushed, with another twist announced with about five minutes left in the movie that seemed to set itself up for a sequel, but given the story beforehand, came off as an afterthought by the writer instead of a naturalistic conclusion. Still, there's a charm to this movie I can't explain, and one where I would actually watch it again - not because it's great, but to more understand its purpose.
The Score: B+
Comments
Post a Comment