ICK (2024)
4 stars
Signature Entertainment. Digital. Out Now
ICK has been out a while but I have only just had the chance to review it.
The film opens in ‘2000 Something’. Hank Wallace (a de-aged Brandon Routh) is his high school’s star quarterback and he is going out with cheerleader Staci (a de-aged Mena Suvari). In his latest game he gets a bad injury, which slams the brakes on his trajectory to the NFL and all that brings. It was caused by a strange plant like growth, possibly alien, which appears all round the town where he lives – it has been there for ages and everyone just lives with it. Nobody seems to know where it came from and just ignore it!
Of course he ends up losing the girl, his life goes awry, and he is living at home with his old man (Jeff Fahey) who runs a local bar. Sitting on the sofa drinking beers, his dad has a heart attack whilst they are watching THE BLOB (an explicit reference to an obvious influence on the film).
Cut to now and he has pulled himself together and he is now Hank Wallace – Science Teacher. Though he is still somewhat of a loser and because of his injury, his leg is in a brace.
Then one of his students, Grace (daughter of Staci) asks, “Why aren’t we talking about the Ick.” As while most people go about their daily lives, there are rumours growing that it is starting to attack and kill townsfolk…
Meanwhile Hank has bought his dad’s old bar in town and is fixing it up when a customer walks in and demands whiskey – but then he attacks Hank, as this zombies-like intruder has been taken over by the strange plant invaders. He soon realises several others have also become vessels from these strange intruders. Can he persuade everyone else what is going on? Soon all hell breaks loose…
Of course we know the fact Hank is a science teacher will play into the plot.
A fun, throwback sf/horror comedy, this is amusingly silly with some snappy dialogue – including some barbed political comments. Routh plays the comedy well, supported by Malina Pauli Weissman as Grace. It’s not exactly subtle but this is an enjoyable outing with good splattery effects and a cracking soundtrack of familiar songs. It will come as no surprise that Director Joseph Khan is known for his music videos for the likes of Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Kelly Clarkson. He co-wrote the script with Dan Koontz and Samuel Laskey.
Steve Kirkham
