The Faculty (4 Stars)

This is a film I haven't watched for a long time. I remember renting it from Lovefilm when I lived in Mansel Road, so it must have been 2008 or earlier. Lovefilm was a company which allowed DVDs to be rented by mail. There was no rental period, I could keep a DVD as long as I wanted, but I was only allowed to have three DVDs at a time, so it was in my own interest to watch and return as quickly as possible to get the next film. As it was, I used to make a copy of any films I liked. I made a copy of "The Faculty", which I still have today, but I never watched the copy. Silly me. Lovefilm was bought by Amazon in 2008 and continued its rental business for a few years.

My memories of the film were vague before finally watching it again today. I remembered that it was written by Kevin Williamson, but I'd forgotten that it was directed by Robert Rodriguez.

The film takes place in a small town in Ohio, mostly in Herrington High School. A small creature is found which on the sports field that the Biology teacher can't identify. At first he thinks it's dead, but when he drops it into an aquarium it revives and starts to swim. It even duplicates itself.

That's just the start. The creature is a symbiotic parasite. It enters the body of its victims and takes control. It's not just a random occurrence. The creatures want to take over the whole world, starting with the teachers, then the students, then the rest of the town. It's never explained where the parasites come from. Only six students resist the invasion. They have a secret weapon. The high school student Zeke is a drug dealer, selling powder that he makes in his home laboratory. This powder kills the parasites. So the main hero is a drug dealer?

My close friends already know my taste in girls. If I were in school, would I have dated the beautiful cheerleader played by Jordana Brewster?

No way! I would have preferred Stokeley, the goth girl played by Clea DuVall. She's an outsider. Everyone assumes she's a lesbian, but I wouldn't have been put off by the rumours. I would have tried my hardest to date her. I've always had a weakness for goth girls, even though there's nothing goth about me. It's the black clothing and the moody looks that attract me. The only thing I don't like about goth girls is their piercings, but Stokeley was metal free. As girls should be. One of my slogans is "A girl should never have metal in any place that I want to kiss, lick or suck".

The film isn't perfect. I never thought I'd say this, but it could have been improved by adding jump scares. Also, the effect the parasites have on their victims is inconsistent. Some people become rigid and have a weird stare, whereas others act normally and blend in with their friends.

I wish film makers would pay attention to details. Look at the front page of the school newspaper, the Hornet Weekly. You can click the picture to enlarge it. The first paragraph is a summary of the characters, a reasonable article apart from misspelling "whose". But then the text is repeated in the second paragraph. That's sloppy.

Success Rate:  + 2.2

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de