More like Body Bore, amirite? Yeah, it's a shit pun, but what do you expect? I'm not using good material on a dopey movie. Humor is subjective, sure, yet there are some movies out there that really can't be defended. I'm not saying Body Melt is an affront to decency or morality; rather, it is simply an overly broad wad of nothing. The filmmakers aim for the stands, but can't even get the ball to the batter.
This is one of those films that is constantly patting itself for taking shots at suburbia. Did you know the suburbs hide secrets beneath their cheerful facades? People living there are often duplicitous, and there is a strong emphasis on appearances and material goods. Stop the presses. These kind of movies still exist nowadays, often springing up like mushrooms on the indie film circuit. Body Melt tries to do a satirical horror spin on the material and comes up squishy.
Don't look for any kind of thread to cling to, because instead of giving us a protagonist, we get a cul-de-sac of various "kooky" neighbors. They're meant to represent a wide swath of culture, though they are played with one note apiece. Vimuville Vitamins is the run-of-the-mill corrupt company you find in billions of other movies. Recently they created a "wonder drug," a sort of super vitamin to charge up the body and mind. Problem is, when the damn thing kicks in, people start to hallucinate and their bodies melt (hence, the title). The cul-de-sac is chosen to try out the new goody, and soon each one of them is falling to pieces.
I don't know. This one let me down. A good premise and admittedly amazing effects are left to float hazily in the languid pace the filmmakers chose to adopt. The film bounces around from one person to the next with little connecting them, and then someone dies. After that, it's off to the next victim. The same conceit (people are stupid) gets banged like a gong repeatedly. Watch the first ten minutes, and you get the point. Spending time with the remainder of the picture is a waste. You could be clipping your toenails, or making eggs, or masturbating. All would be better options. If you really need a reminder that people suck, just look out the window. It's a lot shorter of an activity than Body Melt.
