Synopsis:
After unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe (PG), a young girl (Mimi) and her brother (Luke) use it to make him do their bidding.
(From IMDB)
Directed by: Steven Kostanski
Screenplay by: Steven Kostanski
Starring: Nita-Josee Hanna Owen Myre Steven Vlahos, Matthew Ninaber
My Edition:
Blu-Ray
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary
- One-on-One: An Interview with the Director
- Interviews with the Cast
- Interview with Adam Brooks
- Kortex: A Konversation
- The Music of PG
- Fight Choreography
- Fight Pre-Viz
- Filming the Paladin Fight
- PG vs Pandora
- Miniature Magic
- Inside the Creature Shop
- Concept Art Gallery
- Trading Cards Gallery
- Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
All of the special features were great – I particularly enjoyed the interview with the director, and the feature on the miniatures. They just cemented for me that PG is wonderful.
My Thoughts:
I almost don’t know where to start with this. I mean, if that trailer didn’t get you, I may not have anything for you. Psycho Goreman is pretty much everything I could want from a movie. It’s fun, it’s ridiculous, it’s bloody as all get out. It feels worthy of WTF Did I Just Watch status, but that also seems sort of wrong. But I’m going to cross post it there as well, so don’t get weirded out when it shows up there but still has the format of one of my regular movie reviews. PG seriously just defies all logic or good sense. It’s like if the Power Rangers universe had a baby with a bunch of 80s scifi schlock on a neon-lit alien planet. NGL, I’m kinda fan-girling right now. In fact, I’m gonna go make you a mood board – brb.
Ok, now that’s out of the way…
Here’s the thing: this last year and some change has been shitty. I mean, it has fuuuuuuucking suuuuuucked, right? We’ve all been stuck at home instead of out doing stuff, doing the social distanced/mask wearing thing (at least we all had better have – if not, we need to talk about that). We’ve all been forcibly disconnected from one another, dig? And it has sucked. I’m not a social person, but I still like going places and doing things sometimes. And out of the ashes of this year of fuckery rose something incredibly special and timely: Psycho Goreman. Like, right when things were moving back to the part of the endless, crushing wheel where everything feels completely meaningless, here comes this fun, insane, blood-soaked mishmash of a movie. And it was beautiful.
Timing is really important, you know? I mean, do you want a Coronavirus movie during the Time of Covid? No – you don’t. Of course you don’t, that’s fucking stupid. I’m looking at you, Corona Zombies, you bunch of twatwaffles. What any reasonable person would want is distraction. And PG, and movies like it, provide exactly that. PG is pure, unadulterated, neon-painted escapism. It’s irreverent, it’s schlocky, And I’m here for it.
“I do not care for hunky boys. Or do I?”
I’ve seen this movie getting a lot of shade because Mimi is not a ‘very likeable character.’ I’d like to say a few things about that. First of all, I feel like a lot of child-as-main-character stories tend to give us an idealized version of a child. I mean, have you met one you’re not hormonally/genetically inclined to like? A lot of them are self serving little jerks who don’t think much about the consequences their decisions might have on the people around them. So you didn’t like this kid? Weird. But also, I think it’s important to remind everyone that you don’t need to like every MC. It’s fine to consume entertainment about characters you don’t relate to. In fact, you probably should strive for that once in a while. Try to move out of your comfort zone. It’s good for you, I promise.
And likable or not, at the end of the day, Mimi showed some growth. Is she still an asshole? Sure. But she’s now an asshole who at least sort of seems to understand that her behavior might have consequences. And really, what more do you want from a kid?
Honestly, I liked Mimi, even though I fully agree that she’s a dick. I like her sass, her complexity, and the way she behaves so contrary to what is expected of a young girl. Like I said, she is completely out for herself. She’s selfish, she’s rude, she’s thoughtless, and she can be pretty mean.
She’s also the same sort of character we totally would have rooted for if she hadn’t been, you know, she.
Here – I’ve captured a few examples from some of the movie’s reviews:
We’re sexist, is what I’m saying. We hold girls to a different set of standards than boys. Where a boy who behaved like Mimi would probably be considered funny, maybe a little off, but we still would have laughed and not let it spoil the story, Mimi is seen as, well – all of the above comments. Well, I call bullshit on that. She’s a fun and totally entertaining character. Fuck your moral center.
While Mimi is certainly no hero, she’s also not a villain. She’s just a girl trying to find her place in the world. She’s trying to grab onto any power she can. If she doesn’t take every opportunity, she risks end up like her mother – quietly accepting a lackluster life with a partner who doesn’t seem very interested in much of anything. As it’s presented, it doesn’t appear that she has any other female role models in her life. I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t entirely blame her for seizing power and temporarily going full tyrant. She’s a child, remember? Calm, rational behavior is probably not yet her strong suit.
Mimi isn’t the only one who comes of age in Psycho Goreman either. There’s actually a lot of character growth here. I mean, even PG does a little bit of growing. Is he still a violent murder-beast? Absolutely. Is he still hell-bent on dominating the universe? Of course. But he has also learned a little something about the power of love. And that’s gotta count for something.
Rating:
I don’t care. I love this movie. It’s damned near perfect.
PG: Psycho Goreman Directed by: Steven Kostanski US Release Date: January 22, 2021 Raven Banner Entertainment, Dystopia Films Unrated 95 Minutes
