Directed by: Josh Forbes
Written by: Mike Benner, Jared Logan, Charles A. Pieper
Starring: Jonah Ray, Kiran Deol, Randee Heller, Alex Winter
Well, this might truly be the first time I have actually audibly asked “what the fuck is this,” while watching a movie I didn’t hate. In fact, I really enjoyed Destroy All Neighbors. It’s the wonderfully ridiculous story about a man named William who is struggling to create a prog rock masterpiece. His magnum opus. It’s going to be transcendent. The only problem is that he has well and truly kneecapped himself. No matter how badly he “wants” to finish this album he’s been working on for years, he just can’t pull the trigger (metaphorically speaking).
Amidst this hell he has created for himself, a new neighbor moves into the apartment next door. And although his partner Emily clearly doesn’t agree, William thinks their new neighbor Vlad is OBNOXIOUS. So loud. Very distracting. Can’t do the thing with the music on account of all the noise. And from the viewer’s POV, Vlad is crazy loud. But as I mentioned, Emily doesn’t seem to notice, so…idk – do with that what you will. Anyway, on one particularly noisy evening, William accidentally knocks poor, disgusting Vlad off. Did I mention that he’s nasty? Cuz yeah, he’s super nasty.
“So you fucked up and killed somebody! Relax. When the band goes on tour, it’s gonna happen.”
From here on out, shenanigans ensue as William not only continues to plug away at his album, but also now to cover up a murder.
If the acting wasn’t so perfectly matched with this ludicrous story, and the practical effects so wonderfully done, I might have had less kind things to say about Destroy All Neighbors. But lucky for us all, that wasn’t the case. The acting is very earnest, despite the unbridled insanity of the plot. And the special effects work is truly revolting.
Image clearly belongs to Shudder/AMC
You should watch this movie. It’s silly, but it also has a lot of heart. And it’s pretty gnarly. That’s a great combination in my book.
