“The Best Worst Movie Ever” DVD Review
Out of the hundreds of thousands of movies that have been made over the last century there is a wide variety of those that some consider to be bad, horrible, or even utterly intolerable. Some films even leave such a mark that it baffles their wary audience as to how it could have possibly been made. Of course, there are those that end up just so ridiculously awful that it can even get people to do the improbable: to agree on a single thing. Ironically, as popular and lovingly heralded as masterpiece films are, sometimes their stark opposites manage to still find a loyal fanbase ready to bask in the anti-glory. “Troll 2” has managed to not only be recognized over the years as a nearly universal absolute piece of trash, but has even managed to acquire a major following of fans who appreciate just how much of an utter piece of trash it is.
Synopsis
BEST WORST MOVIE is an affectionate and intoxicatingly fun tribute to the single greatest bad movie ever made and the people responsible for unleashing it on the world. In 1989, a group of unknown Utah actors starred in what would be crowned the worst movie of all time: Troll 2. After two decades of running from this cinematic disaster, the cast can no longer hide from the legion of followers that celebrate them for their ineptitude. BEST WORST MOVIE, directed by Troll 2’s once-disgraced child star, Michael Paul Stephenson, unravels the improbable story of a sunny, small-town Alabama dentist-turned-cult-movie-icon and a self-deluded Italian filmmaker who struggles to come to grips with his internationally revered cinematic failure. The result is a hilarious and tender offbeat journey that pays homage to lovers of bad movies and the people who make them, while investigating a deeper story about the strange nature of celebrity, the catharsis of redemption and the humanity that exists in making even the worst movie ever made.
Helmed by one of Troll 2’s own cast, Michael Paul Stephenson gives us an insight into the behind-the-scenes of one of the most ill-received movies of cinematic history, as well a look at the regretful cast that have been attempting to get away from the looming shame since its very release. This documentary provides a unique look into exactly what a bad movie is and the talent, or lack thereof, that is required to create it, whereas bad movies out there are simply mocked and forgotten. Throughout the presentation you really get a strange feeling of loyalty among those that are most passionate about the abysmalness of “Troll 2,” and its continuing legacy.
The work on the documentary itself is certainly leagues better than its subject matter could ever hope to be. Decent pacing along with a wealth of unique perspectives makes this one of the most interesting documentaries I’ve seen in a long time, although it might help that the entire concept is fairly interesting in itself. There are a lot of movies that I consider to not be worth they film they were printed on, but never have I imagined that a movie could be so universally bad that it would deserve such a dedicated analysis into it. The returning, and apparently a bit reluctant, cast members all offer their own memories from the making of the movie, as well as the years to follow, and you can’t help but feel sorry for them at most times.
Overall, if you’re a fan of cult “classics” then most likely you’re familiar with the movie, and you’ll probably get a kick out of this. Those unfamiliar with the subject matter, however, will probably have a difficulty in finding interest and will most likely want to pass. Still, it’s at least mildly Recommended to check out.
The DVD
New Video brings The Best Worst Movie Ever to DVD in a standard amaray DVD case. Nothing overly special about the presentation of the documentary here—no fancy exterior cardboard slipcase and the cover itself looks rather simplistic. Video and audio is a solid presentation overall and about what you’d expect from a documentary. As can be expected from a documentary the video is in 1.85:1 and the audio is a surprising DD5.1 mix (though with so much talking, it doesn’t matter much).
Extras are pretty hefty and include:
Deleted Scenes and Interviews
Fan Contributions
Filmmaker Q&A with Creative Screenwriting Magazine
A Provocative Message From Troll 2’s Goblin Queen, Deborah Reed
A lot of these are simple featurettes and extended interview segments, but if you were wondering what else there was to this documentary…then, well, we get some Q&A’s and that’s about it really. Overall a disc that’s worth a Rental as I’m not sure if you’d ever want to come back and watch this a second time, but it’s definitely worth checking out at least once.
The Best Worst Movie Ever is now available on DVD.
Movie review by Andrew
DVD review by Zach Demeter