RUBBER
Rubber is the story of Robert, an inanimate tire that has been abandoned in the desert, and suddenly and inexplicably comes to life. As Robert roams the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes without having to move. At first content to prey on small desert creatures and various discarded objects, his attention soon turns to humans, especially a beautiful and mysterious woman who crosses his path. Leaving a swath of destruction across the desert landscape, Robert becomes a chaotic force to be reckoned with, and truly a movie villain for the ages.
Director: Quentin Dupieux
Writers: Quentin Dupieux
Stars: Stephen Spinella, Roxane Mesquida, Jack Plotnick, Haley Ramm, Wings Hauser, Ethan Cohn
Rating: 6 / 10 Stars
REVIEW – We as horror fans, are subjected to films that get so over hyped that you almost know they will fail when you see them. Cough, cough… TROLL HUNTER, CHAIN LETTER, HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN to name a few. The hype about RUBBER was massive. On paper, this film seems like a weird sell. It is a killer tire film. One day in the desert, a tire called Robert just gains consciousness. As he just rolls around, he discovers he can just make things explode with the power of its mind. Yes, a tire that can make things explode. So, what can this object want to do with telekinetic powers, why just keep on going and kill people and anything that gets in its way. So, what is the logic behind this, there is none. It is a tire, a killer tire. The film is shot to be a film inside of a film. The opening credits we get a speech into film logic with a police officer and at the end of the speech, enters this group of spectators who get binoculars as they watch Robert go thru his spree.
I think Quentin Dupieux’s vision should be applauded. To me, the tire at times felt flat. This would have been so much more effective as a 20 to 30 minute short. At 1 hour and 22 minutes it is asking too much of the audience. The kills are almost like a homage to Scanners and the shotgun blast in Maniac. It is done for more laughs than shock in my opinion. The scenes with the spectators doing the running commentary of what is going on, is so dead on. It is like an insult to movie goers and what the internet has become, and I loved it, because whether we want to admit it or not, it is so true. People who you sit at a movie in front of or behind, and they cannot shut up or someone with a notebook attitude and have to over analyze something, like they are trying to be smarter than the film and their own fan bases.
The last 15 minutes of this film are so lame and absurd. With a twist I won’t even try to rationalize, or comment on, which will leave most of you feeling cheapened. This is a one trick pony, and the trick gets old around the 45-minute mark. But it is conceptually pretty cool and well shot. This is the kind of midnight film that fans would have a field day within a crowded theater. Is it Jaws with tread, no. Is it worth seeing, sure. Just for the concept of the film, it is that one of a kind weird film that will have a following no matter what I say to hate or love this film.
On a scale 1 to 10 it is barely a 6… I am far too kind. The last shot of the film is interesting… it will make people smile.
RUBBER | Official Trailer:
