Movie Review: SEPTIC MAN

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I assure you this is not a Troma film nor is this a film that should be treated on a trash cinema type of level. Septic Man is a Canadian film that, for the most part, plays it straight. However, because of the disgusting nature, I guarantee every review you read will always reference Troma. There could be a few reasons behind that. Some people could relate it to the unapologetic nature of toilet humor or the fact by the end of the film, our main character looks like a updated version of The Toxic Avenger.

Jack is a man that prides himself on his brand name and his moniker known as, what else, the Septic Man. He is called on to investigate his town’s not so silent but definitely deadly contamination of water. He is offered a large sum of money which will set him and his wife, who is expecting a child, up for a better life. After getting trapped in a tank at the sewage facility while trying to see what the problem is, Jack starts hallucinating due to the toxic fumes and panicking on trying to think of a way out.

While I missed this film at last year’s Fantastic Fest, I was anxiously awaiting to see this thanks to the previous work of screenwriter, Tony Burgess. Burgess’ previous work was the film Pontypool. However, I’m not sure all of the allegories of the film’s script were translated well. Director Jesse Thomas Cook seems to fumble through the film by initially playing it straight with his leading man being a smartass with a sense of humor to trying to make a hero out of our main character. You know there is an issue with a film when Stephen McHattie, who plays the mayor and is in the film for a total of 5 minutes, is annoying.

The effects are gross and could make some nauseous but the lack of substance will lose, and possibly bore, most genre fans. It also doesn’t help matters that for the majority of the film, it is a one man show with an actor who isn’t as charming as the director tries to paint him out to be. It’s not the actor’s fault as there isn’t a lot of dialogue to work with. Every performance feels pretty flat therefore making the viewer just watch the gears turn in hopes of producing something unique. By the end of the film, the overall experience feels like it is an origin story for something bigger to come for Septic Man. However, there is a reason why some origin stories are told in short segments. Watching a 90 minute origin story that focuses on how one became to be something else is not very entertaining.