Plankenstein: A Killer Surf Movie

Diamond gives Plankenstein: A Killer Surf Movie that classic Sam Raimi snap, with rapid editing style. The kinetic imagery is tuned to an electric rhythm you can’t keep your eyes off. He has the actors play a lot of sequences in an extreme and wacky way, which, with the precise editing, gives the movie the feeling of a live-action cartoon, just like Raimi’s indie classic Crimewave.

I love how the pot-smoking Scary rises up and then lowers down in the surf shack like Oscar the Grouch; it is an effective motif that you can time bong hits to. There is this amazing animation used for people surfing that is absolutely surreal, with a superimposed texturing that is hypnotic and pleasing. It only appears a few times and should have been milked like a twelve-titted cow.

Diamond’s next movie should have nothing but wall-to-wall surf sequences that look those in Plankenstein: A Killer Surf Movie. As it is shot in Oahu, all the locations are outstanding. Cinematographer Wes Cortez knows how to film an island, from the gorgeous horizons to the tiniest grain of sand. Watch how he frames the priceless nature in the background; it’s totally bitching.

“The acting is goofy on purpose, going beyond ham and straight into Spam territory.”

The gore is surprisingly generous, with the splatter effects cheap but enticing. I was expecting a bunch of pulled punches for laughs, but that board really knows how to kill people. The acting is goofy on purpose, going beyond ham and straight into Spam territory. And just like Spam, the performance style takes a little getting used to before you acquire the taste.

Also, the script tries to have its cake and f**k it too with the promiscuity focus. Yes, Lili has a great point about the double standard, but the constant onslaught of tuna slander keeps her character defined by her sexual behavior throughout the picture. The heart is in the right place, but you get to it through the wrong passage.

All this seems quibbling, though, as no one will notice any of that, as no one is going to watch this sober. This is a film made for fun to be fun with, and it remains fun throughout its running time. Plankenstein: A Killer Surf Movie rides a wave that crests a lot higher than many party pictures, with a punchbowl of blood ready for the luau.