Lisa Johnson Mandell’s HIM review says that this Jordan Peele produced sports horror film misses the mark completely, and devolves into bloody chaos.

This a film that’s getting a lot of play from the fact that it’s produced by Jordan Peele, famous for original and stylish horror features including Get Out, Nope, Us and Candy Man, among others. But it appears he may have let the other producers—Ian Cooper, Win Rosenfeld, Jamal M. Watson—did most of the heavy producing lifting (if there is such a thing), because Peele’s signature nuanced storytelling has been gorily savaged, not unlike the characters in the film.

It’s been pitched to the public as a sports horror movie about the dehumanizing effects of professional football, with super fandom, outrageous egomania, hubris, obsession and even religion, run amok. Witness the promotional image of the film with a young athlete, arms outstretched in crucifix position, his torso bleeding, and fluffy white inflatables behind him floating out like angel wings. It had potential, but it’s as if all these interesting themes were ground up in a blender with a cup of blood, then splattered all over the screen.

Trying to summarize the story line is like trying to outline the plot of a tornado—it moves quickly, destroys everything in its path, and leaves you grasping at fragments while muttering, “What just happened?” But I’ll give it a shot. Marlon Wayans plays Isiah White the GOAT quarterback on a pro football team known as the Saviors. An impossibly beautiful Tyriq Withers plays Cameron Cade, the gifted young quarterback whom White and his insane clown posse have chosen to groom as his successor on the team. Once Cameron shows up at his idol Isiah’s private, underground desert training camp, all hell breaks loose. Literally.

Director Justin Tipping, known for the 2016 film Kicks and the currently running Starz comedy series Run the World, is obviously going for trendy, edgy, frightfully frantic vibe. The result, however, is more of a cinematic Rorschach test. Instead of ink blots, you get seizure-inducing quick cuts, paper thin characters, and bizarre monsters that look like foil-fringed Indigenous Labubus waddling out of a high school arts-and-crafts fair. There’s no use trying to figure out what it means or what it represents. Real meaning and message don’t seem to be of great concern.

HIM review — Not all bad

There were a few bright moments, I suppose. Wayans’ performance was spot on as a maniacal super sports hero who has eerily bought into his own hype and fan adoration. Also, Withers’ transformation from a naive, dedicated, family-oriented football phenom into a savage warrior is intriguing and masterfully portrayed.

When I dislike a film so completely, I don’t usually write a formal review. It seems negatively redundant to dogpile on it with the rest of my colleagues. I only have so much time and energy, and I prefer to devote what I do have to the films I really like. I’ve already spent enough time to the disappointing ones just by driving to the cineplex and watching them. But some films need to come with a warning. By the end of HIM (yes—I actually sat through the whole thing) my neck was sore from bowing and shaking my head in my signature “Really? This makes no sense!” gesture. My apologies to the friend sitting next to me.

If pseudo-artistic chaos had a patron saint, HIM would be an offering left at its altar.

Rated R

1 Hour 36 Minutes

If, for some reason, after reading this HIM review you still want to take the time and expense to get yourself to the cineplex and see it, find times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s HIM review says that this Jordan Peele produced sports horror film misses the mark completely, and devolves into bloody chaos.