John Dies at the End (2012)

John Dies at the End (R) - Review

"Guess you know the ending..."

JDATE is indy director Don Cascerilli's (Phantasm) newest horror hybrid, based on a novel (parts of which previously published on the internet) about a pair of young men who develop strange abilities after taking a mysterious drug from a fishy Rastafarian.  The movie itself suffers from too many ideas while simultaneously crushing itself under its own nonlinear plot confusion.  What we can make out is David (the titular John's best friend) is attempting to tell his story to a skeptical reporter (the great Paul Giamatti who also produced).  These  segments and revelations are the best in the movie, yet happen too infrequently.  The boys are a supernaturally powered demon fighting/dimension hopping team chosen by the drug (called "Soy Sauce") for the mission of halting intergalactic evil.  This eventually comes to light after stumbling forward into the third act, which has so much terrible direct to video CGI and green screen that it tears down nearly every positive the previous acts had admirably built up. It throws everything at the wall and uses what sticks AND what falls off, a mushy stew whose mix of clashing flavors ruins a meal, but taken individually will appeal to some palates.

5.5 Meat Monsters out of 10 (MEDICORE)