Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, Johnny Simmons

Category: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

Besides the obvious appeal of Megan Fox appearing in what was marketed as a play on the horror/torture porn genre, I tried to keep an open mind with Jennifer’s Body after learning it was penned by Diablo Cody, an extremely talented prospect of a screenwriter who has only recently made the transition to film. Unfortunately, nobody really hits the mark in what could have been a very refreshing and unique film.

The plot is expectedly simple. Resident teen queen Jennifer Check is used as a sacrifice for a rock band’s satanic ritual, but a failure to complete the sacrifice properly results in Jen’s body becoming occupied by a demon. Feasting on the men of the small country town is the only way for the demon to repel imminent death, and so it’s up to Jen’s nerdy friend (the aptly-named Needy) to stop her.

For a film that could have had so much appeal, almost every aspect of it stumbles through each individual scene. Relatively unknown director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Aeon Flux) is slowly building a reputation as a genuine feminist of film-making; female protagonists, a thematic focus on girl-girl relationships, and all sorts of other things us men can’t even begin to understand. While there is nothing wrong with that, she fails to give the film its appropriate direction. The cinematography and camerawork (while competent) feels lazy, and completely devoid of a motivation to give this film a self-reflexive undertone.

Self-reflexive? Don’t look away; I’m not using buzz words just to sound clever. I’m actually onto something. This was always meant to be a film to parody the horror genre not just through visible humor, but also by putting a new spin on its typical conventions. The problem arises when it becomes apparent that this film takes itself too seriously to be considered a parody. As a result, the viewer doesn’t look at a scene or a piece of dialogue thinking ‘That’s clever…nobody’s done that before’. Instead, it simply appears poorly constructed, occasionally endeavoring to be too clever for its own good.

A large part of this failure to convey satire lies with writer Diablo Cody. Receiving a deserved Oscar for her Juno script, she attempts to replicate that award-winning style of ‘hipster’ dialogue in Jennifer’s Body, complete with an abundance of teenage colloquialisms (some contemporary, some missing the mark altogether). As with the cinematography, the script doesn’t fit the required tone, and isn’t helped by Cody going over-the-top with her pop culture references and questionable word choice.

On a positive note, Cody is most certainly an individual when it comes to writing, not unlike the talent possessed by early-90s Quentin Tarantino, when raw and real characters, not merely cinematic exploitation, dictated his films. Her style can turn out some fantastically innovative scenes, but needs to find an appropriate context in which to do so, and the subject matter of this film does not accommodate.

Could I keep going? Absolutely. But I think you get the idea by now, you’re all pretty smart. So I’ll wrap it up.

I’m not a player hater. As mentioned, I believe Cody to be an extremely talented writer. I also thought Megan Fox’s acting was above average in this film, while Amanda Seyfried (best known as the dumb one from Mean Girls) is the shining light in a disappointing final product. Uncomfortable and unsuitable dialogue, lack of direction, and a dismal ending intended to set up a sequel are the biggest pitfalls of Jennifer’s Body; a prime example of a film with infinite potential being placed in the wrong hands.

3/10.

Author Bio: Johnny Hollywood

One day, a good friend started calling me Hollywood because of my never-ending desire to talk about films, and the nickname stuck like glue. There’s only one thing I love more than reviewing movies, and that’s discussing them with everybody and anybody, so never hesitate to tell me what you think about my work.