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Bad Taste, 19877
By James Porter
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 When
you think of Peter Jackson, which of his movies immediately comes to
mind? Of course, it’s the em>Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the
King Kong remake. However, while they may be his most famous
works, and what made him the big media name he is today, they weren't
his first ever films. What you may not know is that Peter Jackson got
his start in films in 1976, and made his cinematic debut in 1987 with a
low-budget comedy sci-fi splatter flick known as Bad Taste. |
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Bad Taste follows the
four-person Astro Investigation and Defense Service (AIDS) team, made up
of Frank (Mike Minett), Ozzy (Terry Potter), Barry (Pete O'Herne), and
Derek (Peter Jackson), as they're called in to investigate the
disappearance of the entire population of a village called Kaihoro in
New Zealand. When they reach the town, the team soon discovers it's been
overrun by aliens who have assumed human form. At the same time, a man
named Giles (Craig Smith) goes to Kaihoro, and soon finds himself at the
aliens' mercy. If that weren't enough, while battling the aliens, Derek
gets pushed off a cliff, miraculously survives (thanks to falling on a
nest of seagulls), and is driven mad when his brains start leaking out
of a hole in the back of his head. Eventually, Frank, Barry, and Ozzy
find the aliens' home base, and come to discover what the aliens have
planned for humanity.
 Yep,
this is yet another example of what goes on inside of Peter Jackson's
head. Despite the fact that this is indeed a low-budget film (a grand
total of $255,000), there's quite a bit of violence, gore, and even
plenty of grey matter. However, don't let the low-budget cheap look of
the movie or goriness deter you from watching it. If you stick with it,
you'll be pulled into the movie, and want to watch it to the end to see
how it plays out. Plus, in spite of the tight budget of the movie, you
can clearly see Jackson wasn't held back by this. He used every bit of
his imagination to make this movie work, and it certainly shows.
This is a movie that certainly shows what can be done with even the most
miniscule of budgets if the right director is handling the megaphone.
Bad Taste may not be the most well-known of Peter Jackson's
movies, but it's certainly a movie worth watching, especially for Peter
Jackson fans. It might be a bit hard to find in stores outside of New
Zealand (I've never seen it for rent anyway), but luckily Amazon and
Ebay have it for you to buy. And hey, if you still can't get a hold of
it, it's on
YouTube. |
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