REWIND REVIEW: Detention

MOVIE
Detention

CAST
Josh Hutcherson,
Shanley Caswell

RATING
R

RELEASE
April 13, 2012

DIRECTOR
Joseph Kahn

STUDIO
Samuel Goldwyn Films (Sony)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 33 minutes




STARS
***3/4








REVIEW:

'Detention' is without a doubt one of the year's strangest movies so far, if not the absolute strangest. If a John Hughes teen dramady was combined with the style of Edgar Wright and 'The Cabin in the Woods,' then it would just be the outline of this movie. The biggest star in this film is Josh Hutcherson of 'The Hunger Games' fame, but he really isn't the main star. The main character is actually played by an up and comer named Shanley Caswell, who plays Riley Jones. Riley is a social outcast who is different than every kid in the school, and feels that she is an outsider. A killer soon comes into their town based off of a horror film that's the talk of the school, and Riley believes that nobody cares that she's being attacked because it's not right for an "unpopular and unattractive" girl to be the victim of a killing. Things then lead to another, and a group of kids in the school, including Riley, are placed in Detention throughout prom, which means anyone in the room could possibly be the killer.

This is a film that is just a crazy mind trip to watch. The only real complaint of the film is that sometimes it can get too hipster and too insane in its situations. Other than that though, 'Detention' is one hell of a fun ride. Either you will love it, or you will loathe it. In my case, I loved how strange it was. The acting is great for what it's worth. The script is so quirky, funny, and so off beat that I sort of fell in love with it. Every type of horror or sci-fi movie is mocked upon throughout this film's 93 minute duration. This movie isn't for everyone by any means. Like I said, either you'll love the film or hate the crap out of it. If you want to see a non-scary, cheesy, bizarre, and fun horror-comedy, then 'Detention' is the movie you should check out. Just know that you're getting into a very weird movie if you get the opportunity to watch it. 'Detention' is almost destined to be the cult classic of 2012, because there will be a small audience who goes gaga over the film, like I did.