Nothing

Stuart:

After the relative failure of Cypher to astound audiences in the way that Cube did, it comes as little surprise that Nothing went straight to rental here in Australia. Natali’s most recent film is a little disappointing, even after the aforementioned sophomore release.

NothingNothing is very much a concept film like Cube was, except for one enormous difference: it’s a comedy. I was intrigued and a little concerned when I learnt this, and unfortunately my fears were confirmed – making this a comedy was a big mistake. Well… making it a comedy with such a dull script was a big mistake. Had we been witness to some characters a little more interesting than Dave and Andrew, this might have been a riot. Unfortunately there simply aren’t enough laughs. Hewlitt and Miller do admirable jobs (although it’s hard to think of Miller without uttering the phrase ‘astro-nomical!’ and tapping the side of your head), but there is so little for them to work with.

The opening animation and voice over did a great job of setting the scene, but the eighty-something minutes that followed were pretty bare. The film’s main two ‘losers’ aren’t remotely original – Jamie Kennedy or Matthew Lillard could have portrayed them just as well. Most importantly, the only funny parts are when Hewlitt and Miller’s performances become completely self-indulgent and wacky.

C.O.R.E. Digital have done yet another fantastic job of animating a film that certainly has a distinct look about it. There is no other film that looks like Nothing. Also the DVD cover was great – it immediately drew my attention. But I needed more than just a well-presented film. I was optimistic at first but the jokes ran out about halfway through, and the ending was particularly pathetic. I dunno, maybe if you watched this drunk and/or stoned it may be funny… but I certainly didn’t laugh.

Nothing is wasted potential. A high concept film with nothing much else to offer (no pun intended).

Rating: 2.0 stars
Review by Stuart Wilson, 15th May 2005
Hoopla Factor: 1.5 stars


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