James Gunn’s first feature is a literal slug-fest. Space slugs that invade a small town and mutate people by crawling inside them. This results in a number of gross scenes as human bodies change size and shape, resulting in a lot of interplay between the kind of large ensemble Gunn likes to work with. The film stars his familiar trio of Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks. The initial creepy attacks lack inspiration, but Gunn keeps dialing up the outrageousness until it stops becoming a comedy with gore and the gooey scenes are what makes the film so funny. Nathan Fillion’s attempts to stay cool eventually becomes a Buster Keaton series of deadpan reactions to the unbelievable sights. I also like how the creatures aren’t just space slugs, there’s a hive mentality that lets the film take from the zombie genre as well.
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