Polymorph
By John Oak Dalton • Jan 25th, 2003 • Category: Horror, ReviewsA lot of people picking up their first DV camera today to enter the microcinema fray point towards the early work of J.R. Bookwalter and his low-riding Akron, Ohio posse for inspiration. Bookwalter produced and directed a spate of heartfelt low-budget outings in the early-to mid-90’s whose rough edges are considerably smoothed by creative energy and good intentions.
Polymorph is a nice sci-fi actioner with welcome doses of humor and solid performances all around. Gun-toting drug runners cross paths with camping college students in the deep woods, with an alien organism on the loose thrown into the mix. Double and triple crosses, lots of gunplay, and alien body-snatching all come into play in this fun feature.
Of note are Ariauna Albright and Jennifer Huss as the co-eds; James Edwards and Joseph Daw as their nebbishy dates; and Tom Hoover and Sasha Graham as members of a snarly, gnarly, dysfunctional dope-dealing “family.”
The script suffers a bit from the angst of youth with too many snappy one-liners, some macho posturing, and a downbeat ending, but is energetic and creative, with some genre-twisting moments between the criminals and their interstellar body-hopping foe. Really the most unbelievable science fiction element is that beauties Jennifer Huss and Ariauna Albright would go for their two ultra-nerd boyfriends!
Overall Polymorph is an engaging microcinema feature buoyed by winning performances and a crisp production.
Three stars
Running Time: 86 min.
Director: J.R. Bookwalter
Writer: J.R. Bookwalter and James Edwards
Cast: James Edwards, Ariauna Albright, Jennifer Huss, Tom Hoover, Sasha Graham
Score: ***
Web Site: Tempe Video
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John Oak Dalton is a Community Television Station Manager by day, and a DIY acolyte by night. In the 80s he made Super-8 movies and his own basement mix tapes. In the 90s he hosted a cable-access show and made his own zines and minicomics. In the 21st Century he began working with grassroots video and microcinema and writing b-movies, and has more than a dozen projects on the shelf, on screen, in development, or in production.
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