4K UHD Review – The Faculty

1996's "Scream" changed everything for producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein. They released the movie as Christmas season counterprogramming, hoping to attract an audience looking to avoid the usual in family fare and Oscar bait, delivering a winky slasher film starring a young cast, keeping things aimed at the teen demographic. A holiday miracle occurred when "Scream" actually caught on with viewers, growing beyond its original marketplace purpose to become a major hit, and for Christmas 1997, a sequel was quickly slapped together using the same creative ingredients, resulting in another smash release for Dimension Films. A formula for genre entertainment was discovered, and the Weinsteins never turned their back on a chance to cash in on a fad, swiftly cooking up various endeavors that paired horror happenings with young thespians (using the to-do list on teen comedies as well), and "The Faculty" was soon manufactured for 1998. "Scream" screenwriter Kevin Williamson is brought in to sprinkle his creative magic(?) on the project, which reimagines "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Thing" as teen terror, following a collection of students as they battle an alien invasion occurring around their high school. Director Robert Rodriguez, fresh off the moderate success of "Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn," is hired to bring a bit of snap to the picture, but something is off about "The Faculty." A slam-dunk premise is left dangling by a limited cast and general sluggishness from the usually excitable helmer (who also edits the effort), who never gets the feature up to speed as a chiller or thriller, taking his time with material that's best played as fast as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com