Throwback
(2014/MVD DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Film: C+
Leave
it to the Australians to make a decent Bigfoot movie. In Throwback
(2014), two modern-day treasure hunters go searching for the
lost gold of a legendary 1800s outlaw in the remote jungles of Far
North Queensland, Australia (a beautiful location by the way that
looks fantastic on film.) They find something instead of riches,
however... a ferocious Australian monster known as a 'Yowie', which
is Australia's answer to Bigfoot, and a savage battle for survival
ensues. Thrown into the mix is a park ranger named Rhiannon and a
burnt-out ex-homicide detective named McNab.
Director
Travis Bain's second feature film is a decent modern day B-movie that
pays tribute to the classics while capturing strong performances and
impressive special effects. I liked it a lot better than other
recent Bigfoot efforts like Exists and Willow Creek,
but I think this may get lost in the shuffle to most modern horror
buffs simply because of the wretched cover art that completely
misrepresents the film. No tents are in the film and the image of
Bigfoot looks like it was pulled from a Halloween costume catalogue.
That aside, the film itself is actually not a total dud and worthy of
your time if you are a big fan of Bigfoot Creature Features like me.
Throwback
is presented on DVD in standard definition with its original
anamorphic widescreen transfer in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and a lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
Extras
on the disc include a commentary, deleted scenes, an alternative
ending, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
All
in all, Throwback isn't a masterpiece but much better than
what the cover art may lead you to believe. I am interested to see
what filmmaker Travis Bain does next.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
