The torture porn genre is one horror subgenre that has been worn out. Still, “The Badger Game” is one of those films that caught attention from the title alone. I didn’t know, if this would be a straight up thriller, a dark comedy or something else. Still, I was curious after hearing some buzz about it.
The film is about a woman who finds out that her boyfriend is already married. This leads her to device a scheme along with her friends to kidnap, torture and take $2 million of his money. But the plan backfire when everything begins to spiral out of control pitting everyone in the group against each other. Who will walk out of “The Badger Game” alive? After watching this film, I was happy that I checked this film out. It’s one of those twisted films that keeps you interested with and its action and dark humor.
One of things that make “The Badger Game” very good was its direction. Writer/directors Joshua Wagner and Thomas Zambeck did a great job making sure most of the directing was very good here. Whether it’s the way they had this film shot to making sure it moves at a good pace, it made this film entertaining and intense at times. There was one problem that I had with this film and it’s a minor one. It would’ve been nice to a little more brightness to some of the film’s exterior scene. To me, it looked a little too dark. I don’t know if that’s the filming equipment that they had or if it’s something else. It felt a little distracting but this is only a minor grip as I liked everything else about this film. The directors also do a great job making sure the performances were very good here, as it made the film feel intense. Wanger and Zambeck made sure that the main cast had great chemistry with each other onscreen. It made some of the film more enjoyable especially with the simple dialogue scenes. It made the film more interesting as I was into the performances. When that happens like it did here, it makes an entertaining film.
The screenplay written by Wagner and Zambeck does a great job making balancing the torture porn and dark comedy aspects. I liked how they both blend both of these elements together. It doesn’t allow the film to become the run of the mill torture porn film where there’s a gloom and doom feel for the complete time. Instead, it’s able to keep you interested as the humor is timed well. The other thing that makes this screenplay work was the fact that the characters had personalities that kept my interest in the story. The writers did a great job making sure each of its characters stood out one way or another. Whether it’s the quirks the characters have to each character feeling different from one another, the characters and story are what makes “The Badger Game” entertaining to the point that I had a great time with this film.
The extras start off with a commentary track from directors Joshua Wagner and Thomas Zambeck. They did a good job making sure that they go into the technical aspects of this from. From directing to the other things that both of them did on this film, they make sure that it’s detailed and explain what they were going for.
The second commentary track features actresses Augie Duke, Jillian Leigh and Sasha Higgins This was a fun and lively track as they talk about some the stories behind making this film, the film’s cast and each other. It was fun to listen to as it felt different from other commentary tracks that I’ve come across.
The disc wraps up with cast and crew interviews from the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles. It’s just a quick featurette with brief interview from the cast and its directors.
“The Badger Game” is entertaining film that keeps you on edge with its performances and its twisted screenplay.
Review Rating: Three and a Half Stars
Extras: Two and a Half Stars
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