JENNIFER'S BODY (2009)

Diablo Cody made a name for herself with her script for the much loved and hyped Juno, she won an Oscar and a Bafta, she was nominated for a Golden Globe. She was marked for big things and everyone waited with anticipation to see what her next move would be. I'm not sure anyone thought it might take the shape of Jennifer's Body, a high school horror film.



Megan Fox (yes the really irritating one from Transformers) is Jennifer, popular high school chick/slapper. She is friends with, and has been since they were kids, Needy Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried). I don't think the name Needy is a coincidence, as she constantly craves the approval of her cooler pal resulting in a very one-way relationship. Then after the pair are caught up in a fire at a local bar, a rock band and their devil worshipping ways see a change in Jennifer's behaviour. First there are just mood swings and the occasional bad hair day, then things really get bad as she starts eating boys at her school. The story is all told in flashback by Needy, who is locked up in prison - 'how has she got there' we ask ourselves.

Nothing original there then and all a bit daft - for most of the film I found myself thinking that Cody had copped out and attempted to do a 'genre' piece but forgetting to actually put any effort into it. And when I wasn't thinking that, I was bored. I had seen this sort of thing many times before, and other than the occasional witty quip, it felt staler than the contents of my badly maintained fridge.

Fox is perfectly adequate in this, basically playing the village bicycle which isn't too much of a stretch for her, but she can't quite manage to get as much out of Cody's screenwriting as the undoubtedly more talented Ellen Page in Juno. Seyfried is a bit more interesting, nerdy girl trying to make sense of all this madness while at the same time coming to terms with love, life and growing up.  Oh and saving the school as well. Johnny Simmons makes up the cast as Needy's boyfriend Chip, essentially playing Michael Cera, the now standard issue geek performance, but as well as Michael Cera.

Then we hit the final act and things get a bit more interesting. Jennifer turns up at the High School dance which will effectively be a buffet table for her carnivorous appetite and focuses her attention on poor Chip. This all culminates in a nicely done battle between Jennifer and Needy with some fizzy banter that shows Cody can still do it and doesn't end as you would anticipate. Then we have one final pay off that again, is far from predictable and is also little upsetting.

The best part of the film though is the closing credits (not in a sarcastic way), as we are treated to stills of a vengeful bloodbath in a hotel room with some nasty imagery. It's a great way to end the story, instead of just tacking the scene on at the end of the film which would have made it feel overlong and baggy. A nice touch.

So, a ploddingly predictable and largely unoriginal film until the last 15 minutes, when it all of a sudden becomes enjoyable and a bit left field. If you are a Megan Fox fan, you will probably love it (and you should be ashamed of yourself), but if you aren't, it's just about worth a watch. Only just though.

This is 3rd film I've seen recently where the majority of the film isn't very good but picks up at the end to trick us into thinking the film was more enjoyable than it actually was. This film, Tron: Legacy and The Proposal all had me looking at my watch, then there is a decent finale and I come away thinking, that wasn't that bad....is this a good thing? Well I always maintain that the ending is the most important part of a film, you must get that right otherwise you feel let down (such as Deja Vu). However, having said that, it doesn't give you the right to not bother with 75% of a movie only to ensure that the finale pays off and has us all leaving the cinema in a good mood.