Camden New Journal - Movies: Black Sheep

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

The Review - AT THE MOVIES with WILLIAM HALL
Published: 11 October 2007

Beware the genetic monster in sheep’s clothing

Woolliest script of the year, baa none!

BLACK SHEEP - Directed by Jonathan King
Certificate 15

THERE’S no point in bleating about the bush... Quite simply, this has to be one of the worst films of the year, and possibly of any year.
So why am I laughing?
Someone seems to have woken up in New Zealand to the fact that there are 45 million potential extras scampering around on their doorstep, so why not make use of them? I’m talking sheep, of course, with their adorable faces and woolly jumpers.
But the twist in this tail is to turn the gentle animals into raging, mutant monsters, snarling and growling and biting people in the ankles.
It’s all because of a genetic experiment that goes horribly wrong on a sheep station, and greedy farmer Angus (Peter Feeney) pays the price. His young brother Henry (Nathan Meister) chooses a bad day to visit, along with an eco-airhead (Danielle Mason) who is out to save the planet but finds herself up to her neck in entrails when she falls into a toxic pit.
It’s supposed to be ‘black comedy horror’, though the comedy is limited to a handful of grisly sight gags. So why am I laughing? Because of one glorious line when Angus is bitten by one of his sheep and shouts at his brother: “You baa-stard!”
And there’s something wonderfully silly about a man who pulls off his wellies to find he has grown sheep’s trotters.
Priceless. That’s why!

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment:

» Film Times
» Film Reviews
» Buy DVDs
» Rent DVDs