QUEST FOR THE EGG SALAD
PLOT-Young Balthazar and his cohorts must destroy the sacred egg salad recipe before it falls into the hands of the evil goblin king.
VIOLENCE-Comedic gory stabbings, slashings, and beheadings, in the grand tradition of Monty Python.
SEX/NUDITY-Clothed "ape sex" occurs a couple times, but no nudity is seen.
WHY I WATCHED IT-Low Budget Pictures auteur Chris Seaver has proven himself as a comic genuis several times over, with films like FILTHY McNASTY and SCROTAL VENGEANCE. I was eager to see how his unique style and screenwriting voice would fit into a parody of LORD OF THE RINGS.
THE DOPE-I'm no huge fan of the LORD OF THE RINGS film series, but I adore Peter Jackson as a filmmaker, and I am completely fascinated by the amount of work and vision that he put into making the RINGS films. They are one of the greatest cinematic achievements in history. With that in mind, the mere fact that Seaver even attempted to make an LBP version of Jackson's work deserves high praise in and of itself. While QUEST's strength lies in the script and the jokes, the amount of attention given to the production itself should definitely not go unnoticed or un-praised. All the period costumes are great, the monster makeups are quite effective (particularly the goblin king), the sets are of noticeably high quality, and the gore is beautifully executed to great comic effect, aiding the jokes that I was just talking about. Seaver's care in making sure this all happened definitely shows he's a true fan of the RINGS films, and while he is making a parody, he shows the highest respect for the source material. The use of fire in the campfire scenes, and the fog and smoke that accompanies the orcs all serve the movie perfectly. Assorted technical issues aside (stemming from the fact that Seaver was unable to be behind the camera several times because he played 2 central characters), this is one of LBP's best-looking films so far.
But as I stated before, the biggest thing QUEST has going for it, not surprisingly, is the script. Not only are there RINGS references, but several themes of other great fantasy films are not left untouched. Fans of THE BEASTMASTER, PRINCESS BRIDE, LABYRINTH, and LEGEND will also be pleased with the way elements of those films are squeezed in as well. And I am continually amazed by Seaver's ability to jam a script with several characters, and not only give them plenty of screen time, but he makes sure to give them all unique quirks and personalities. The jokes are rapid-fire and always hysterical, particularly in the case of LBP's re-occurring character "Teen Ape". In my opinion, the more Seaver writes for Teen Ape, the better the character becomes. Teen Ape in QUEST is probably the funniest I've ever seen him. When he refers to his simian sperm "wreckin shit up old school" inside an elf woman's body, the combination of dialogue delivery and body language aid the already funny script, elevating it to gut-busting levels of wonderment and joy. And while the requisite John Stamos references and other pop culture riffing we've come to expect from LBP films are certainly present, QUEST exchanges a lot of the trademark grossness for honest to goodness storytelling, giving it a true "epic" quality. However, this only serves the sick moments even better, because you don't get as desensitized to seeing them like you did in FILTHY McNASTY. When they happen, the effect is bigger and more shocking. And believe me, this one has several golden moments of LBP nastiness, particularly the unforgettable opening scene.
My hat goes off To Chris Seaver and Low Budget Pictures for having the guts to broaden their universe in this way, and test their strengths and talents rather than staying in a "comfort zone" and churning out the same old thing because it is easier and safer. Keeping things stirred up, despite the degree of success, is always preferable to complacency.
MEMORABLE SCENES-"She ate my balls."
NOTES-This disc, released by Tempe Entertainment, contains a hilarious and very interesting "making of" documentary (full of outtakes that will have you rolling on the floor) hosted by a very bizarre Lauren Puschkin, made up to look like Michael Jackson. The disc also features Seaver and Puschkin on one commentary track, and a crew of LBP fans on another. Both tracks are diffrent but still very funny, particularly Seaver's, which I actually listened to twice.
(November 2003)
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