This is the story of two young British boys who catch a video of the
Sylverster Stallone film First Blood and use it as the inspiration
for an amateur film that they plan on submitting for a television contest.
The two boys seem an unlikely match: Will is the loner kid whose family
belongs to a strict religious sect called "The Bretheren," and he is
forbidden to watch films of any sort, much less one as violent as a Rambo
movie. Lee is the school troublemaker who exposes Will to the film, and
bullies at school, predictably, since he is bullied at home by his older
brother.
While the two bond through making the film, the more word gets out about
their project, the more people want in, thus causing tension between the two
boys. As Will goes from being the outcast to the cool kid by having
recruited half of the school, most notably, the French foreign exchange
student is the subject of everyone's adoration, Lee begins to feel
ostracized from the project, which was his idea in the first place.
In a year where "do-it-yourself" filmmaking seems to have become a
popular theme, in films as diverse as Be Kind, Rewind and
George Romero's Diary of the Dead, this entry certainly distinguishes
itself from the others. The biggest problem here is that it feels as though,
for American audiences, it might not find it's niche. While there are
flashes of interesting plot developments, it seems far too silly for most
adults to truly appreciate -- though if you are a fan of 80's music, the
soundtrack will help, featuring a nice selection of 80's new wave music.
Meanwhile for the kids, it may be difficult to cut through the heavy English
accents and slang to understand what's happening.
It's a cute film, and one I think that pre-teen boys may appreciate,
while leaving the younger children confused and the adults partly bored and
partly praying that their kids don't try to replicate their stunts.
