‘It’s A Wonderful Knife’ is a horror comedy that delivers an alternate take on the holiday classic ‘It's a Wonderful Life’ (1946). Twisting the concept of the original, the film brings forth a slasher that maintains the holiday spirit of its festive predecessor.
Opening on the idyllic Angel Falls advertised by the towns foremost realtor Henry Waters (Justin Long), the Carruthers’ family – Winnie (Jane Widdop), her brother Jimmy (Aiden Howard), mom Judy (Erin Boyes) and dad David (Joel McHale) gather for the town’s Christmas tree lighting.
Establishing the oppressive dynamic Henry has over David, as business partners, as he is made to work on Christmas eve, Winnie goes to a Christmas party with Jimmy. Once there, the playgoers encounter a masked killer. Losing her best friend, Winnie fights back and manages to take out the killer, revealing him to have been Henry.
A year on, Winnie is at an all time low, receiving news that she’s not been accepted into university and mourning the loss of her friend. Feeling lost and unsupported, the young woman seeks solace in wandering out to the towns pier and wishing never to have been born.
Unknowingly being transported to an alternate reality, Winnie encounters the masked killer again. Saving herself, she escapes the killer and soon learns that the Angel Falls she finds herself in, is one where she never existed.
Returning to her family home, she learns that Jimmy had perished a year ago as she was never there to save him, and her parents do not recognize her. In search of anyone who might know her, Winnie makes her way to the annual highschooler Christmas party. The only person sympathetic to her pleas turns out to be Bernie (Jess McLeod), a social outcast dubbed ‘Weirdo’ by the others. Together they surmise that Winnie's’ only way back is to rid the ton once more of Henry Waters and his tyrannical aspirations towards the town and its people.
Foreshadowing its main structure, ‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’ sets off by revealing its villain within the first 15 minutes of its runtime, warping any preconceived notions of how the story is to proceed. With its ambitious swing however, the journey Winnie goes on to reevaluate what’s important in her life is undercut by the not so surprising anticlimax that reveals Henry Water’s to be debased in both realities, diluting any form of mystery the story may have attempted to instill.
With a few fun kills here and there however, the film does manage to engage in what could have been a full on balls-to-the-wall slasher mayhem, showing the potential of a true Christmas themed gore fest. Instead, the story veers more towards the emotional recovery that Winnie goes through, emphasizing the heartbreak that the girl goes through acknowledging the importance of her friends and family.
A true highlight of the feature, Justin Long’s Henry Waters is delivered as a truly contemptible, power hungry and greedy cretin, one easy to hate and a joy to see on screen. Long’s Waters oozes slimy behaviour, one that is a joy to hate and really makes the film exciting when seen on screen.
Another stand out of the feature is Jess McLeod’s Bernie. Playing the protagonist’s right hand and delivering true emotional depth, McLeod shines throughout the feature as she delivers
most of the funny one-liners and cuts through the tension with jovial levity.
Not the most memorable in terms of story, as it may seem somewhat generic and predictable at times, ‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’ may not go down in history as the best of comedies, horror slashers or Christmas movies, but it does maintain a heartfelt tone throughout. With a few laughable moments and an exiting kill here and there, the film does provide for a few jolts of sporadic excitement, but ultimately provides for a familiar and conventional taste in all the genres it has tried to cover.
Score: 2/4
Kommentare