Spawned by the filmmaking reality series Project Greenlight, Feast is a pretty unappetizing splatterfest from start to finish. The film was backed by a number of big names - Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax fame, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck - but it hardly resembles the high-gloss projects that those individuals are normally associated with.
The tagline "They're hungry. You're dinner" describes the concept behind Feast well. A group of strangers (all fitting the typical cultural stereotypes, of course) are trapped in a bar fighting against bloodthirsty monsters in the middle of nowhere. The sequences alternate between raw, gory showdowns with the monsters and comic moments where the characters clash over what to do next. In general, the actors do a decent job, given that their roles are pretty simple to begin with, except for Navi Rawat, whose tough-girl attitude is tiresome and annoying.
The script is terrible, littered with awful one-liners and lame quips. The fast-paced action sequences are hard to follow, and the same dark lighting is used throughout the film. Like so many horror movies, Feast relies on cheap thrills and loud noises in order to make it seem scary. The storyline has a number of artless twists and turns, which keeps it interesting but puzzling.
Feast walks an awkward line between scary and funny, which is weirdly entertaining in its own way. Its quirkiness saves it from becoming a total waste of 103 minutes.
