Him: Movie Review

Cast: Marlon Wayans, Jim Jeffries, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox
Director: Justin Tipping

From its frenetic editing and high energy soundtrack, Him aims to skewer the culture of American football, the religious fervor that Americans attach to it and the way Black Americans are used within the system itself.

But unfortunately, in trying to be stylish above all else, what emerges is more style than substance, with much of the film affecting a "so what?" attitude from audiences.

Withers plays Cameron Cade, a college quarterback whose promising career is seemingly cut short by a blow to the head ahead of a hometown game. Given the chance to train with his idol Isaiah white (a very watchable Marlon Wayans), Cade's transported to his cult-like compound in the desert, complete with Mad Max Fury Road acolytes lurking outside.

Soon Cade is thrown deep into a world that seems off kilter as White's training methods, complete with some odd medical interventions, push him to the edge and breaking point. 

Him is produced by Jordan Peele and it's easy to see why this has appealed to his sensibilities. There's a veneer of uncertainty throughout and a touch of the macabre horror edges lurking.

But it's not enough to go anywhere but beyond the surface, given how little is put into the characters before proceedings go unhinged. Cursory exposition via commentary gives Cade his backstory, but really, there's very little that an underdog story wouldn't normally do.

Instead director Tipping is more interested in pushing buttons and hitting moments that feel ripped from an extended sports promo or the latest sports gear commercial. It all concludes in a wannabe horror-soaked finale that's more suited to a drawing board than a big screen outing, with little to no surprises on display.

Ultimately Him goes for a theme-filled touchdown, but unfortunately it simply fumbles the narrative ball in favour of some showy on-field antics that never quite stack up.