Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs (2015)
Steve Barton
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Starring Tobias Jelinek, Danielle Chuchran, Harry Shum, Jr., Kristin Minter
Directed by Tom Woodruff, Jr.
For all its big budget blockbusters, Hollywood features usually are missing one thing… heart and imagination. One only has to look at films like The Seventh Son and I, Frankenstein to realize there’s a big problem. No matter how much money you throw at effects and CGI, it can be a herculean task to end up with more than a fancy animated sprite. For this reason practical effects work can and will never be fully replaced. If there’s anything one can say about Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs, it’s that it has heart, imagination, and practical effects in abundance.
In the film we’re introduced to a new kind of reality, one that finds humans secretly being preyed upon by unseen demons and creatures. Well… the humans in the film don’t see them, but man, do we get a good look at some truly cool looking creatures! In any event, said demons survive by feeding off of human misery, of which there’s always a steady, rancid crop. But then something happens. Our pathetic humans suddenly undergo some type of rehabilitation, which leaves the demonic menu getting sparser by the second. Enter Atum Vine (Jelinek), a hard-boiled demon tasked with finding out why the usually despicable Homo sapiens no longer relish things such as drug abuse and violence, and he has to do so before demons and humans end up colliding on an epic scale.
Sound crazy? You bet your ass it is, and in an impressive directorial debut, Tom Woodruff, Jr., does an admirable job bringing this psychotic world created by writers Brian Lubocki and Michael Hayes to life. Something tells me this won’t be the last time we see Woodruff behind the camera given his knowledge of effects work and how it should be presented onscreen. The film does suffer a few of the pitfalls that indie productions face such as acting that can be uneven, etc., but the good here far outweighs the bad.
Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs introduces you to a world like no other, and it only looks to get better from here. It’s a nightmare-fueled fable brimming with glorious beasts that’s sure to delight! Those of you out there who have grown tired of the usual sequels, remakes, and PG13 snoozefests will find this film to be the total package.
Gore! Monsters! Suspense! Fire it up, and have fun!
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
