Horror Movie Review: Boar (2018)

While not a remake of the 1984 mind-wrapping madness that was Razorback, Boar shares quite a bit in common with it.

The obvious being that it is an Australian horror film. One set in the Australian countryside and has people being attacked by a huge, bloodthirsty boar.

Unlike Razorback though, Boar has a more tongue in cheek approach but very little in the way of plot. Why this boar came into existence is never explained. Instead it just is and almost everyone who it comes in contact with ends up being munched or torn apart.

Mixing practical and CGI, the former is when this movie is at its most impressive and it doesn’t skimp on gore. The latter, normally seen when the boar is moving around at a distance, is less so. It’s hard to be to harsh though as this is a low-budget offering that makes up for it in other places. Namely the location, the Aussie-ness of it all and some of the acting.

The star of the film is Bernie (Nathan Jones) whose sister and her family have come to visit him. A beast of a man (Jones is a power-lifter, strongman and ex-wrestler), Bernie is both warm and intimidating exuding Aussie charm. He loves his family but keeps his sister’s new husband, Bruce (Bill Moseley) and his niece’s boyfriend, Robert (Hugh Sheridan) on their toes.

Jones is pretty good here. Likeable with some funny moments too such as when he sings Ice-T’s ‘Ice Ice Baby’.

In fact there are few complaints to be had about the cast overall. With only a few minor characters failing to spark. Although it is great to see John Jarratt playing a nice-guy role instead of the sadistic killer from Wolf Creek that brought him so much fame.

No, the flaws in Boar come from the paper-thin story and how quickly it runs out of steam. You know it’s only a matter of time before the family are attacked. So when the shit hits the fan, things just don’t light up in the way you’d hope. Part of the problem comes from how often the characters are surprised by the sudden appearance of this hulking pig. It has some impressive stealth abilities for being the size of a van. Once or twice is forgivable but it appears out of nowhere far too many times.

Then there is the shift in tone. As said earlier, Boar goes for a tongue in cheek approach for most of its runtime. However, near the end it starts to take itself a little too seriously. Killing off characters, one in particular, in a really grim scene. Suddenly it’s not as much fun. Which really wouldn’t be a problem if we’d been given any kind of depth to the characters being munched on.

It’s a shame as had Boar stuck to it’s silly guns it would be easier to come away feeling more positive about it. Instead, the final third of the movie ends up dragging it down.