In an endless sea of content in the movie industry, Lake Michigan Monster was a wonderful surprise, and a lot of fun. Most importantly, it was a breath of fresh air. This crazy-ass film had me laughing many times from start to finish, and that is very rare these days.
Writer/director/star Ryland Brickson Cole Tews assembled a group of like-minded individuals and put together this black and white gem of a movie that, in theory, was about revenge but in reality, was more about the surreal ride these people took us on. Along with Captain Seafield (Tews) there was sonar individual Nedge Pepsi (Beulah Peters), ‘weapons expert’ Sean Shaughnessy (Erick West), and Dick Flynn (Daniel Long) who helped make this an adventure to remember.
The comedy is non-stop and the effects, props, and scenes, sometimes cheap always cheesy, went hand-in-hand wonderfully with the actors in the film. I have to give kudos to the actors, because while the whole movie is like a long acid trip during a cottage weekend, the comedic timing is spot on, making so many little moments that much better. The comedy is also smart and quick, and with the revenge theme holding it all together, the movie went at a great pace. The final showdown was a perfect way to help bring this insanity to a glorious end.
The editing and visual effects by Mike Cheslik, special effects by Joe Castro, and sound by Bobb Bairto should not be overlooked as they all played a big role in the overall look and feel of the movie. This is always important, but especially a film like this. I would love to know how long the cast and crew had to pull all of this together, from filming to post-production, as it turned out very well.
To be sure, this movie is not for everyone. It is a totally different movie-going experience and there will be many that won’t be able to make the leap and suspend their disbelief in order to enjoy it. There were a handful of times I thought some scenes just went on too long, or they were going back to the well too often in terms of the way a running joke was used. However, those moments were few, and overall I enjoyed the journey this bizarre and wonderful film took me on.
Sometimes brilliant and hilarious, other times like a surreal trip on some strong hallucinogens, Lake Michigan Monster is a very different movie that really shouldn’t be overlooked.
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