Before I start this review I want to emphasize that this movie is definitely not for everyone, but it sure is an experience whether you like it or not. Now, let's start, shall we?
A Fantastic Fear of Everything tells the story of Jack, a tormented, seemingly paranoid horror author gone child writer doing his daily chores and overcoming his bizarre primal fears while he's at it, and although I won't spoil anything, that's basically everything the movie does aside from the last quarter, perhaps 20 minutes of the film. Simon Pegg is for the most part great as jack, but being a fan of exaggerated performances from time to time, even I have to admit that the abundance of his character is a bit fatiguing at times, complete with panic attacks every two minutes and more to come. But that being said, aside from these two major flaws, I honestly can't say more bad things about this movie, the sheer humbleness and generally small scale of the story and Simon Pegg's nearly laughable level of over-the-top character are probably the two major reasons people were put off by this movie when it came out and have been calling it quits to date. But if you're an avid fan of Simon Pegg's work, an something new in general, this movie won't disappoint. And that's were the things that this movie DOES hit spot-on kick in: the amazing, dark camera work with small sections of gruesome, yet appealing animation (almost Tim Burton-esque), the pitch-black humour, the hilarious twist, and the terrific final seconds make this one a must-watch for horror/dark comedy/Simon Pegg fans for me, despite all its flaws.
A Fantastic Fear of Everything tells the story of Jack, a tormented, seemingly paranoid horror author gone child writer doing his daily chores and overcoming his bizarre primal fears while he's at it, and although I won't spoil anything, that's basically everything the movie does aside from the last quarter, perhaps 20 minutes of the film. Simon Pegg is for the most part great as jack, but being a fan of exaggerated performances from time to time, even I have to admit that the abundance of his character is a bit fatiguing at times, complete with panic attacks every two minutes and more to come. But that being said, aside from these two major flaws, I honestly can't say more bad things about this movie, the sheer humbleness and generally small scale of the story and Simon Pegg's nearly laughable level of over-the-top character are probably the two major reasons people were put off by this movie when it came out and have been calling it quits to date. But if you're an avid fan of Simon Pegg's work, an something new in general, this movie won't disappoint. And that's were the things that this movie DOES hit spot-on kick in: the amazing, dark camera work with small sections of gruesome, yet appealing animation (almost Tim Burton-esque), the pitch-black humour, the hilarious twist, and the terrific final seconds make this one a must-watch for horror/dark comedy/Simon Pegg fans for me, despite all its flaws.