Megan Fox's Worst Movie Isn't Transformers
Megan Fox gets way more criticism than she deserves. After the misfortune of being the face of many of Michael Bay's worst projects, Fox's career has struggled to see a full resurgence. Last year she starred in what might be her worst movie yet, a disaster that's far worse than anything Bay has ever done, but a lot more fun to watch as a result.
Fox began her career in recurring roles on a couple of decently received sitcoms before her long tenure. collaboration with Michael Bay. She starred in 4 films with Bay, all of which were disparaged adaptations of classic properties that left her the subject of much public dislike. Fox certainly took more of the blame than she deserved, and after a public falling out with Bay, the production of her has gotten weirder and more interesting.
Rogue is the story of a team of elite mercenaries led by Sam de Fox leading an armed assault on a terrorist cell compound. The cell deals with a number of illicit activities and has taken a group of young people hostage for ransom. The prankster mercenaries make their way to the compound, but are forced to retreat and are left without most of their gear, struggling to organize a helicopter to pick them up. On their way, they take refuge in an abandoned farm used to house animals for the illicit pet trade. Enemies close in while awaiting extraction, but discover a new threat in their midst, a hungry lioness roaming the facility. The conflict takes on a new dimension as the mercenaries battle against the terrorists, who struggle to survive the primal power of the lioness on the prowl.
There are a staggering number of problems with the film, from the writing to the action to the execution, but one problem is obvious from the start. The introduction of the lioness is a brilliant twist on the format, and without that element, the film would be a completely generic exercise in funny dialogue interspersed with uninspired gunplay. Unfortunately, the lioness is one of the least compelling CGI effects in recent memory. It looks like a video game asset from about fifteen years ago, and stands out oddly next to the otherwise totally naturalistic stage attire. This issue elevates a normal bad movie into a hilarious and slightly surreal experience.
Bad CGI is not a death sentence for a movie, there are monster movies from years ago that look great despite how obsolete the technology has become. This film, on the other hand, is completely unaware of how to light, track, or stage its lioness so that she looks anything other than distractingly out of place. The action scenes are juggling multiple threats, as several faceless gunmen shoot wildly at each other and are occasionally knocked off-screen by a weightless flash of a dirty blonde. Whenever the lioness is not on screen, the action devolves entirely into loud but boring gunshots and a clunky melee scene or two.
Rogue was directed, written and produced by MJ Bassett, an artist behind a series of cult horror films. Bassett has directed several individual episodes of television shows, including a single episode of Iron Fist, two episodes of Altered Carbon, and four episodes of Ash vs Evil Dead. His first film was 2002's Deathwatch, a supernatural horror film set in a trench during World War I. In 2009, he directed Solomon Kane, a sword and sorcery action flick meant to be the first part of a trilogy that never saw the light of day. The movie of his mentioned in the Rogue trailer is, strangely enough, from 2012's Silent Hill Breakthrough, perhaps the worst video game adaptation of all time.
Megan Fox's role in the film is that of a no-nonsense mercenary captain, the commanding officer of the ragtag group. Half of the dialogue is unfunny banter between squadmates and most of the rest is threats or yelling, but the cast isn't the problem. Fox's acting is okay, the script isn't great, but she pulls off the battle-hardened leader pretty well. The rest of the crew perform admirably as well, the meager jokes mostly failing, but the actors are clearly trying. The barely present villain is probably the worst of the bunch, strolling across the screen at the end of the movie and delivering an utterly unconvincing main threat.
The funny thing about bad movies is that there is a certain lack of quality that can be reached where the movie becomes entertaining in a new way. Movies like Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in which Megan Fox previously made a name for herself aren't bad enough to be entertaining. Rogue, paradoxically, is worse than either and thus provides a more enjoyable viewing experience for the most part. One or two attempts at big emotional scenes are a bit laborious, but the film is mostly goofy and occasionally funny. Rogue is often more fun by accident than any of Bay's films manage to be on purpose.
Although the movie is terrible, it has a pretty good message behind it. The end credits are accompanied by a message alerting the audience to the plight of animals captured and trafficked by various organizations around the world. Obviously, a socially conscious message doesn't suddenly make a movie good, but it can make a bad movie feel like it serves a greater purpose. Lastly, Rogue could be a lot of fun in a drunken group setting and is justified through an admirable message. Even a terrible movie can have something worth looking for.
