Rating: 1/10
Jordan Peele has been one of the greatest gifts 21st-century cinema has given us. Who thought a sketch comedian would become one of the biggest voices in horror, single-handedly changing how horror movies are made and the importance they’re given — especially for Black stories?
From the groundbreaking “Get Out,” which put him on the map as an important horror and cultural voice, to producing films that have helped other filmmakers see their vision come to life, like “Candyman,” it’s safe to say he’s become one of the most important figures in Hollywood.
But with every success comes an equivalent number of failures. Some of the biggest filmmakers of all time have had their share of flops, and everyone has been wondering if Peele will ever fail. While some might argue that a few of his previous projects were unsuccessful, a majority consensus has favored his work. Could he keep his hot streak going, extending his run of outstanding films?
This is where it all went wrong; this is the one that’s failed him.
“HIM,” the new sports-horror film directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Peele, might be one of the worst movies I’ve ever watched, and I don’t throw that around lightly. I can’t believe I’m saying this, because on paper, not only does it sound like a great idea, but it sounds like a movie I would thoroughly enjoy.
An up-and-coming star quarterback, Cam Cade — played by Tyriq Withers — sustains a concussion that sidelines his chances of entering the league combine and getting drafted. That’s until his idol and legendary quarterback, Isaiah White — Marlon Wayans — invites him to his mansion to train for a week, giving Cade another opportunity to be drafted by his childhood team.
To be blunt, nothing in this movie makes sense.
There’s the overarching storyline of Cade training and trying to get better, or at least be on the same level as White. On the surface, this is understood as the primary storyline, the one that we will be looking to conclude at the end of the movie.
But, then it mutates into something else. Usually it’s a great sign when a movie does this because that means there’s something else to be explored, something we wouldn’t have anticipated before. Great movies like “Parasite” and “Barbarian” do this, setting themselves up for success in the conclusion.
When “HIM” flips into something else, it’s for the worse. Instead of being a movie about training to become the best you can become, it moves into nonsensical shock that doesn’t add up with its overall storyline.
It quickly becomes a vehicle for cheap jump scares, uncalled body horror and a story that feels like an edit on TikTok. It might look cool for about 10 seconds, but then it gets confusing, and later, boring. Such a loop gets repeated multiple times, losing the plot and the message it wants to convey in the process.
And it had so much potential.
Instead of unreasonable horror, the film begs to have commentary that alludes to bigger ideas; it practically pleads with its creators. There are so many different topics this could touch on, whether it be pressure to live up to expectations, the predatory nature of professional sports or how physical sports can lead to much darker behaviors associated with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a brain disease caused by repeated head injuries, like with cases such as Aaron Hernandez.
“HIM” does none of that. In fact, it gives us everything other than that, which isn’t what we want.
By the time we get to the grand finale, nothing matters anymore. No character is given enough importance for us to care, and I was left scratching my head about the importance of anything this movie is trying to say. This film is incredibly undercooked, borderline unwatchable and ultimately a waste of time.
It’s not enough to have a cool soundtrack — shoutout Bobby Krilic — to try and sustain your plot. Having scenes of women randomly twerking for no good reason just proves the movie was doomed from the start. This is just a highlight reel of your favorite player going through some violent situations. While it might work with some audiences, it didn’t with me, and I doubt it will work with many.
Fumbling the ball wouldn’t describe how bad “HIM” is. The quarterback took the ball, handed it to the opposition and then rolled out the red carpet into his own endzone. It had the playbook, but picked all the wrong plays. They were supposed to be playing in Houston, but their flight was rerouted to South Africa. Everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong, and I hope audiences aren’t forgiving when expressing their criticism for this film — it doesn’t deserve any forgiveness.
Joshua Abraham is a kinesiology senior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.
