Faust: Love of the Damned

Rating:
Summary: Another survivor
Review: "Faust: Love of the Damned" was a total rip-off of "Spawn". It has the exact same storyline...But it's still funny to see that this flick is gorier than the Mark Dippé's realistic version of "Spawn", which used to be an ultra-violent comic book series. To me, "Faust: Love of The Damned" was a revenge. It was everything I wanted to see in "Spawn" a couple of years ago. I admit that I am not at all a fan of comic books,

I'd even say I find most of them stupid, but I always had a better feeling about "Spawn", because of its values, the hero, and especially the fact that the hero is a very violent character that has to learn how to control his hatred, the violence he keeps inside...Anyways, I always thought that Spawn didn't limit himself at kicking the bad guys' butts and knocking them to the floor, he got straight to the point; he kills them. And he doesn't say a bunch of cheesy lines after he has killed someone, and he doesn't beat up a bad guy and save him before he falls down a building, to show his good intentions, his lust for justice.

Actually, you may believe that what I'm saying is besides the point. It is not. Because, like I said before, "Faust" and "Spawn" are pretty much the same thing. It also has elements taken from "The Crow", (Spoilers) like the hero's girlfriend that is raped and killed by a bunch of felons. First, there is absolutely no explanation of why they killed her. Anyways, it's not that important, even though that's the reason why John Jaspers (Faust) signs a pact with a mysterious man (played by Andrew Divoff). Anyways, I won't tell you the whole storyline because, first, it is bad (it has less elements and details that "Spawn"'s or "The Crow"'s, but I am NOT saying that the storylines of these movies are BAD), and second, see both of the movies I just mentionned, and you'll have exactly the same thing, with more richness and explanations.

"Faust" may be an absolute copy of two better movies, but that's not where the main interest is, and I'm not saying this only from a personnal view. It's all about the gore. And Faust, in one scene, after having killed a dozen of bandits (and he kills them in very gruesome ways, with many graphic mutilations and lots of blood) simply looks at the camera, like he is talking to the viewer, and says: "Too much blood, or not enough?"...That's the moment where I caught the whole point. And that particular quote made me stop the movie, and think for a while...I looked at the box, and I saw "Directed by Brian Yuzna"...I had my explanation.

Yuzna directed a handful of pretty bloody movies, and usually doesn't deliver a very impressive scenario, but focuses on the gore aspect. That's okay, but it seemed like he tried to make something with values, something with a certain philosophy. That's not a bad idea, but he took someone else's ideas. So, I guess he'll have to keep on making stupid gory movies. It's his style, and really, today, that's original, because REAL gore movies are rare these days. And believe me, "Faust: Love of The Damned" is filled with gore, from the beginning to the end. I could easily say it's one of the goriest films of the last five or six years. It really has scenes of dismemberment, mutilations, and more. And what about the shotgun hits...they were nice...It's in a scene where a woman armed with a shotgun stands in front of two men and shoots one in the torso. The guy flies away and there's lots of blood. but then comes another pretty violent act; the woman shoots a guy that is lying on the floor point blank with the shotgun. The head simply explodes. There's also a weird scene involving Andrew Divoff and the woman, where he seems to give her a huge orgasm by simply looking at her, but she then mutates into some kind of worm. I just didn't get the point of that scene.

The special effects techniques are very nice, they don't use any computers and the gore is really effective. Faust's costume looks somehow goofy, with the very fake thorns, and the "X-men"'s Wolverine aspect. Plus, I'd say that the actor himself makes the hero look inoffensive. He's not a very good actor. And his voice, his face, and his text couldn't really make us believe that he's a powerful superhero. He proves it, though, in many violent sequences where he wastes dozens of people.

The imagery is varied,and sometimes pretty nice, and there's a certain mood in the film, but the weakness of the character development ruins it all. Anyways, for fans of Yuzna, this should be your treat, but for fans of good movies, and for people who don't have the slightest interest in gore, this is pure trash. But, if you are interested in gore cinema, this film is, I think, one of the greater models of what gore should still be. In the gore aspect, this is very close to old school gore movies. It's a survivor, and a strong one, in the level of gore and in the quality of the effects. This really is a violent film, it's really as violent as Hong Kong's mangas or very bloody Comic Books.

Finally, I can say that this is a joy to see that gore remains present in the world of films, that it's not completely dead, but so rare are the films of that genre these days, that we have to be happy with movies such as this one. Compare it that way: If you're in a desert, and you're really thirsty, and suddenly, you see an oasis where the water tastes real bad, you'll still drink, and try to forget the taste. It's exactly the same thing with us, the gore fans, that are suffering from the nostalgia of what we miss today. We are ready to swallow anything that has very nice gore, even if the scenario plain sucks. Sorry.

But, overall...as a film....this is bad...really...

Rating:
Summary: Awright...
Review: ... so this Faust doesn't live up to expectations. "The graphic novel was way better", they say. Yeah, sure, but this Brian Yuzna opus is chock-full of violence, gratuitous sex and surreal special fx (by Screamin' Mad George, the man behind the awesome transformations of Society). Ticks or Return of the Living Dead III it ain't (try it again, Yuzna), but it *is* definitely better and more amusing than some certified stinkers like Spawn or (yawn) the X-Men.

Rating:
Summary: They got it half right...
Review: A fan of the comic book version since it surfaced in the late 80's (see my quote in issue #7!), I've been waiting for this film version for about a decade. Die hard fans of the comic book series will find a lot to like in this movie but, unfortunately, you'll probably be irritated with a lot of things, too. I understood beforehand that to do FAUST in a manner that truly reflects the spirit of its creators, it needed to be rated XXX -- or something beyond that! Nevertheless, while shooting for the 'R' rating, opportunities to make this a better movie were missed. Starting my list of gripes is the beautiful actress they got to play Jade DeCamp doesn't get naked ONCE in this film! During the ritual scene, Jade begins to have sex ... completely clothed! This is FAUST I'm watching, right? It just made no sense, especially since so many other characters are nude at some point in this film. There were the makeup and continuity errors -- Jade is viciously tortured by Claire in one scene... or so you'd think! The next time you see Jade she has a few dabs of blood on her back. By the following scene, she has miraculously recovered from her ordeal entirely! The topper has to be earlier in the film, when M tells Jaspers that sleep will become a distant memory for him when he accepts his powers. Later on, Jade is lured from Jasper's apartment by the villian -- while Jaspers is asleep! Although those things drove me nuts, I forgave this movie and everyone involved once I heard Jaspers say, "What's the matter? Don't you like my art?" Yes, this could've been better -- but even as it is, it STILL tops The Crow 2:City of Angels and the last two Batman flicks!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Horror Pic, A Good Skin Flick! Buy it!
Review: A guy wants revenge for the death of his girlfriend, so he signs a contract with The Devil. He is given super powers and on occassions turns into a Demon. He exacts revenge on the people who killed his girlfriend. During the story he meets a new girl, who is gorgeous and a Doctor. Reasons to buy this movie: a)It's a good Horror movie, but a bit bloodthirsty. b)A scene with a very sexy heroine in a cage dressed only in her underwear! (A Prisoner.) c)A scene where the heroine is under a spell and screwed on an alter by the Devil himself! A great story with a very sexy girl in it!

Rating:
Summary: Fans of the comic will not be disappointed
Review: Based on the excellent Faust: Love of the Damned comics from David Quinn and Tim Vigil, this film version won't disappoint fans. Brian Yuzna has some decent horror films under his belt, many considered cult classics, and he is at the top of his game here. In his screenwriting debut, David Quinn does a surprisingly decent job, and Yuzna works well with it. Production values are low, as could be expected with a budget of $2 million, but it all comes together. I saw this film at an art house a few month ago, actually, and was pleasantly surprised, especially being a reader of the comics. The look and feel is relatively the same, and the overall style matches well. The graphic sex and violence will no doubt be cut a bit (or a lot...) in this "R" version, which pretty much guarantees an unrated/cut version in the future. Overall, Faust is a decent horror movie, with symbolism and style.

Rating:
Summary: after all, it's a Yuzna!
Review: don't be fooled: this little masterpiece from the guy who brought you "Bride of Re-Animator" is one of the best comic movies. forget "Spawn"!

Rating:
Summary: Faust: A Movie Watcher's Guide To Napping
Review: Faust - Love of the Damned began in a very promising manner that made me think, foolishly, that this was going to be a really good movie. We were introduced to John Jasper, whose girlfriend had been murdered while he watched, as he contemplated his eventual demise above a rushing river. Enter "the mysterious M," a demon of supposed caliber (that later proves he is, at least, funny in a molten flesh kinda way), who offers John a way to avenge his lover's death. Well, Jasper accepts, is given some wolverinesque claws that he carves some people up with, is arrested by the fan-beloved Jeffrey Combs, and is subsequently put in a wittle padded room with a doctor that wants to musically restore his sanity.
Had the movie ended here, in the first few minutes, I would have been happy. It didn't, however, much to my dismay.

Without giving away anything about the loosely conceived plotline, a defect I can deal with, or some really bad (with the exception of J. Combs) acting, another flaw I can stomach, I will comment on the one reason F.L.O.T.D. found itself in the cutting room dumpster with every other movie that forgot that one small monster/demon movie rule. Always, no matter how creepy your storyline, how hideous your monstrous finale, or how paltry your budget, remember to invest a something in your main demonically enhanced character that allows him to at least look presentable. A foam suit portrayal of muscles, some posable claws, and a few red eye shots really did make me laugh at first, but the laughter ended after a while and the need for fast-forwarding the action sequences began. When demons are beheading people, you really shouldn't even have that type of reaction.

Were it not for Combs (an actor I regard and vote for with much bias), the sheer wickedness of our demonic bargain-giver, and the monstrous ending of the movie, I would have sold my soul for a narcoleptic relapse just to escape the torment. Jeffrey, these three stars are the five I gave to you balancing out with the one I gave the movie!

Rating:
Summary: Faust:Love Of The Damned
Review: Faust was not that good of a horror/gore movie.Lots of gore but man there is some bad acting in this by the lead actor Mark Frost.I believe they should have gave the lead to Jeffrey Combs.The suit for the Hero looked like a power ranger villain's costume.If you are a die hard fan of the Faust comic book's see it,this movie is based on the first few comic book's they made but if you are a horror fan looking for a scare you will find yourself snoozing.

Rating:
Summary: ENJOYMENT FOR THE SENSES!!!
Review: FAUST-LOVE OF THE DAMNED IS A VISUAL ROLLER-COASTER RIDE OF MAKEUP EFFECTS AND GORE.
IF THESE TYPES OF FILMS PLEASE YOU, THEN YOU MAY JUST ENJOY THIS MOVIE. IT IS FILLED WITH A LOT OF BLOOD AND GORE AND WILD MUSIC TO HELP COMPLIMENT IT ALL.
IT IS A FANTASY/HORROR MOVIE AND WILL NOT PLEASE EVERYONE, BUT TO SOME IT MAY BE JUST THE TYPE OF MOVIE THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR!
THE ACTING IS OKAY AND THE STORY IS OUT-OF-THE-BOX, BUT THE MAKEUP EFFECTS MAKE THE MOVIE WHAT IT IS.
IT MAY ONE DAY BE A CULT CLASSIC, SO SEE THIS FILM NOW INSTEAD OF LATER.
ENJOY!!
-John Seneca

Rating:
Summary: Brainless Fun
Review: Good for a rental. Very entertaing and brainless. But if you like (...) films like I do you might find it worth buying. The extra features made it worth having.