Every once in a while, I sit down to watch a movie and have absolutely no idea what I am watching. One such movie is Apocalypse Clown – an utterly bonkers, low-budget Irish comedy, about a journalist and a troupe of clowns in an apocalypse.
In the movie, journalist Jenny Malone is attending a clown funeral in the town of Naherbawn, when there is a flash in the sky followed by a mysterious technological blackout. In an instant, the world is turned upside-down, leaving Jenny and a collection of washed-up clowns to work out what has happened.
Travelling across town in a car far too small to fit everyone comfortably, Jenny and Co. witness the chaos that has unfolded as a result of a solar flare. What they discover is that civilisation has already crumbled, and madness has taken over in a matter of minutes.
Directed by George Kane, Apocalypse Clown stars David Earl, Amy De Bhrún, Natalie Palamides, Fionn Foley, and Ivan Kaye. The film arrives in UK cinemas from Friday 1st September, is wickedly funny, but is also utter nonesense.
The film plays very much like an extended comedy skit, inspired by the likes of The League of Gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh. So, if these shows tickle your pickle, or you simply want to watch various actors dressed up in comedy wigs spouting continuous quips, you will get a great deal out of Apocalypse Clown.
However, as much as extended comedy skits can be fun to watch, they do run out of steam pretty quickly if there’s no real substance. And despite the sheer amount of laughs in Apocalypse Clown, be warned the premise and general story is weaker than a cup of cheap squash, and this does impact the pace and overall feel of the film.
Where Apocalypse Clown is at its strongest is in the casting department. All of the actors in this movie are having a ball, and are completely aware of the farcical nature of the premise.
I’d single out individual actors for praise, but all of them understand the assignment and that is plain to see. I don’t know if all of the lines in this film were completely scripted, or if there was a lot of ad-libbing on set, but I imagine every actor involved had lots of fun filming this picture regardless.
And because the actors are so in-tune with the material, this film includes some hilarious lines which will make you laugh. Even those who aren’t won over by the movie will find themselves chuckling from time-to-time, even if it is just at the preposterous nature of the film.
Where Apocalypse Clown is not so hot is in the aforementioned story department, which is not as fleshed out as it needs to be. This whole film feels like someone had a few ideas, jotted them on a Post-It note, and called it a script.
At no point during the course of the film does it feel like something which is fully formed. Sure, there’s a beginning, a middle, and an end, but the narrative in Apocalypse Clown is loosely held together by sticky tape and goodwill.
I can honestly see this film gaining cult status, based on the comical dialogue alone, but that doesn’t mean it is something that is completely well constructed. Some of it is, but some of it really isn’t.
I can’t say I love Apocalypse Clown, but I can’t say I dislike it either. It certainly made me laugh, and I can imagine it will be embraced by the teen/student crowd, but it is very patchy.
Based on the comedic performances, as well as the quirky lines, there is something here which works. I’m still not entirely sure what it is, but I do know Apocalypse Clown involves clowns and some kind of apocalypse.
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