Featured Audience Ratings

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  "The movie is messy with a lot of random shit happening. I didn't mind it though. I found it stupid, but also entertaining and funny. The movie is meant to be the way it is. I can't express that enough to those who hate it so much. It doesn't try to be anything… More
  "The movie is messy with a lot of random shit happening. I didn't mind it though. I found it stupid, but also entertaining and funny. The movie is meant to be the way it is. I can't express that enough to those who hate it so much. It doesn't try to be anything else but quirky and silly. Even the cast was a lot of fun and they all did well with their parts. I enjoyed it. It was good to see some gore and have a laugh too. It's probably not a film for everyone. If you liked Shawn of the Dead, then you might like this one. It's not nearly as good as Shawn of the Dead, but it is in the same family as that film."

• Kevin C

  
  I am fascinated by what this film is trying to be, failing at being, and actually is.

• KJ P

  
  I literally have no idea what this film is trying to accomplish, and the story makes absolutely no sense, but honestly it was kind of fun to watch. Josh Hutcherson is clearly mis-casted in this film that is actually about nothing. It follows a bunch of cliched teenagers as they… More
  I literally have no idea what this film is trying to accomplish, and the story makes absolutely no sense, but honestly it was kind of fun to watch. Josh Hutcherson is clearly mis-casted in this film that is actually about nothing. It follows a bunch of cliched teenagers as they survive their final year of high school, while going back in time and switching bodies. Most of the time I had no clue what was going on so I found good in some of the dialogue, which was pretty funny at times. This is easily one of the worst films of 2012, but I had too much fun watching it and making fun of it to call it a disaster. It has some nice ideas but it needed an entirely different crew working on it. "Detention" sucks!

• Mario L M

  
  Veteran music video director and Torque helmer Joseph Khan is man with something to prove. First and foremost, he wants to prove that post-David Fincher/Scott brother music video directors can bring something to the table that goes beyond visually resplendent, originality free… More
  Veteran music video director and Torque helmer Joseph Khan is man with something to prove. First and foremost, he wants to prove that post-David Fincher/Scott brother music video directors can bring something to the table that goes beyond visually resplendent, originality free rehashes like (the admittedly good) Charlie Angels remake by Khan's contemporary McG. With Detention, his pop fantasia on pop deconstruction, Khan proves that's he's one of the few working American directors with an eye toward pushing the mainstream forward, even though he does quite have the cinematic chops to match his ambitions. Khan does succeed in proving that genre divisions are a thing of the past. From its first moments, Detention lets the audience know that itâ(TM)s not going to be a typical teen-horror comedy. We are introduced to Taylor, a Generation Y nightmare made from equal parts My Super Sweet Sixteen protagonist and Hipster Runoff article. She cheerfully berates her hapless family and potential hook ups while extolling her toxically narcissistic and hyper connected world view before being brutally murdered by a generic masked serial killer called Cinderhella. Khan demonstrates that he is aware of the simmering hatred that exists for particularly self-involved teenage girls and the dark satisfaction that comes from seeing them brutally, artfully murdered. From there we are introduced to a group of modernized high school stereotypes; Riley (Shanley Caswell), the kind of girl who goes to a costume party dressed as Angela Chase, Clapton (Josh Hutcherson), a boy with the personality of a young Matthew McConaughey and the taste of Pitchfork blogger, Ione (Spencer Locke) a fractal of a blonde cheerleader, and a lascivious nerd with omnicidal tendencies called Sander (Aaron David Johnson). Kahn uses and abuses his cast in all the ways we've seen before in '80 teen comedies, Kevin Williamson's '90s output and post 9/11 indie cinema for the first third of the film before adding plot lines of a half dozen other genre movies in the margins of the film to increasingly dazzling effect. Clapton is menaced by an impossibly stupid jock (Parker Bagley) who is going through a Cornenbergian body horror arc. Riley's Heathers' influenced quips fall away when sheâ(TM)s targeted by Cinderhella. Ione becomes the most popular girl in school pulling a Freaky Friday with her mother's teenage self who looks and acts exactly like her. Sander goes through an inversion of Donnie Darko's journey without the benefit of being as attractive as Jake Gyllenhaal. There are other genre types present such Dane Cook's youth hating principle and a few ethnic supporting players that have as minimal characterization, as is tradition but they're mostly window dressing to further underline the moral of most '80s teen comedies: destroy everything unique and unpleasant about yourself and you'll be happy. This thematic spine keeps the piece from falling into incoherence despite the disparate genre elements. Outside of the carefully dissection of generic types, to which Khan makes the unoriginal judgment that they are not full of depth, he does score some points for his vaguely insightful view of teenage life. Khan gives his kids broad cultural tastes that range from worshiping Patrick Swayze movies to a communal interest in watching the latest torture porn movie. They all speak in Williamson-ian hyper articulation and meta awareness with a presentational style that recalls in her prime Winona Ryder. These elements give the impression that Khan drew inspiration from his own youth rather than the throngs of Katy Perry loving youngsters that Khan makes videos for. But some things are timeless, like parties where the host demands that no one uses the toilet or the way inseparable friendships implode when mutual desire is introduced into the equation. These moments of adolescent pain and insecurity shine through all the layers of reference and sarcasm and hint that Khan has more going on than âlook at how well I've studied the things I loved as a childâ?. You can see Khan's enthusiasm and visual flair in sequences where a teenager lives through twenty years of changing musical and fashion trends in one beautiful 360 degree shot or how Khan subtly changes up how he films the movie depending on what genre he's playing with; lens flares and speed ramping for the horror scenes and color saturated medium and close shots for the romatic stuff. He also throws in a few bits of the fiery end-of-the-world terror, Glee style musical, and most enigmatically alien abduction conspiracy. This genre mà (C)lange works best when Khan focuses on the fantastic, as shown in his music video work where he does spectacle well but he stumbles with it comes to crafting relatable characters. Because Khan fails to maintain a balance between pop fun and smaller moments of human interaction, he fails to successful crossover formats the way Spike Jonze, Jonathan Glazer and Mark Romanek. Detenetion is solid first effort but a first effort nonetheless. At this point Khan has reached the level of Paul Hunter, Bryan Barber and Hype Williams, being an effective visual stylist who got to make one inventively directed, wildly uneven feature. Hunter, Barber and Williams all retreated back into the world of music videos with periodic threats to return to big screen film making with no success. Khan, with his anarchic tone, inarguable skills and ambition to prove that multiple genres can overlap without drowning each other out could find himself on par with Neveldine/Taylor or he could be the next Marcos Seiga, a man who directed one interesting film followed by a Ryan Reynolds drama and absolute nadir of any filmmaker's career, a Nick Cannon comedy. If he learns the right lessons from his first directorial effort and is selective about the material he works on next he'll make something amazing. If not, he'll be the third choice to direct Green Lantern 2.

• John H

  
  After hearing some pretty interesting things about "Detention" I just had to watch it. This is what I thought: it went from being rather brilliant, to nonsensical, to convoluted, to 'fuck you.' It references horror movies like Scream, Prom Night, The Fly, Carrie,… More
  After hearing some pretty interesting things about "Detention" I just had to watch it. This is what I thought: it went from being rather brilliant, to nonsensical, to convoluted, to 'fuck you.' It references horror movies like Scream, Prom Night, The Fly, Carrie, and Saw without being overly obvious (sometimes). 'Detention' can be clever when it's not trying to be complicated by tying up loose ends or making sure a little, almost insignificant joke made in the first act comes back in the final minutes of the film. And without giving anything away starts to become overly ridiculous when the movie's title makes a cameo. So farfetched in fact to the point where you just don't care about the characters or what the hell is even going on. To it's credit it does start off very strong and smart. There are many 1990s zingers that have their special purpose to lighten the movie's mood. It's original(ish) and different for the average movie goer. Much like 'Cabin in the Woods', this was shelved for years and official released on the same day with a similar theme and genre set in mind. Unlike Cabin, it's a trashy mess the further it progresses.

• Dead A

  
  This movie is ridiculous. It doesn't have any story. It's disgustingly done still I ended up liking it. Yes, I liked it a lot. Don't expect anything (I mean it, anything) from this. If you're bored and just feel like watching something, see it.

• Tyler C

  
  Felt like an offspring of Diablo Cody and Edgar Wright, and portrayed high school as if it were on speed and acid. Yet, I really enjoyed it for its meta-ness, countless pop-culture references, and never caring for how it hardly ever makes sense. Bound to be one of the biggest cult… More
  Felt like an offspring of Diablo Cody and Edgar Wright, and portrayed high school as if it were on speed and acid. Yet, I really enjoyed it for its meta-ness, countless pop-culture references, and never caring for how it hardly ever makes sense. Bound to be one of the biggest cult hits of this year!

• Caesar M

  
  I've got no idea what I just witness in Detention. Detention is an odd film that despite having a very poorly written script and pacing was still enjoyable. Detention has no central plot to speak or any real focus for that matter. We have aliens, a time-machine in a Bear… More
  I've got no idea what I just witness in Detention. Detention is an odd film that despite having a very poorly written script and pacing was still enjoyable. Detention has no central plot to speak or any real focus for that matter. We have aliens, a time-machine in a Bear statue, end of the world scenario, a time traveling plot point, a prom, some teenager with mutant traits, and a cow going into an alien spaceship all in one movie. One thing you'll probably notice upon viewing this is that it lacks logic, proper pacing, and is overall uneven. Despite not being able to balance comedy and horror well together, the comedic aspect worked. It did generally me laugh, though the constant pop culture references are annoying. It's very self aware that it's a movie and doesn't take itself too serious and should you while watching it. Another problem are the unnecessary back stories for some of the characters and other characters we could done without. It'll definitely appeals more to younger audiences while older audiences might simply hate this the nonsense of what they're witnessing. Though despite poor writing in general, it's a movie you shouldn't take seriously and simply enjoy the craziness the ensures. Other than the annoying blonde in the beginning of the movie who thankfully dies within three minutes, the cast is pretty likable. You could tell the cast had a blast doing such a ridiculous and over the top film. Josh Hutcherson is actually enjoyable here, unlike the last soulless movie I saw him in called The Forger. Although I do disapprove of Josh Hutcherson saving Dane Cook in 1992, which explains Hucterson lack of popularity. Shanley Caswell is not only good looking, but likable, charming, and not that bad of an actress. Dane Cook, like always, is unfunny. Although you do get to see him get axed in the chest, but unfortunately he lives by the end of the movie. The movie has some nice visual, kinetic energy, and a enjoyable cast. Detention lacks plot and is simply weird to experience, but it doesn't take itself seriously and neither should you for a good time. If you're not a not demanding a central plot or anything that requires using your brain, Detention is the movie for you.

• Daniel P

  
  This movie is an absolute mess - it's ALL OVER THE PLACE. The makers are obviously striving hard (a little too hard) for cult status. Along with the central serial killer story, there's the guy with the puss infested angry hand, a time-travelling alien-abducted bear, a… More
  This movie is an absolute mess - it's ALL OVER THE PLACE. The makers are obviously striving hard (a little too hard) for cult status. Along with the central serial killer story, there's the guy with the puss infested angry hand, a time-travelling alien-abducted bear, a cross-decades mind swap and a ballet-hip-hop dance to Backstreet Boys. There's also a self-parody, self-aware, post-ironic streak that gradually gets more and more absurd and tonnes of very funny dialogue. There are also some great riffs on the Scream series (especially Scream 4), Saw, Freaky Friday and Donnie Darko. About a third of the film works but when it does it's excellent, and even when it's being massively excessive it's still enjoyable. A bizarre film to be sure.

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