Cursed (2005)

 Cursed (2005)

It's sad when a film has everything it needs to be an amazing film, but because of the terrible industry executives constantly interrupting and demanding changes, they took what had potential to be a great film, and turned it into a terrible film.  Cursed from 2005, was looking to be a great film with Wes Craven directing and a screenplay by Kevin Williamson the same due that created Scream as well as special effects genius Rick Baker, and with a cast featuring Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg, and a decent size budget, it had all of the makings of a great film.  However, Dimension Films exec Bob Weinstein kept interrupting production of the film demanding, changes.  With 90% of the original version filmed, they had to start over with a new script, ultimately the film would take about two years to complete, and it would rack up an outrageous budget of between $35-75 million.   Cursed in its final form was either a PG-13 or R rated film (which version you got depends on where you lived) about a brother and sister who are scratched by a werewolf after a car accident, and must find the original werewolf and kill it which will end the cures.   The film pays homage to the classic Universal Wolfman film, including a lifesize statue of Lon Chaney Jr's Wolfman character, and the silver wolf head cane that his character had in that film.  However this film would end up being a huge failure due to corporate executive interference. 

Cursed was directed by Wes Craven, with a screenplay by Kevin Williamson.  Rick Baker would be fired by Weinstein who felt that instead of the practical effects that had been done for the film, that the werewolves should be done with CGI, and the CGI ended up looking absolutely terribly, and very cartoonish.  The film was produced by Dimension Films and Outerbanks Entertainment, and was distributed by Miramax in 2005 two years after production started.   The film was a major box office bomb grossing just over $29.6 million against its obscene budget of $35-75 million.  With the film's budget, there was no possible way that it could have made a profit, and was doomed to be a major loss.   The film was panned by the critics, and even Wes Craven and some of the cast members have expressed their distaste of the film, which is really unfortunate as if it wasn't for Weinstein's interference the film had all of the elements of being a successful film, that would have come in at a much more modest budget.   Cursed was a cursed film, and the only reason Wes Craven didn't leave was because they were paying him double his normal directorial fees. 

Cursed stars Christina Ricci as Ellie Myers, Jesse Eisenberg plays her brother Jimmy Myers, Joshua Jackson plays her love interest Jake Taylor, Judy Greer as Joanie, Milo Ventimiglia as Jimmy's bully Bo, Kristina Anapau plays Jimmy's crush Brooke, Portia de Rossi as Zela, Shannon Elizabeth as Becky Morton, Mya as Jenny Tate, Michael Rosenbaum as Kyle, and Eric Ladin as Louie.  The film also features cameos by Scott Baio, Craig Kilborn, Lance Bass, and pop-punk band Bowling For Soup playing themselves.   The failure of this film can't be blamed on the cast, because honestly the cast of the film did great for with what they had to work with, but sadly what they had to work with, just kept descending in quality with each reshoot.  I loved Christina Ricci in this film, as I do in pretty much everything that she's in, and I also felt that Jesse Eisenberg was quite convincing in his role.  There wasn't really anything the talented cast could do to save this cursed film.  If they had been allowed to actually make the film that Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven had began making, with the talented cast that they had, then this would easily have been a great film, and one loved by the audience.  This is a great example of why the "money" should stay out of the creation of films, and put their trust in the writers and directors that were hired to create the art that they were hired to create. This isn't the first nor is it the last film that has been ruined by studio execs, and that is a true tragedy.

I don't hate Cursed, there are so many things that I want to like about this film, I adore Christina Ricci, and casting her as a woman cursed with becoming a werewolf is something that I think that she would be amazing for.  Then also the idea of Christina Ricci starring in a Wes Craven film was something that I really looked forward to seeing.  As if I needed a reason to hate studio execs, especially the Weinsteins, they took this film which should have been an amazing film and turned it into a piece of crap.  I wish that they could have finished the original film that they had set out to shoot, and could have just re-released the film that they meant to make, rather than the one that they were forced to make.  However there is a lot to not like about this film, and the harsh criticism is valid, the effects look absolutely terrible, there are plot holes, and elements that don't make sense and contradict themselves, and some of the celebrity cameos just feel cheesy, honestly this entire film is just absolutely cheesy.  Stephen King described Maximum Overdrive as a "moron movie", which I think is a great way to describe Cursed.  Cursed is a "moron movie", it is a film that is fun to disengage your brain, and just watch for mindless entertainment, which is really all this film is, just mindless entertainment.  This film has so much wasted talented, between the talented director, screenwriter, effects artist (who was fired), and the amazing and talented cast, all completely wasted on this mindless fluff of a film. If you come across a copy, go ahead and watch it, if you want a night of mindless entertainment, with a talented cast who are nice to look at, and a couple of cheesy funny moments from time to time, I mean you get to see a werewolf give Christina Ricci the finger (that part always makes me laugh), so yeah, watch it for mindless entertainment and to see a great cast doing the best they can, with a bullshit film, that was ruined by studio execs.   Worth watching, but that is about it.