I’m going to say from the start that Slice isn’t for everyone, but those who come across this film and give it a chance will come away having a good time with this film. It’s a new release from A 24, which quickly got my attention considering the numerous films the company has been releasing that I’ve enjoyed. While it’s a horror-comedy, there is more going on in this little film, as it injects a sociopolitical message in it. I like a film that can function on several levels, but I never expected to find it in a film about pizza delivery guys being killed by monsters.
The film opens up with a fun little PSA that introduces us to the town of Kingfisher and the story about how all the ghosts were uprooted from their homes and placed into a town of their own, conveniently called Ghost Town. But ghosts are not the only monsters lurking in this world, as we are also introduced to werewolves as well. The film wastes no time getting started as we see a delivery guy get killed while making a delivery inside Ghost Town. Perfect Pizza is also under attack by a group of women who believe the pizza shop should be closed since it was built on top of where an asylum once was, where many of the ghosts are rumored to be from.
The film is simply too silly to ever be taken seriously and fits nicely alongside other films like Turbo Kid and The FP. What will help generate an audience is the role Chance “the Rapper” plays in the film and does so with plenty of charm and charisma. I don’t want to get delve to deeply into Chance’s role other than to say he isn’t in much of the film considering that he gets top billing, but for what he is in he manages to make the most out of it. It’s Astrid (Zazie Beets) who carries a lot of the film, and it’s her performance that helps us slide into this over-the-top, zany monster world. Astrid’s ex happens to be the first delivery guy that is killed, so she becomes obsessed with finding justice for her old-time flame.
What is a little disappointing is that the film seems to have difficulty staying on subject as it bounces from the plight of the ghosts to the murder in town. The characters come off a bit stale as well, considering none of them seem to be developed. There are numerous characters that come and go over the course of the film, but with none of them fully developed, it’s hard to really latch on and care about what happens to these characters. What helps deliver some laughs is having comedians Paul Scheer (the owner of Perfect Pizza) and Chris Parnell (a not-so-bright detective); they seem to be having a blast in the film, and it helps seeing that come through in their performances.
Another drawback to the film is that the FX and gore just feels a bit weak. If not for the entertaining script, I feel I would have turned this one off partway in, but I’m glad I stuck with it, because it’s a fun flick. This is the kind of film, though, I feel will get a chance to redeem some of its missteps if a sequel or two were to come out of it. It’s a lot of fun. It’s on par with the Wolfcop series, which has its flaws as well but is gaining a nice cult following.
