“Now we’re playing some football.”
Let’s just start with the high marks: Marlon does his thing, which I fully expected that he would. Right when you think that we have already seen the best that he has to offer, he finds a new gear, and let it be known that he will not be typecast as just a comedian or as a writer or as producer. He is, in fact, him. Pun intended. Tyriq Withers shows some promise as a leading man, and like his character is clearly hungry to make a name for himself, with this project being his second box office horror appearance this year (the other being I Know What You Did Last Summer). Also, you can see Jordan’s Peele’s influence on the film, as there are a handful of similarities to his previous projects. However, Him, while entertaining, does not achieve the same impact as those aforementioned projects. There was plenty of intrigue, but the train somewhat comes off the track, particularly in regard to the film’s conclusion.
The film was originally titled “GOAT,” which in my opinion would have been a better title for the project considering the film’s themes, as it would have given the film title a double entendre meaning. Tyriq Withers is in the lead role as Cameron Cade, a professional football prospect with much speculation around him; despite just embarking on his professional career, the public is already talking about his potential to become the greatest quarterback in league history. However, a random act of violence threatens to derail that future. Redemption comes in the form of an offer from Isiah White (Marlon Wayans), a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback and Cade’s favorite player. With his career coming to an end, White invites Cade to a week-long training camp at his private desert compound. Cade is very eager to seize this opportunity to learn from a player he has admired since childhood.
Each day of the camp Cade must face a challenge that represents an attribute that is essential for a quarterback to have. And each day, things escalate quickly, as the challenges come with real world risks and implications, including a practice drill where a football machine repeatedly hits a player in the head. This drill serves as Cade’s introduction to the dark side of the training camp. It is also where it became clear the tone wouldn’t match the situation. We are essentially thrown into the scene without much buildup. I imagine this was done to take the audience by surprise, but I think it would have worked better if White had taken Cade aside beforehand and directly asked what he was willing to do to become the GOAT, or more specifically, what he was willing to sacrifice. This scene does exist in the film, but it is after this moment. And I am not advocating moving that scene forward, as it serves an important purpose where is and builds intensity. However, in my opinion, an additional scene without the intensity where the question of what he would sacrifice was asked would be a good plot point that could be continuously referred to in moments when Cade’s commitment wavered. It might have been also good to imbue Cade with a bit more compassion for his fellow man; that way it would add to his struggle with the harshness of the challenges.
On the other hand, Marlon was on point with these scenes. He switched from charming to intimidating as easily as flipping a light switch. It was his energy that really carried the weight of these scenes. Not that I expected any different. The two actors fit their roles very well, Marlon as the seasoned veteran leading Withers’ doe-eyed rookie down a dark path. More resistance on Withers’ part would have been welcome, because while he does bring the right intensity and delivers on a pivotal emotional scene, the character is too easily corrupted in my opinion. It needed to be more of a tug-of-war with Withers’ character coming to despise his mentor on some level. Without the building of that tension, it made the crucial confrontation between the characters feel rushed and the tone mismatched. We needed an additional fifteen minutes of tension-building before we got to this confrontation.
Video
Him is presented in a shifting aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and 1.78:1. The ultra-high-definition 2160p image is arrived at by an HEVC codec with an average bitrate of 65 mbps. The style of the film gets quite surreal as it progresses more and more into the dark madness of it all. The film is usually dark, where contrast becomes the best asset. In that spiraling darkness are a lot of crazy figures and characters, and the subdued colors come through pretty much as intended. You get that orange-feathered character that almost appears on fire in spots. There’s certainly an atmosphere here, and the film stays faithful to it all. Black levels are deep, and there’s wonderful definition between the inky blacks and the blacks with so much additional eye candy to set the tone and mood here. I’m not sure I like or understand it much, but you can be sure the release is faithful to the intended material.
Audio
The Dolby Atmos audio presentation defaults to 7.1. Like the image presentation the audio presentation is quite out there. Surrounds deliver some interesting things that … again, I’m not quite sure I understand. There’s a lot of church-like music and audio here to fit the theme, but it feels far from reverent. Dialog cuts through, and there’s plenty of bottom to give it that creepy edge that all contributes to a unique atmosphere here.
Special Features
The extras are found one on each disc with an audio commentary.
Alternate Ending – Zay’s Nightmare: (2:13)
Deleted End Credit Scene – Food Or Freedom: (1:07) What we call a stinger.
Deleted Scenes: (13:19) There are five with a handy play-all option.
Becoming Them: (9:07) We get a look at the training the two leads went through to get their bodies in shape and also to look authentic when throwing a football. I mean, these guys are supposed to be two of the best ever, yeah? We also get a closer look at the two actors.
The Sport Of Filmmaking: (16:10) This feature takes more of a look at the “vision” of the film. We get some in-depth looks at the symbology used throughout and the production design which incorporates plenty of religious iconography.
Final Thoughts:
Which brings me to final gripe with the film: its conclusion, or more specifically the inadequacy of the film’s true villain. Throughout the film, we watch as they work in the shadows, manipulating Cade and aptly operating behind the scenes, but when the curtain is pulled back and they are revealed, they are as threatening as a so-called Wizard from the land of Oz. I suppose this was intentional. However, given what the villain is supposed to represent, I found this disappointing, and not even the ensuing bloodbath was enough to overcome this.
Parts of this review were written by Gino Sassani
