It’s no coincidence that Joss Whedon’s long-delayed passion project Cabin in the Woods is hitting theaters less than a month before his second, and biggest, directorial effort, on Marvel’s all-but-guaranteed blockbuster Avengers. It is probably also not a coincidence that Cabin stars the Avengers’ own god of thunder, Chris Hemsworth.
This is cash grab scheduling at its most disappointingly obvious, but it is a deceptively high quality cash grab.
Directed by Cloverfield director Drew Goddard, Cabin in the Woods is full-tilt geek bait of the highest order, but you’d never know it from the setup. Cabin revolves around five college friends, including Hemsworth’s brainy jock, Curt; Kristen Connolly’s virginal Dana; Jesse Wiliams’ brainy wallpaper, Holden; Anna Hutchinson’s slutty Jules; and Whedon repertory player Fran Kranz’s shaggy stoner Marty. The five make their way to the nominal cabin, which is buried behind a mountain and just beside a crystal clear lake, where after a night of mild debauchery they run afoul of a few backwoods zombies that prove to be just the absolute tip of the iceberg of secrets that lies beneath the mysterious cabin in the woods.
Whedon and Goddard tip their hand pretty early in Cabin as to the what’s going beneath the surface, which is a fairly smart and consistently funny--mostly due to Kranz’s pitch perfect timing and Whedon’s reliably quippy--satire on the moral absolutist underpinnings of the modern slasher flick. Anybody with a cursory knowledge of Whedon’s oeuvre--especially Buffy spinoff, Angel--knows what’s going on from the second frame. Whedon and Goddard obviously know their target audience, as well as a fair amount of the casual audience, and they lay out a solid trail of bread crumbs before zagging at the zig points and delivering a climax and denouement so far out of left field, yet so thoroughly entertaining, that audiences will be hard pressed to keep their jaws off the ground in the last half hour. As entertaining as the proceedings are, Goddard takes a workman-like approach to the visual style, failing to bring even a fraction of the slim degree of artistry he brought to Cloverfield to Cabin, and relies far too heavily on pat jump scares. Luckily, Whedon’s script carries the load, remaining punchy and smart throughout while eschewing some of Whedon’s trademark cutesy Buffy-isms. Based on the script alone, Whedon and Goddard show a lot of respect to their audience’s intelligence and appreciation for genre storytelling, which isn’t uncommon but always welcome in today’s geek-pandering market.
Whedon pulled double duty as writer and producer on Cabin, which makes the presence of the parade of Buffy, Dollhouse, and Angel alumnus less than a surprise. Ironically, Hemsworth, who wasn’t a household name when Cabin was filmed, is probably the biggest draw. Here, Hemsworth seems to be prepping for his role as Marvel’s Mighty Mjolnir slinger by ratcheting that frat boy excess up to nine by essentially playing Scooby Doo’s Freddy with an academic scholarship. Make no mistake, all the cast are playing live action variations on the original Scooby Gang--not Buffy’s--some far better than other. Despite some noble attempts, Hutchinson is more unsettling than appealing as Jules--which is probably the point--while poor Jesse Williams fades completely into the background as Holden. Kristen Connolly plays virtuous hero girl Dana with the typical empty heroism expected of the character, apparently failing to take advantage of the wisdom of the Joss and make the character come alive in any unique way.
Per usual for Whedon’s works, the supporting characters are the real stars. Kanz’s Marty will quickly become an audience favorite for being smart, likable, and resilient. Veteran character actors Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford also prove memorable as a pair of overhyped, underachieving salarymen who are try to keep the Cabin Scoobies experience on track, and both are hilariously adept at making their less than savory work mildly entertaining with the help of Whedon’s favorite Mary Sue, Amy Acker, in a role that may seem quite familiar to Angel fans. There are also a few casting surprises that are more satisfying in execution than intent.
Indeed for a three-year old horror love letter satire that eschews torture porn, gore for the sake of gore, and thin ghost stories, Cabin offers an intelligent and entertaining take on a genre that is slightly closer to Whedon’s heart than superheroes. If only this was released three years ago, it wouldn’t be such an obvious, borderline insulting cash grab, and maybe, Whedon wouldn’t have to risk his directorial career on one big blockbuster.
The Yin and the Yang of it -
Yin: Obvious cash grab to capitalize on the upcoming Avengers flick and Whedon and Hemsworth’s impending superstardom. Geek bait to the extreme; may alienate those who don’t worship at the foot of the Joss. Not particularly scary save fora few obligatory jump scares.
Yang: Consistently witty and intelligent satire with biting commentary on horror and the genre’s moralistic underpinnings. Franz Kanz should earn a greater measure of stardom thanks to his smart, likable turn as a hyper aware stoner. Packed with cameos and bit parts from Dollhouse, Buffy, and Angel Alum, reinforcing its position as pure geek bait.
In-Between: Beware the Unicorn.
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