The Bottom Line
Pros
- Good acting
- Twisty plot
- Good gore effects
Cons
- Shallow, unlikable characters
- Unbelievable plot
- Too over-the-top
Description
- Starring Milo Ventimiglia, Alyssa Milano, Michael Weston, Lauren Lee Smith, Keir O'Donnell, John de Lancie
- Directed by Marc Schoelermann
- Rated R
- DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Guide Review - 'Pathology' DVD Review
Ted has it all: a degree from Harvard, a rich and beautiful fiancée and a new residency at the prestigious Metropolitan University pathology program. So why would he throw it all away? Because it's in the script, silly!
That's the only explanation for why he'd want to hang out with the group of obnoxious fellow students who haze him from day one. Or maybe it's because they're the cool kids: hip, sexy, foul-mouthed and so over it.
Jake, the head jerk, initiates Ted into a little "game" that this inner circle plays. They take turns killing someone deemed irredeemable, and when the body comes through the morgue, the others discern the method of death. Ted puts up little resistance before joining.
If that weren't bad enough, Ted decides that killing is an aphrodisiac and starts having sex with fellow gamester Juliette wherever possible. Oh, and they smoke crack. At some point, Ted's had enough -- like, when Gwen decides to move in with him -- but Jake won't let him go so easily.
I realize that movies stretch reality, but are we supposed to believe not only that these med students can keep this game going forever, but that THEY THINK they can keep it going forever? Everything about the characters and their actions rings false, and if they rang true, they'd still be despicable.
It's not surprising that Pathology comes from the writers of the overcharged, underbrained Crank. It's "extreme" in the most Hollywood of ways: instead of normal sex, its sex has to include corpses, lesbians, crack pipes and S&M.
Still, the film remains watchable, if only to see if the characters redeem themselves. (They don't.) The cast is strong, especially Michael Weston as Jake, but thanks to this spawn of CSI, Gossip Girl and Jolt Cola, I doubt I'll ever visit a doctor again.
The DVD
Special features include commentary, alternate scenes and featurettes.
Movie: C-
DVD: B-
