Nicolas Cage may be epitomised as the mad monk of Hollywood but there is no denying his name still has pulling power for studios. Despite a lull in mainstream releases, he has not slowed down and has a plethora of films released since his golden age of FACE/OFF and THE ROCK. A man who has delved in almost every genre, horror included. While his performance in THE WICKER MAN may be questionable, his roles in VAMPIRE’S KISS and PAY THE GHOST are engaging and well worn. With MOM AND DAD, there’s a perfect match for an actor who is famed for his crazed outbursts on and off screen and it’s one that pays well.

 

When parents are succumbed to a virus that causes them to affect their born, it’s up to the children to save themselves and their parents where they can. As more and more families feed to their animal instincts, the death toll increases and daughter and son, Anne Winters and Zackary Arthur to fend for themselves against an enraged Nic Cage and Selma Blair.

 

For anyone who’s seen a zombie film you know what to expect and while MOM AND DAD has some shortfalls, it’s pretty ridiculous fun at its best. As far as story goes, it kick starts with parents attending school and in a mob, force themselves to fight for their children to which much chaos ensues. While there is little in terms of depth, the film then takes some time to introduce the spoilt relationship of Blair and Cage which harbours the pace but once things kick in, MOM AND DAD showcases what could possibly be Cage’s best role since HEART AT HEART.

 

MOM AND DAD is laced with black humour and some rather crude indulgences but always keeps you on the edge of your toes and a surprise cameo from LANCE HENRICKSON is sheer genius. With some kinetic camera work in the vein of CRANK it’s easy to see why director Brian Taylor was a perfect fit for the material. The unfortunate side is that the films subject and age rating mean much of the action and violence is taken off screen, something Taylor has not been afraid of doing with his previous works so it is somewhat upsetting to see the lack of more gorier moments but that’s not to say there aren’t any, just not enough.

 

Wild, frantic and an enjoyable blast but one which had potential to be near perfect, MOM AND DAD is an enjoyable romp full of original twists and turns and we’ve not had this much fun for some time, so to Brian Taylor we salute you, let’s have some more of this.