In the movie Black Friday, the shambling beasts people can become simply consume, mutate, multiply and destroy. It all takes place on the day after American Thanksgiving. It’s amusing to see a commentary on rabid consumerism take on a different meaning. The idea is not new. George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead was the first; instead of an invasion upon a mall, this film sees a big box operations as the true threat.
With Bruce Campbell playing Jonathan Wexler, the store manager, I can’t help but wonder if an early draft was considering an Army of Darkness sequel. Instead of S-Mart, the terror comes to All-Mart. Instead of seeing this actor take the lead, he has a smaller part where he plays a schmuck who thinks he can retire after decades of service to this chain. I’m sure writer Andy Greskoviak wanted to try his hand at what could’ve been. Plus, a recent interview on Screen Rant said the man with the chin retired from that series.
Campbell still gets the best lines, though. His moment comes when he reveals why these Black Friday sales are a capitalists dream come true. Production-wise, the creature design effects and gore is very inspired. It brought all the love I have for EC Comics to life.
But as for what this invasion means, nobody knows. This movie sets up a potential to go further with this story. We know little about why these invaders. This story is like Zombieland in that we have a gang of nobodies attempting to survive. Whether that’s in tending to the till or keeping shelves well stocked, it all goes to naught when the beasts are after them and they are forced to abandon their post.
The commentary is perfect. I found the watch worthwhile since it debuted on Black Friday. Should there be more films, I have to wonder where Cyber Monday could take it. I can imagine the Borg from Star Trek taking a swipe. But as for Boxing Day, if viewers had to go with a literal translation, I’m sure everyone surviving the movie would come out bruised.
3 Stars out of 5
