World Debut at Fantasia Film Festival 2024
July 21, 2024 6:30 PM
Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)
To be a wrestler is tough. Quite often, not everyone will find the success they crave. Whether that’s with fame or making a living at it, that’ll depend on the individual. And when we’re dealing with an ominously titled movie like Dark Match, just what the hero(es) has to face may well be their own demons!
When Lowell Dean‘s name is on the billing, hopefully the name recognition will sell this film. And what this creator of Wolfcop has created has classic supernatural spin wrapped around a classic 80s style sports-action film. I call this Bloodsport meets Friday the 13th meets Fight Club.
Here, Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) is hardly satisfied with her life. She’s one member of a group of small-time wrestlers who hope that one day, some media mogul offers them a deal of a lifetime. Unfortunately, when they are asked to bring their travelling show to a backwater town, they are none the wiser. They don’t realise the ring-leader they’re dealing with was a former wrestler himself, and that he fell from grace a long time ago. Only Mean Joe Lean (Steven Ogg) knows something about his past!
The person leading the charge is a person named The Prophet (Chris Jericho), and he’s nastier than a Cajun swamp rat. It’s about time this wrestler has a meaty role to put his stamp on. In contrast to the type of character he plays in the comedy series, I am Chris Jericho, where he is downright down-to-earth, this film shows the opposite. After seeing this work, I want him to play Shredder in the next TMNT movie!
Unfortunately, this movie isn’t about him. Instead, the focus is on Behave, Joe, Enigma (Mo Jabari), and Kate the Great (Sara Canning) believing that their next match will finally pay off. But when their manager Rusty (Jonathan Cherry) says their next match can help the fulfill their dreams due to the payoff, little do they know it’ll be the opposite! Their lives are in danger when they engage in a show simply called Lupercalia.
What’s presented isn’t your typical WWE style eye candy. This is a horror movie after all. And as for why this film has inter-titles like a classic boxing match on television, that’s because everything is building up to something potentially world devastating. Mystery fills the air. For every wrestler slain who does not end up at the hospital, that “sacrifice” is one step closer to unleashing something worse. The Prophet is summoning something to this Earth, and as for why he’s evil, for once there’s a terrific backstory to explain his motives.
And what’s developed in Dark Match shares similarities with another wrestling film I saw. Both concern a heroine having doubts at success in the ring; they often play second fiddle to everything going on, and to achieve success doesn’t have to require blood sacrifice. Little Lucha and the Big Deal is worth the view. Although this work does not concern the occult, to the protagonist engaging in a street fight rather than in the ring defines this work at a different level. Please stay tuned for that review, as I will post that mid-week.
As for Dark Match, just where this film ends is daring. All I can say is that the concept is like a Lovecraftian tale where the heroes are often ill-prepared. After the match of the century, I feel Behave has what it takes to beat down the devil at his own game; we simply need a continuation to cheer her on!
4 Stars out of 5
Dark Match Movie Teaser Trailer
Discover more from Otaku no Culture
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
