not horrible nor great

Good concept, poorly executed.

Absolutely Fantastic

A Brilliant Conflict

The best way to describe this high school science-fiction horror tale is a cross between the 'The Breakfast Club' and 'The Thing'. From the premise to the execution, it is clear that director Robert Rodriguez, the man behind the vampire-horror 'From Dusk Til Dawn', is drawing inspiration from other cinematic entities of its genre, as well as the classic teen flicks from the John Hughes era. The evidence could not be more clearer, especially with writer Kevin Williamson of 'Scream', 'Scream 2' and the teen drama television series 'Dawson's Creek' working by his side. So while the film never aims to be anything original nor does it present itself in a way to be taken too seriously, it is Rodriguez's campy execution that keeps thing moving without slipping into the cracks of tedium. After all, the genesis of this film is a battle between high school kids and their teachers may or may not be members of the extraterrestrial race. Set in the fictional town of Herrington, Ohio, the film introduces high school students Casey (played by Elijah Wood), a photographer of the school's yearbook who is constantly a target of meat-headed bullies, Delilah (played by Jordana Brewster), the vindictive editor-in-chief of the yearbook, Stan (played by Shawn Hatosy), Delilah's boyfriend and star quarterback who's quitting the football team run by his tough-as-nails coach Joe Willis (played by Robert Patrick) to focuses on his academics, Stokely (played by Clea Duvall), a goth girl who is rumored to be a lesbian, Zeke (played by Josh Hartnett), a rebellious punk who is repeating his senior year while selling drugs and IDs to his fellow classmates, and Marybeth (played by Laura Harris), a new student. When a mysterious alien parasite from an otherworldly planet begins spreading around the school campus and invading the body of the teachers and staff, these kids must work together to fight against this mysterious invasion. That is if they crack the code and find out who the queen is. The inspirations of classic novels like 'Invasion of The Body Snatchers' and John Carpenter's The Thing are crystal clear. Even the character make numerous references of this and other science- fiction works in the dialogue. While Robert Rodriguez sorely lacks fuel in the tank of originality, the best thing he manages to accomplishes is keeping clever, even when he more often than not burns through the playbook of overused high school tropes. The characters, each of whom resemblance archetypes of the 'The Breakfast Club', are gifted with some clever and at times, funny dialogue to make how thinly drawn they are. Josh Hartnett's character Zeke, in particularly, grants us with the most laughs. Kudos go out to his scenes with Mrs. Burke, played by Famke Janssen, which marks the most laugh-worthy moments in the film. But is the plot that marks the film's biggest strengths. The first half focuses on the buildup and growing paranoia as the characters witness this bizarre behavior of the teachers and staff, before building up an intensifying climax in which the battle between the characters and the gory alien showdown rages on. In the process, the story doesn't proceed without leaving sprinkles of suspense trudging through each scene the characters are in danger. Although the entire second half, particularly in one scene, too often reeks of familiarity of The Thing, Rodriguez know how to put on a show with his gruesome special effects once the action hits a boiling point. As for the cast, everyone is mostly solid, nothing really memorable -- unless considering the creep demeanor of Robert Patrick displaying a sinister portrayal of a football coach who always feels like he is on another planet.The Faculty is fun, campy science-fiction horror bound to please teens and adults thirsty for a gory alien invasion scarefest not meant to taken seriously. By no means does the film even closely match up the par of the cinematic bolts Rodriguez draws inspirations from. Of course, to expect something on that level would not be too reasonable. After all, this is not Ridley Scott working behind the camera.

If this were a term paper and I were part of the Faculty marking it: A+ Nothing short of brilliant and still an enjoyable romp to this day, bringing an old premise into new territory (a talent of screenwriter Kevin Williamson, whom in my opinion is wasting the amount of awesome movies he could be writing on television shows I have no interest in).Robert Rodrigues' best work (to me), and I've never seen him rise above this gem in anything else he has done.The score by Marco Beltrami, the various artist's soundtrack, the actors and actresses, the colouring of the film, the dialogue, the characters, the twists, the turns...everything is like lightning in a bottle.Watched this in High School and it will go down as one of my all time favourites.

The strange think about high school is despite everyone in close proximity with each other we don't really know the person we pass by because where never really ourselves.This film I feel is an under the radar gem, I may'be in the minority on this but this is one of my favorite alien invasion films and it's also one of my favorite films from the director Robert Rodregiez. This was one of the first times this director stepped out of his comfort zone to do something different and this to me is his only hit in that area.Yeah it's another horror film involving teens but what makes this different is that it's not a slasher; instead it's alien invasion. Which I think is a cool idea and a change of pace; instead of having the standard of having teens deal with some killer on the loose they have to deal with alien invasion and save the world which I think is awesome; it's pretty much "The Breakfast Club" mixed with "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" which I think is a great combo.I really like the high school atmosphere they create which doesn't feel like another positive stylized high school you'd see on any teen TV drama, but actually felt like a real high school as you see it's almost a cesspool of dysfunction. This I feel increases the realatablity factor because things like this do happen in high schools.The effects on the creatures are solid, it's a slight mix of both CGI and practical. The designs of the aliens are solid if not the greatest aliens, their pretty much nasty parasites or slugs that you just want to pour a big bottle of salt to.But to me it's not really the aliens that make the film it's more the characters and suspense that to me drive the film. I really like how the characters interact with one another, each of them at first are wearing psychological social masks to protect and hide themselves. But once crap goes down, they all take them off and be what they should be to win the war, themselves.Two of my favorites are Casey played well by Elijah Wood (TV's Over the Garden Wall) whom is an actor I really like. His character is great because he is a bit like myself. He's shy, a bit of a loner, ill confidant but not short of courage, but the guy is a real underdog. He doesn't have much luck with ladies, he's a target for bullies, doesn't have any friends or at least any we know about which is all the more reason we really route for this guy to win. Even like the chemistry he has with Deliah there's a bit of a Mary Jane and Peter Parker like vibe going on with both of them.Though my favorite is Stokely (Clea Duvall) whom I thought was kinda cute, she is a goth almost. She has a lot of attitude but what I love is that she is kinda a geek at heart since she's a big sci-fi fan as she reads lots of sci-fi books which makes her relatable since I'm also a fan of the genre and love to read the books in it. But also that deep down she is really possess a lot of warmth. I really like her interaction with Stan to me their the one couple in this film that stand out, I really like how both slowly open up and warm up to one another.I really like how there is a blend of both teen agust drama and the alien invasion suspense. And of course the film is light hearted fun as well, it doesn't take itself too seriously but has it's heart in the right place all the same.One of the dramatic moments that stand out is when Stan talks to Stokely about quiting athletics because he wants more and focus on academics to find himself. Which I though was a very humane moment and pertains to the theme of the film. Part of being a teen is about finding out who you are and figuring out what you can do, and sports careers aren't forever.It's true there not really much in action which is a bit of a first for Rob's films. But that's because this is more of a suspense thriller which I think is great and makes the protagonists and the actions they have to take more believable because their all just ordinary people; and the pacing is great there really isn't a slow moment or any time to really relax much. There is the sense of isolation but also at the same time community with the protagonists.One sequence which to me is one of my favorite one's of all time is seeing all of the character take the drug test which is reminiscent of the blood test scene in John Carpenter's "The Thing". That scene was also really funny as we see afterward their all kinda tripping. And of course yes they use drugs as a weapon against the aliens which I like because their using a non cleche weapon.I really like how the film tackles the issues of alienation and isolation that teens go though. But I also think on the fear on being pressured to conform to certain standards and norms that are constantly imposed on us and how it will turn us into something we don't want to be. And the film I feel has a good message which is to simply be yourself, determine your own identity don't let anyone or any system do it for you, it's your life you decide.Overall, "The Faculty" gets a pass.Rating: 4 stars

Every high school has its issues. Whether it is misbehaved youth, poor budgeting management, inadequate staff or out of date supplies, there's always something that needs work. Interestingly enough, most students would likely say that it's their teachers that make their time feel like a waste. Sometimes this is true, while other times teachers are used as scapegoats for another person's problems. But what if the teachers were the problem and their intent was much more serious than one would expect? This is what happens when a random cluster of students at an ordinary high school discover that their teachers aren't what they appear to be.Directing this movie is Robert Rodriguez who has a story in the genre of horror for the second time - before that was From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Accompanying Rodriguez is writer Kevin Williamson who also wrote for Scream (1996) and the rest of its later sequels. The strange thing is, much of the material Williamson uses is blatantly taken from other movies. Yet he does it in a way that at least credits them and somewhat morphs it into his own without coming off as complete copy. For example, there are some conversations that discuss the previous "Invasion of the Body Snatcher" films. The leads even come up with a test to determine who is real and who isn't, just like John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Again, it's not new, but it at least aims to entertain with a slightly different angle.The cast contains various new and old actors. Some of which the new actors would become highly regarded in the current day. Playing some of the faculty, you have Robert Patrick, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen and even Jon Stewart. The young actors include Jordana Brewster as the uptight prissy girl, Clea DuVall as antisocial introvert, Laura Harris as the newcomer to the school, Josh Hartnett as the stayback senior, Shawn Hatosy as the Jock, Usher as his best jock friend and Elijah Wood as the bookworm. All of them portray their characters accurately considering they all look like highschoolers. Perhaps the most interesting character is Shawn Hatosy for playing a jock that decides that grades are more important than sports. That's rare for an athlete. Other than that, these characters are fun to watch but none of them stand out enough to be truly memorable.The creature itself in this movie isn't memorable either. However, in spite of that, its presence is still not to be missed. To explain it, it basically is like trying to explain what John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) looked like; you can't. It's a thing. Considering this movie partially exists in the horror genre the gore is respectable. Some of the gore moments are a little unpredictable but most are cliché because of them being taken from other films. For the most part, the CGI is convincing enough to get by even though there are some moments where it looks dated too. Helping to enhance the experience of horror is composer Marco Beltrami's score and unfortunately, it's not his best work. His music can be heard when it comes to the scares, but he missed a lot of emotional cues that could've been used. Oh well, it's still fun though.Its concept is not new but it has moments that make it different from past films with a decent cast and special effects. Its music could've been a little better though.