The final film of the festival was setup as a mystery film, and it just happened to be a test screening for Chris Sun's "Boar". I knew nothing of it, no expectations, so once the final credits started rolling. I was left hemming and hawing. Enjoyable enough, but there's nothing all that resonating about this generic, abnormal freak-of-nature runs amok feature of a gigantic boar (about the size of an caravan) terrorising people of a small country community. Simple as that. It's certainly no "Razorback". Although, the boar design... Wow!

The first half is like a brisk collection of unrelated set-pieces and baseless characters coming face-to-face with the raging boar, which had little to do with the central plot of a family returning to their home town after a tragedy many years ago. These early scenes are held together by the comical lingo being bantered between Aussie stars John Jarratt and Roger Ward. They were like a charming, bickering old couple with a lot of idle chat. So when they encounter the boar, you are truly invested in their well-being. I found the stalking and attack sequences to be better handled here. Mainly because the action, is so intense, and it takes place mostly at night with POV shots and a mechanical beast of a boar. Oh, it's a sight for saw eyes! Damn, some of those deaths are bloodthirsty and nasty, as we see people getting chewed up, flung about or impaled on the boar's tusks. It doesn't hold back! At first I was a little worried, because of the cartoonish graphics used in the opening sequence when we see a bunch of pigs/boars running across the screen. But those worries would resurface again in the second half and stay.

This latter half focused on Bill Moseley and the dynamic of his mundane family. Here the formula starts becoming a touch repetitive, and aimless. Nathan (built like a brick house) Jones was one of only a few things keeping me entertained. Well, the plot would always cut back-and-forth to the locals at the town's only pub to recount barroom tales of something strange going on in their neck of the woods and to obviously joke around. Cool to see a bunch of Aussie TV stars like Steve Bisley, Ernie Dingo, Simone Buchanan and Chris Haywood in those moments.

As I mentioned earlier, this is where it becomes a noticeable mixture of computer graphics and animatronic FX. The CGI didn't look the greatest, and it was only highlighted during the daytime scenes. It stuck out big time, like something brought over from a scyfy production. Some nighttime scenes in this half shared similar results too. It felt like it favoured using the CGI, unless there were problems or limitations with the mechanical boar? The boar was more on the move, and on camera a lot so I can see why it might've been the case. I just found it very contrasting, because the practical resources were effective when used while the CGI looked less so. Another aspect was the intensity of the first half evaporated, and the attack scenes lost their edge becoming overly silly, and anti-climatic in their impact. That also goes for how the boar is defeated. There's almost a rushed quality to it. I must say, I thought it had a lot guts in who it knocked off, but alas it all comes crashing down in its crowd pleasing, cop-out ending.

It's well-made for what it is, a polished looking B-grade creature-feature, but yet it plays out like a bog standard straight-to-dvd outing with a contrived pay-off. So come for the fierce boar attacks and practical FX, but stay for Jarratt and Ward's crackling combination.

This film was everything I could of asked for out of this kind of film. The practical creature effects were amazing and the script was well written and funny the only let down for me was the cgi scenes with the titled beast but was fine on the budget the director had to work with. If the director had a bit more of a budget to have better cgi this would of been 10 stars but it's still a bloody awesome movie well worth a watch seeing a good Aussie monster movie

Was really quite intrigued by 'Boar' when it appeared in my recommended for you section, with a creepy poster/cover, a fine premise and as someone with a general appreciation for the genre it fits under. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there (though there are decent to good ones as well),made me though apprehensive.

It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws present in those films are here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Boar' is really quite weak, with so many huge flaws and doesn't do anything with any potential it had. There is net to nothing good here in 'Boar', a vast majority of it amateurish.

Only good things are a fairly promising start, some lovely scenery and a reasonably atmospheric soundtrack on occasions. That's it for the praise.

Going on to the negatives, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it comes over as vague and under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less unsettled and never gaining momentum. All the characters, with every Aussie stereotype known to man, are too sketchy and with cardboard thin and colourless personalities and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates. The chemistry is bland and unfocused.

The sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions),the effects are shoddy and uniformly the acting is lacking severely, that's actually an understatement as the worst of it is horrendous. There is no sense of horror or engagement with the awful predicament they're in, and no connecting with the character, it just reeks of indifference and complete blankness which makes the viewer not care less too.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, as well as vulgarity-overkill, while the pace and film drags on forever, after a promising start and doesn't ever recover. The ending has no build-up and just ends ridiculously. Found too many of the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Thrills are none, thanks to stodginess and excessive over-familiarity, and found myself never invested in the drama, which tended to be indifferently acted, interminably paced and statically directed.

A lot of 'Boar' has really dull and going nowhere plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you shocked are far from creative or unsettling. It all feels rather tame while the threat completely lacks menace and looks terrible.

Nothing freaky or interesting, no development and too derivative, while everything is unimaginative and are more odd than scary, completely failing to show any sense of dread. There is nothing interesting or illuminating with what the film was trying to do and the drama is overwrought with no momentum and a lot of weirdness. The direction is barely there and disorganised. 'Boar' is very amateurish visually, too drearily lit and shows no care in the way it's shot.

Summing up, very weak despite starting reasonably well. 3/10 Bethany Cox