No point to the prom side story or the characters, waste of time.
Do all cops in the UK just not call for backup when there's a torture chair in the room and blood all over?
Other than that, I thought it was well-directed and pretty good.
I agree the prom thing was just time filler, it had nothing to do with the plot. I thought maybe the nerd and goth girl were going to rescue him and that's why they were in the movie.
shareIt actually did have a point. Mia was related to the escaped victim that caused the car crash in the beginning. The point of that side story was to show how Lola's actions affected the entire community, and were essentially a domino effect that linked all the characters together. All their traumas and loses were a direct result of Lola.
shareIf I understand the story correctly, the reason they included the prom side story is because the goth chick(main dude's friend's date) is the sister of one of Lola's victims, who at one point in the story the main dude recognized him as the guy who was in the middle of the road that caused the accident where his dad died, and she also said he escaped, "he's probably dead by now", but the cop not calling backup is just plain stupid.
shareFYI that movie isn't british, it's Australian
shareThe point of the side story was to show how the disappearance of her brother/cops son took a toll on the family. I think it added some weight to what they were doing.
shareand in Australia there's a whole lot of nothing. a country almost the same size as the US but with less than 10% of the US population
in small towns there is no back-up to be called and many regional police stations aren't open 24 hours. if any could come it would take hours and probably just as useless as the cop already there
That's because it has 1000% more spiders!
shareI saw multiple points to the side story.
1) The nerdy guy goes out on a limb and asks a girl out and scores and has a great night and the "popular" kid with the cute girlfriend got tortured.
The whole point is to show the contrast between the two friend's nights. It makes going back to the torture scenes that much more intense. That's why in Hostel they show the guys partying and having a blast for the first 20-30min and then the **** hits the fan. It's for contrast.
2) They did tie the side story in with the main story by having the goth girl's brother be the one he swerved to miss causing his dad's death.
Basically this daughter and father caused a lot of families grief. But Brent took care of them.
Didn't get the impression he was popular at all, but an outcast of sorts like his friend, but even more so after his father's death.
shareThe filmmakers more or less came right out and said it when Jamie gives Brent the condom and tells him "it'll only expire if I hold on to it". Also, Jamie is shocked and ecstatic to get a date with Mia, while Brent already has a steady girlfriend and is sexualy active. I know what you take from a movie is all a matter of perspective, but I'm fairly certain buddylee is correct in his assesments. Watch the film again and see if you dont agree.
shareI can't say with certainty what the point of the side story was but I enjoyed it. It balanced the movie out. The humor of the date with the goth girl (later revealed to be another victims sister) made the movie less gloomy and dark.
It also served to make the ending less obvious. There were a lot of potential saviors (the cop, his friend, his girlfriend). In the end, he really had to save himself.
The cop dying was also important. It was a Stephen King style twist where the supposed rescuer is murdered, but that death is crucial to the protagonist surviving. He fires the dropped gun at Lola which makes Lola decide to leave (since she can't attack him while he still holds the gun) and attack his family. This then buys him time to climb out undetected. This is debatable, of course.
especially since he ran out of bullets while she was still there
shareThe ending looks like the first 10 minutes of Walking Dead Season 1.
i agree with what minhas4 said about the need for the side story,
it did need to be their it introduced the cop and explained who the guy in the road was and seeing the families grief over the previous victim was meant to make you feel sorry for them and build dislike for the main villains family.
also imagine if it wasnt their, and some random cop shows up he has no real place in the film other then be killed at that point, i personally was happy it was their it broke up the story just enough and gave the right amount of humor to enhance the movie.
and odds are (the town seems very small where everyone knows everyone) in the small country town like that like many in out back Australia he is probably the only cop, and probably didnt have anyone to call, hence why the family of the main guy called him directly at home rather then the police station or 000.
Also, he might not have been able to reach the top of the pit without the cop's body.
shareBesides the fact it was shot in Australia, you Philistine.
shareI'm sure the movie takes place in Australia not the UK. It's like a whole different country on the other side of the world.
I agree the side plot about his friend going to the prom was strictly filler, brought the whole movie down 1 notch.
Mwuhahahahhaaa!
I believe the subplot with one of the victim's siblings is partly to illustrate the effect these brutal people have, not only on their victims, but their families. Hence, the TITLE(theme) of the movie: THE LOVED ONES.
The real prom date is also juxtaposed with the "torture" prom date for contrast.
Lesson over.
"Hence, the TITLE(theme) of the movie: THE LOVED ONES."
________________________________________________________
Actually, I believe the title/theme of The Loved Ones refers to the boys that Lola "loved" and kidnapped. If you noticed, she carved a heart into their chests with both their initials like some people carve into trees or desks. She believed she loved them, but tragically (though understandably!)The Loved Ones did not return Lola's love... so they got the drill and cellar treatment.
I agree though that the goth/nerd prom date was partially for contrast with Lola's "date". I think it was also included to show the effects that Lola's ritual had on the goth girl whose brother mysteriously disappeared, never to be found. It seemed to be the cause of her depressive mood, emotional distance, dark goth persona and acting out as the "bad girl". Including her into the storyline served to show the tragic effects outside of the house of torture; Lola's actions rippling outward into the world around her, extending far beyond her gruesome fantasy world. The goth girl was an indirect victim, making the film more than just an exercise in gratuitous "torture porn", but also a film about personal grief and loss.
Totally agree with every point you make. Lola's "loved ones" are the obvious meaning for the title. The victims' "loved ones" are the less obvious ones. The film is about much more than "torture porn" IMO.
sharethe side story was needed to show how different things were going for 3 main characters. Mia and Jamie had a great night whereas Brent was tortured
Rob Zombie is one of the greatest directors today
Cops in UK might call for backup, but are far less likely to do so than in the US where any idiot can get a gun in minutes despite having long-term mental health issues.
It would still take quite a while to arrive in rural Victoria since this is in Australia, the other side of the world, and a completely different country, continent and political jurisdiction.
I doubt US troops in Afghanistan needing support put through a call to National Guard in Madison, Wisconsin, despite the fact they both represent the same country and have the same Commander in Chief.
Uk..... Jesus christ lol