The Faculty
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Screenplay by Kevin Williamson
Story by David Wechter and Bruce Kimmel
Starring Elijah Wood, Josh Harnett, Clea DuVall, Jordana Brewster, Shawn Hatosy, and Robert Patrick. With Salma Hayek and Famke Janssen
104 minutes. Rated R. Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. 1998
DVD cover    For some reason, I was not at all looking forward to seeing this film, even though it's written and directed by two of my favorite people in Hollywood, Kevin Williamson (Scream, Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and TV's Dawson's Creek) and Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn), respectively. But despite my lack of enthusiasm, I was pleasantly and completely surprised by this fun and actually rather tense film.
    The story isn't terribly original -- aliens take over the school. I'm not quite sure why it took two people to come up with that story, but the man they turned it over to, Williamson, did his usual great job giving the characters witty -- if at sometimes unrealistic -- dialogue, and hatching tense situations for them to fall into. I mean, Williamson is the king of tension. Just reading the Scream screenplay -- even after having seen the film -- makes you nervous. Likewise, I Know What You Did Last Summer is wonderfully frightening. And to top it off, an episode of Dawson's Creek where Williamson parodies his own Scream -- even that was tense. Needless to say, The Faculty's script delivers.
Harnett and gang peer at a vanquished alien (Jon Stewart)    Of course, it could have ended there. Given the script to an incompetent director who would suck the tension right out of it. Uh uh. Rodriguez, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors (and who is making it a habit of teaming with great writers, as he did with Quentin Tarantino in From Dusk Till Dawn), does his usual terrific job here bringing Williamson's words to life. The camerawork here is smooth and interesting, the actors well-coached, and the action well-done. Plus, Rodiguez seems to know exactly when it's time to go to slow motion, to even further enhance the tension of a scene. It's just too bad there was no gunfight in the script. When it comes to gunfights, Rodriguez is second to none, with the possible exception of John Woo (Face/Off).
Say, is that Salma Hayek in a three-line role? Why yes, it is!    Rodriguez uses a cast of relative unknowns here -- Elijah Wood (Deep Impact), Josh Harnett (Halloween H20), Clea DuVall (who had small parts in Can't Hardly Wait, She's All That), Jordana Brewster (who's only other notable role was in the awful NBC miniseries The 60's), and Shawn Hatosy (who had really small parts in The Postman and In & Out). Terminator 2's Robert Patrick is also present, and Famke Janssen (Goldeneye, Rounders) and Rodriguez regular Salma Hayek (Wild Wild West, 54) make cameos. The young cast does a great job, though, of creating (somewhat) believable characters who spit one-liners back and forth in true Williamson style.
    This film is terrific fun. Yeah, the story is kind of lame-brained. But it does take a stab at discussing teenagers and their need to conform. But who cares, really? A tense, funny script from Williamson, and a top-notch directing job from Rodriguez. It's not Hamlet, but it's damn fun.
    Bottom line: Some people actually go to the movies for fun. Those people will like this movie. But if you didn't like any of Williamson's or Rodriguez's equally fun projects (Scream, Desperado, et. al.) then you probably won't like this.
    My grade: B
    My advice: It's okay to see a movie that really doesn't have much redeeming social value every now and then. Try it out, huh?
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