Julia X (2011)

After a decent turn as Hercules, TV's Kevin Sorbo has been doing C Grade straight to video fare for some years now. This is one if his better efforts. Its just as well this movie doesn't take itself seriously. This movie, Julia X, is a throw back to those rape revenge flicks that proliferated the 70s B Grade shelves in video stores everywhere.Some pretty trusting young stupid, but ultimately psychotically vengeful hot young woman, is abused in a variety of ways only to eventually triumphantly wreak her revenge. Anyway, this wont win any awards, but who cares, its a well made campy violent movie that fans of violent campy exploitation cinema will enjoy. 6/10

JULIA X is a very strange film indeed and that it works at all is down to the talents of writer/director P.J. Pettiette, who brings a ton of high energy slapstick to his production. This twisty-turny thriller turns out to be a black comedy of epic proportions, with virtually no story to drag down the pacing. It's simply a battle of wits between a serial killer and his supposed victims.The film benefits immensely from the presence of former HERCULES star Kevin Sorbo playing the killer. Sorbo is a likable, lovable screen presence and that continues to be the case here; you just can't take him seriously as the villain as his persona is exactly the same. The story sees him taking a woman captive with the intent to kill her, but the tables are turned early on.What follows is a gruelling journey of violence as incredible amounts of pain and torture are inflicted on each of the leading characters in turn. The special effects are effective, yes, but the film's light-hearted feel means that this never ventures into real torture porn territory; the intention is to entertain, not to disgust, so it's surprisingly enjoyable. I usually hate this genre so it's saying something that I enjoyed this one.

Julia X is kind of a confusing movie with a very odd flimsy story and tone that feels a bit goofy and experimental. For about half an hour I didn't care for what it seemed to be, which was yet another pretty girl being kidnapped by some sadistic asshole, sure wasn't like I hadn't seen that too many damn times before.. And even after the twist that the girl was neither helpless nor innocent but was in fact a killer herself was revealed and the hunter became the hunted, I still wasn't that keen, the quality was kinda sucky. But when I got what it was really going for and the real fun began I got into it and ended up having a pretty good time, it was dumb but it rocked. I'm not gonna say it's not, it is a very sloppily put together movie, it's like the writers had a good idea and had no clue as to how to fill up all the little details that make a full length feature. And by the end there are so many hopelessly loose ends that never come together that I could see why some would plain hate it, but I just personally enjoyed it for the action and unintentional comedy. What little plot there was felt like a mere contrivance to pit psychos against each other in a macabre royal rumble, and in that sense it delivers in spades. It doesn't even bother with fancy luxuries like atmosphere and adequate characterisation. Just. Plain. Business... So, I really wasn't buying Kevin Sorbo as a vicious serial killer for a moment, the guy is just too naturally likable, he's got all those years he played heroic Hercules hanging over him that he'll never live down that it's kinda hard to see him in that light. And it's weird hearing him swear, like hearing your grandmother! That said, I may not have believed him as scary killer guy, but I thought he excelled at being comically twisted beat-up guy who was getting a perverse kick out of a horrendous situation of constant brutality and the pain he was continuously receiving and dishing out, he was much better at conveying all that dark s**t.. He looked good and totally in his element in the physical action scenes, it's what he does the best. I don't think I've ever seen another independent horror movie with such extensive stunt work. And of the two women, I thought Alicia Leigh Willis played crazy a lot better than the other, I thought she was really funny with all her kinky body language and the creepy mischievous look on her face, she would have made a great Harley Quinn! She had such killer legs.. The scenes with them all yield such marvellous mayhem, I mean compared to what it starts out as this film goes so completely off the rails that I wasn't sure when to laugh or be shocked because the tone veers crazily between brutal and dangerous to almost cartoony madness that I found it such a mindless but fun and entertaining blast to watch! It had me laughing at how absurdly unrealistic the results of the injuries were. Like Sorbo's character suffered so many stabbings, pelvic limb and vertebral fractures, not to mention concurrent massive head traumas with being cracked over the head so many times that he should've been dead at least twenty times over! And something else that I enjoyed was how there was nobody to root for! All three were completely unsympathetic pain-loving maniacs! The only sympathetic character was Joel David Moore who played an abducted car mechanic who I think was meant to be a little slow in the head, and who is strangely and unexpectedly let go completely unharmed.. He's so lanky and cute, I do so like 'em nerdy! It was sick but fun-sick, never too unpleasant. I guess the most noticeable and disturbing thing about this movie is the definite theme of sadomasochism that runs through it. What a wild show. It takes a while to get going, but once it does it runs like a mother***ker!!!

God, did I enjoyed this flick. You just have to watch it without thinking and you will have a lot of fun with two hot chicks and a lot of red stuff.It is P.J. Pettiette first attempt to direct a horror but being a producer of a few horrors it shows clearly that the director knew his stuff. It's a flick with a great twist that you just couldn't see coming. It all starts off when Julia (Valerie Azlynn) met a stranger (Kevin Sorbo) via internet not knowing that he is a serial killer. From the first minutes the red stuff comes in. Both Julia and the stranger are believable. Of course Julia tries to escape and once she tries it this flick becomes something different and from that point Jessica (Alicia Leigh Willis)comes into the story, the sister of Julia.This flick is full of red stuff but it never becomes gory. Still, if you take it seriously then you will hate this but just watch it as a no-brainer. The only thing it is missing is of course some nudity. There is a bath scene with Julia but nothing is shown. Towards the end you will have a laugh on your face and the end scene is so predictable and funny, yes, I liked it a lot. And I liked Kevin although a lot hate him. Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 4/5 Comedy 1/5