Frogman review.
A found footage, faux documentary, creature feature that delivers exactly what it promises. Then goes wild.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Frogman
Directed by Anthony Cousins
Written by Anthony Cousins and John Karsko
Starring Nathan Tymoshuk, Benny Barrett, Chelsey Grant, Jack Neveaux, Ali Daniels, Chari Eckmann and Michael Paul Levin
Frogman Review
Once more into the found footage breach, dear friends. Frogman uses the format to present a documentary adjacent creature feature. I say “documentary adjacent” because it skips over the talking heads portion of the modern faux documentary. This is more like The Blair Witch Project. Three people head out to film a documentary about a local urban legend…we are watching the footage that they shot. That’s not the only way that Frogman is comparable to The Blair Witch Project…though it isn’t about people lost in the woods for an hour.
Like the 1999 hit, Frogman builds its legend by heading to a small town and interviewing people about it. Burkittsville, Maryland is replaced by Loveland, a fictional (as far as I can tell) southern town. Though the journey to expand the lore of the legend comes about the same way…Frogman takes a markedly different approach to its opening. The Frogman is real. We know it when the movie starts. The movie opens, fittingly, in 1999. A family is filming their vacation when they spot something strange. The Frogman. Flash forward to modern day…the grown son has become a laughingstock online. No one believes his footage is real. He’s determined to prove them wrong.
Dallas (Nathan Tymoshuk) recruits his friends Scotty (Benny Barrett) and Amy (Chelsea Grant) to aid him in his quest. They don’t believe him either. Amy and Dallas have a complicated relationship. She agrees to the trip because she is about to move to LA. One last hurrah that she doesn’t know might be literally that. Knowing that the Frogman is, in fact, somewhere in Loveland informs how we view things. There’s tension when there should be…and it places us firmly on Dallas’s side whenever his claims are dismissed.
One of the colorful characters the group meets is George (Jack Neveaux). He’s the (other) foremost expert on all things Frogman. He’s extremely helpful despite his gruff demeanor…even providing a map to the Frogman’s den. He will play a surprising role in the climax of the movie. When things go gloriously off the rails. They also run into a fake Frogman roaming the town in hopes of scaring the tourists. Loveland has leaned deep into the legend…even though some people clearly know that it’s more than that. The cast does a good job from top to bottom helping you buy into the increasingly strange world of Frogman.
As this is a found footage movie…Frogman eventually heads into the woods. It doesn’t spend nearly as long there as most of these movies do. The den is in the woods…and the group’s arrival there marks the start of the real fun. It turns out, things aren’t as simple as trying to catch the creature on film. For starters, it has a way of affecting the people around it. Scotty and Amy are completely unprepared for what’s going on. They didn’t even believe they were looking for something that could be found. They also don’t know what Dallas’s real mission is.
Things ramp up considerably in the third act of Frogman. It takes twists and turns you wouldn’t expect while watching the first hour or so of the movie. All while a dangerous Frogman is hopping about. Unlike most found footage movies, the first half of Frogman is engaging enough to drive away tedium. Even if it wasn’t…it would be worth trudging through to see the second half. A lot happens…all of it unexpected.
There are a couple of issues, however. Both are related to the choice of format. First, Frogman tends to turn towards the shaky cam whenever things really get cooking. If you hate the “person running with a camera” aspect of these movies…Frogman does it every time you really don’t want it too. The big moments are punctuated with it. It’s equal parts effective and annoying. Second, the story’s ending is interesting…but also abrupt. The footage gives way to a separate coda. An ending that fits a character arc…but leaves you wanting more of the wild world you’re exiting.
Scare Value
Frogman finds itself trapped by its format at times. It delivers an enjoyable watch anyway. The first half is engaging. The second half is wild. If you can get past some shaky cam business, an exciting and original creature feature awaits.
3.5/5
Frogman Links
Streaming on Screambox June 7
Rent/Buy on VOD from Fandango at Home and Amazon
