Rock n’ roll ain’t easy…especially not for the unfortunate would-be rock stars in Hammer of the Gods.
Directed by Nick Szostakiwskyj, Hammer of the Gods tells the story of a one-hit-wonder rock band trying to find their path back to stardom via a retreat into wilderness. While canoeing, the singer comes across a group of girls who’ve actually heard of their band “Sled Dog.” One of the girls is the proverbial superfan, and the singer invites her to accompany the band for the remainder of their retreat, but not without warning their trip wouldn’t be free of drugs.
The band’s songwriter is a little more insecure about the band falling from grace, and he’s most notably frustrated that their band was called “uninspired” by his rock idol. The drug-fueled retreat was his idea, and it was meant to be a solo adventure. But his increased solitude worried his two band mates, and they half-jokingly tell him they came along so he wouldn’t kill himself. Though he claims he’s still writing fresh music, he brings along LSD to open everyone’s minds.
That’s where the truly perplexing nature of the movie begins.
The entire movie is a beautifully-shot hallucinatory crowd-pleaser with all the ingredients of a cult hit. Much of the movie keeps you on your toes, questioning whether or not the violent events are really happening or we’re just seeing a bad drug trip. That’s not to say we don’t eventually get an answer; the movie won’t annoy you with a cheesy “It was all just a dream” lack of payoff.
One of the highlights of this movie was the creature design. I’m a little weary of the “humanoid creatures attack teens” motif that’s been making a comeback lately, but this movie at least makes the creature mythology work for the story. These aren’t just bloodthirsty creatures randomly attacking young people for the hell of it like in so many other movies; as the story unfolds, we see there’s nothing random about the gore-tastic violence that occurs.
The gore effects and editing work very well together. One scene in particular (I won’t say which, for spoiler reasons) made me squirm in my seat. A lot of thought went into how these scenes were put together, and although there’s nothing gratuitous, it feels like we’re seeing more gore than what’s actually being presented.
The movie also has a lot of depth, and character interactions are believable with the exception of a few moments. The heart of the movie is the high cost of success, and through its various characters, Hammer of the Gods questions whether fame and fortune are worth the losses you face along the way.
