After seeing the trailer for Wayward, I added it to my watchlist for the sole purpose of laughing at how bad it is. This is something I do often, with the GOATs being The Room and Batman & Robin. With Wayward, not even the trailer could hide the rock-bottom quality.
After watching it, I can confirm the low quality in every filmmaking aspect imaginably. But, to my surprise, I was enjoying it aside from the "SoBad" aspect. I was still laughing at so much, but I was invested in the story and characters. I don't think this has ever happened to me.
I like both leads even though I don't think they give good performances. I'm not sure how to explain it. There are some cool story ideas that I wish I could see in a great movie. And as I mentioned before, I was curious to see the story unfold throughout the movie. I'm baffled that I never said, "I don't care."
But this is still a poorly made movie across the board. I can forgive some of the things that have to do with budgetary restrictions. But many parts feel so old and outdated. There is one shot where, if you showed it to me out of context, I would have easily believed it's from a 1980's movie. And there are definitely a bunch of things to laugh at and make fun of. By the time we get to the last act, things go off the rails... in a hilarious way.
I had a good time with this movie, mostly amused by the bad, but also entertained in the way it was intended. Strictly on the SoBad scale I would give it 6 stars, but maybe up to 8 stars if you include the intended enjoyment. (1 viewing, 1/11/2023)
SPOILERS
I was in awe during the final act when they show us how crazy she is. She's basically Dexter, who I adore. This would have been an awesome twist in an already great movie. Instead I laughed at how she was basically giggling like a child while she was running through the woods and doing karate kicks. Although I enjoyed the explanation exposition.
A few things I remember that made me laugh:
-The movie starts off with a guy in a parked car getting punched in the face by his steering wheel. I think they were trying to imply that the Maniac Mechanic slammed his head into it, but I went frame by frame, there was no one there.
-The crazy driver rammed them from behind, but they cut and edited the shot so they wouldn't have to actually damage either car.
-Later we see a closeup shot of the back of the van after the ramming. The license plate is bent which is a smart, cost-effective way to imply a crash. But then I noticed 20-30 crayon markings that are suppose to be the scratches and dents. I couldn't believe it. If that's the best you can do, then just don't show the back of the van rofl.
-All the car chases are hilarious. Can't remember the last time I've seen shots sped up to make it look like a faster chase.
