Since he first debuted on the scene in 1999 with "Baywatch: Miami," Jason Momoa has slowly become one of the most sought-after actors in the business. His breakout role was as Ronon Dex on "Stargate Atlantis," but he became a household name as Khal Drogo, the Dothraki warlord and husband to Daenerys Targaryen on "Game of Thrones." Audiences couldn't get enough of Momoa, and he solidified his place as a Hollywood superstar when he was chosen to pick up the Sacred Trident as Aquaman in the DC Comics cinematic universe. His first appearance as Aquaman came in 2017's "Justice League," just one year after he appeared in the criminally underseen horror film, "The Bad Batch."
"The Bad Batch" was largely ignored by mainstream audiences on its release, which is a true shame considering Momoa stars alongside other greats like Suki Waterhouse, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Yolonda Ross, Giovanni Ribisi, and Diego Luna. The second feature film from "A Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night" director Ana Lily Amirpour, "The Bad Batch" is a genre bending movie about a woman named Arlen (Suki Waterhouse) exiled to a Texas wasteland that's completely fenced off from the rest of civilization. As she learns to adjust in the war-torn land, Arlen is captured by a savage group of cannibals, led by the mysterious and ultra-hunky Miami Man (Jason Momoa). From the moment they meet, this western, science-fiction, horror film quickly turns into a story about survival and finding humanity in even the most hopeless environments.
What Happens In The Bad Batch?
"The Bad Batch" is a stylish look at the end of the world, set in a dust-covered dystopian landscape that looks as if Burning Man had a baby with "Mad Max." The film gets its title from the label slapped on people deemed unfit for civilized society and left to fend for themselves in the lawless badlands. From the beginning, it's clear that the bad batch are made up of outsiders, the poor, those struggling with mental illness, and a disproportionate amount of people of color. When we first see Arlen dropped out of civilization and onto the other side of the fence, she's given a hamburger and a jug of water to keep herself alive, but is almost immediately captured by Miami Man's raiders and has limbs amputated for food.
What originally starts out as a quest for vengeance from a scorned Arlen quickly turns into an anti-revenge film. Scott Derrickson, the director of films like "Sinister," "Doctor Strange," and the upcoming horror film "The Black Phone," considered the film one of the best releases of 2017, describing it as "a meditative art film wrapped in a bloody genre blanket, buried deep in a scorching sci-fi desert." He continued, saying, "It is a sheep in wolves' clothing -- something apparently dangerous and crude, but underneath, heartfelt and meaningful." But "The Bad Batch" earned mixed reviews from critics, turning fans of the film into a cult of defensive supporters.
Momoa Is A Great Anti-Keanu Reeves
In the period between "John Wick" and "John Wick: Chapter 2," Keanu Reeves popped up in "The Bad Batch" playing a cult leader known as The Dream. Also forced to live in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, The Dream has established a community known as "Comfort" where those considered among the bad batch are able to live without worrying about being cannibalized. While Comfort looks idyllic in comparison to the cannibal-infested lands outside it, the area is not without its own problems. The economy is run on drugs made by concubines of The Dream. Women treat their bodies like currency in exchange for staying in Comfort.
Miami Man is the perfect antithesis to The Dream, and Jason Momoa is the perfect inverse of Keanu Reeves. The Dream lulls people in with a sense of charm and safety, while Miami Man leads with brutality right on front street. When Arlen invades The Dream's harem, she does so to rescue Miami Man's daughter, who is being held captive. While it's easy to believe Miami Man doesn't have a moral code considering he eats people, he's at least not trying to pretend to be anything other than who he is.
Miami Man Is A Perfect Role For Jason Momoa
Given his height, muscles, handsome features, and undeniable swagger, Jason Momoa looks like he was made in a laboratory to play characters like Khal Drogo or Aquaman. The first forty minutes or so of "The Bad Batch" are pretty devoid of dialogue, which makes our first introduction to Momoa's Miami Man all the more powerful. A Cuban exile and former tattoo artist, Miami Man glistens in the sunlight with his own name prominently inked in black letters across his chest. Miami Man oversees a territory known as "The Bridge," a post-apocalyptic muscle beach filled with shredded cannibals bench pressing tires and keeping themselves in peak physical condition to chase down new members of the titular bad batch for food.
Miami Man is not just a beefcake leader of buff cannibals, he's also a husband and a father. Seeing him in action with his family and the palpable love he has for them adds layers to his performance, and helps remind the audience that even when he's chopping up a captive and cooking them for dinner, it's all a part of the need for survival. Khal Drogo is probably the closest comparison to Miami Man, as both characters are powerful, feared, and capable of extreme violence, but also have the capacity to remember what it means to be human. He's been cast out from society, but he's not yet lost the potential for redemption. If you're a fan of Jason Momoa, "The Bad Batch" is one of his best performances, and a great showcase of his talent.
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The post The Cannibal Horror Movie You Never Realized Featured Jason Momoa appeared first on /Film.
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