Glad I hung in there from the slow start. Well worth it. Well done my Aussie cousins.
25 Reviews
Wow
vinnartaigh2 April 2020
Aussie trailer park trash rehashed
latinfineart11 October 2020
I really have no idea what percentage of Australian people are trailer park trash. I see an enormous amount of them represented in Australian Cinema and I suppose there a stereotype much like the trailer park trash in the American South, but I suspect that it's a bit more representative of Australian society than one would like to admit.
There's really not much of a story here, it's just a bunch of crackheads trying to extort some money from a guy that we know nothing about, not a particularly interesting story. I had a fast forward quite a bit of it just to be able to stand it. It's not a film I would particularly recommend, despite all the glowing reviews about the dystopian Australian vision inherent within. Save your time.
There's really not much of a story here, it's just a bunch of crackheads trying to extort some money from a guy that we know nothing about, not a particularly interesting story. I had a fast forward quite a bit of it just to be able to stand it. It's not a film I would particularly recommend, despite all the glowing reviews about the dystopian Australian vision inherent within. Save your time.
We've seen it all before
valleyjohn21 July 2020
The Australian film industry doesn't do itself any favours. I have lost count of how many Australian films involve trailer trash ( or whatever the Australian equivalent is ) that live in a farm or in a small town and are intent on violence and killing . Talk about stereotyping a nation and this film is no different.
This is the story of to brothers who are reunited after their fathers funeral and become a target of extortion from a group of violent local thugs .
This is not a terrible film . In actual fact the performances are really good but I've seen it all before and sadly the film bored me because of that .
The title is deceiving as well . Despite the first scene describing what Locusts do it's not about locusts. If it was , it might have been more interesting.
This is the story of to brothers who are reunited after their fathers funeral and become a target of extortion from a group of violent local thugs .
This is not a terrible film . In actual fact the performances are really good but I've seen it all before and sadly the film bored me because of that .
The title is deceiving as well . Despite the first scene describing what Locusts do it's not about locusts. If it was , it might have been more interesting.
Human locusts
searchanddestroy-19 February 2023
Or the adventures of a tenderfoot in the outback. I expected far more from this Aussie film. Far more. At first, I thought it would be some kind of STRAW DOGS scheme, at least more or less, where a well educated man from the big city fighting against local rednecks. Actually, it is, but not as I imagined. We can however appreciate the character, from the typical soft tenderfoot to a tougher one But it is not Dustin Hoffman in STRAW DOGS, nor Jack Lemmon in COWBOY. That remains a good thriller drama, very well acted, well made, but with a predictable and run of the mill ending. Most of the film is saved by the magnificent settings, the Australian landscape is always the main, lead character, the trademark of Australian film industry.
Not the worst movie I've ever seen...
jaimegonzales2101 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
All in all, this was not a good movie. Just because it isn't the worst movie doesn't mean I recommend watching it. Maybe if your stuck at home because of a global pandemic. But only then.
I watched this based on some of the reviews written here praising it. It amazes me how some people see something and call it art while others are not impressed.
This movie isn't the worst movie I have ever seen, and I watched the entire thing. I wanted it to be good. The camera work was good, the audio was good, the acting was okay. The story, however, was like a madlib, a bunch of things thrown together that supposedly create a story.
It's pretty out there by the time the "great reveal" rolls around near the end. The foreshadowing is gross and not necessary, that entire part of the movie could have been left out, including the great reveal. It was nonsensical and had nothing to do with anything else in the movie.
The "love interest" was a pretty female, but possibly the worst exotic dancer since Striptease, and her character's habit of slapping every patron she danced for or who looked at her seems a little dumb. In the very small town they lived in it seems odd for the owner of strip club to be making so much cash. The strip club as an art form is dumb as well. Movie makers need to get over their belief that men go to strip clubs because of the artistic bent of some girls who remain dressed. That never happened, not in Flashdance and not here either.
I watched this based on some of the reviews written here praising it. It amazes me how some people see something and call it art while others are not impressed.
This movie isn't the worst movie I have ever seen, and I watched the entire thing. I wanted it to be good. The camera work was good, the audio was good, the acting was okay. The story, however, was like a madlib, a bunch of things thrown together that supposedly create a story.
It's pretty out there by the time the "great reveal" rolls around near the end. The foreshadowing is gross and not necessary, that entire part of the movie could have been left out, including the great reveal. It was nonsensical and had nothing to do with anything else in the movie.
The "love interest" was a pretty female, but possibly the worst exotic dancer since Striptease, and her character's habit of slapping every patron she danced for or who looked at her seems a little dumb. In the very small town they lived in it seems odd for the owner of strip club to be making so much cash. The strip club as an art form is dumb as well. Movie makers need to get over their belief that men go to strip clubs because of the artistic bent of some girls who remain dressed. That never happened, not in Flashdance and not here either.
Enjoyable Australian Film With Crime, Drama & Mystery
WalkdenEntertainment26 March 2020
Ryan Black (Ben Geurens) returns to his remote hometown to attend his father's funeral. Later he is united with his brother, Nathaniel Black (Nathaniel Dean), who he hasn't seen in quite some time. For Ryan, his father's funeral isn't his only concern while in his hometown. Soon the two brothers are threatened and bribed by a group of ruthless thugs who are demanding $100,000 in cash.
Right from the beginning of this film, there is such a sense of mystery in regards to Ryan's past and his relationship with both his brother and his father. The only thing we do understand is that Ryan is not fond of the idea of returning home and appears to have a different lifestyle in the present day when compared to his past life and upbringing. While watching the film it didn't take me long until I was heavily invested in the film's plot, Ryan's past life and other mysteries. I was simply determined to see how all of this would play out and link together as a story.
Performances here are enjoyable. I found the majority of the actors consistently strong and believable. I also felt many of the key leads performances were gripping at multiple times too.
Visually this film is pleasing to watch even though my screening was on DVD. There were great close up of character's faces during tense moments and I also enjoyed the number of aerial shots which not only show off Australian landscapes but are visually cool (or maybe I just liked the cars that were used in this film too). The film's soundtrack is a blast and right selections have been made. I found myself tapping my foot along with the majority of the songs and generally enjoying the film that comes with it.
Overall, Locusts is a very satisfying Australian film. It's a simple crime story which is loaded with great performances, twists and thrills. Strong visuals and gripping performances are also a nice bonus. In the end, I found myself invested in this film's story. This film should be viewed and needs to be supported by fellow movie lovers today. 7.4/10 - Walkden Entertainment
Right from the beginning of this film, there is such a sense of mystery in regards to Ryan's past and his relationship with both his brother and his father. The only thing we do understand is that Ryan is not fond of the idea of returning home and appears to have a different lifestyle in the present day when compared to his past life and upbringing. While watching the film it didn't take me long until I was heavily invested in the film's plot, Ryan's past life and other mysteries. I was simply determined to see how all of this would play out and link together as a story.
Performances here are enjoyable. I found the majority of the actors consistently strong and believable. I also felt many of the key leads performances were gripping at multiple times too.
Visually this film is pleasing to watch even though my screening was on DVD. There were great close up of character's faces during tense moments and I also enjoyed the number of aerial shots which not only show off Australian landscapes but are visually cool (or maybe I just liked the cars that were used in this film too). The film's soundtrack is a blast and right selections have been made. I found myself tapping my foot along with the majority of the songs and generally enjoying the film that comes with it.
Overall, Locusts is a very satisfying Australian film. It's a simple crime story which is loaded with great performances, twists and thrills. Strong visuals and gripping performances are also a nice bonus. In the end, I found myself invested in this film's story. This film should be viewed and needs to be supported by fellow movie lovers today. 7.4/10 - Walkden Entertainment
THIS IS WHY AUSTRALIAN FILMS ARE BAD
movieguy300026 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Another reason to NOT watch Aussie films. Why this film was even funded is beyond me. This is well shot and has great locations but thats where it stops. Award deserved by the cameraman, But there is no compelling story here, no heart and no soul whatsoever. The main character has no real motivation, and the actor was a bad choice, he passes with his acting but there is nothing interesting about him. The storytelling is weak and the only descent thing here were the group of thugs starring great actor Steve LeMarquand. Alan Dukes was not believable as his character at all although a formidable actor. This film is so boring I really struggled to watch it. Strip club with no nudity and a lapdance with a stripper with her clothes on? Has the director ever been to a stripclub. I support Aussie film and that's why I sought this out to give it a chance but once again we have been let down. 1 star for effort.
The B Movie Forerunner of The Dry!
spookyrat12 January 2022
Heath Davis's Locusts begins with city slicker tech entrepreneur Ryan (Ben Geurens) returning to his rundown rural hometown Serenity Valley after 20 years away, for the funeral of his estranged father. After reuniting with his alcoholic, ex-con brother Tyson (Nathaniel Dean), Ryan soon runs afoul of a gang of amped-up local hoodlums who claim that he is now to be held responsible for the payment of his father's debt of $100000 to be settled within 2 days, or Tyson will die.
Amazingly the film's storyline is quite similar to Robert Connolly's The Dry with Eric Band, that was released in 2020. The thing is, if you've seen both, you'll know that The Dry is a far superior movie.
Both films essentially have the same narrative premise, set in almost similar geographic locations. Both feature some very solid acting from both casts, along with some outstanding cinematography. The differentiation comes about due to The Dry having a much more carefully - written screenplay and better directorial choices made by Connolly in putting his film together.
Screenwriter/Producer Angus Watt's script too often resorts to caricatures, rather than developing fleshed out characters. Why for example is just about every town resident Ryan meets so aggressive, especially to a former community member? This includes ex - girlfriend Isabella, who thankfully later changes her tune towards Ryan. It couldn't be an Ozploitation film without having every character wandering around either drunk or half - plastered and of course the local constabulary is corrupt and therefore completely unhelpful to Ryan.
A core storyline involves Ryan trying to work out the mystery as to why his albeit abusive father, died owing money and leaving no assets (save for a shiny, dark, muscle car). But each time we begin to be drip fed some much needed exposition during an exchange of dialogue, Director Davis decides to fill the soundtrack with some entirely unneeded song, drowning out much of the dialogue. It does get kind of infuriating when it happens repeatedly.
As mentioned on this forum by others, it also doesn't make much sense that this dead - end town sports a high end night club out in the middle of nowhere, that according to the spoken word in the film makes thousands of dollars a night, from a bunch of supposedly unemployed patrons. The third act features a couple of reveals, that just about anyone with half a brain, can see coming.
By virtue of a close comparison with The Dry, Locusts ends up definitely being one of those films, you can say unequivocally, had a good underlying concept and working parts, but should have ended up better than it ends up being, when assembling the film in post production and editing.
Amazingly the film's storyline is quite similar to Robert Connolly's The Dry with Eric Band, that was released in 2020. The thing is, if you've seen both, you'll know that The Dry is a far superior movie.
Both films essentially have the same narrative premise, set in almost similar geographic locations. Both feature some very solid acting from both casts, along with some outstanding cinematography. The differentiation comes about due to The Dry having a much more carefully - written screenplay and better directorial choices made by Connolly in putting his film together.
Screenwriter/Producer Angus Watt's script too often resorts to caricatures, rather than developing fleshed out characters. Why for example is just about every town resident Ryan meets so aggressive, especially to a former community member? This includes ex - girlfriend Isabella, who thankfully later changes her tune towards Ryan. It couldn't be an Ozploitation film without having every character wandering around either drunk or half - plastered and of course the local constabulary is corrupt and therefore completely unhelpful to Ryan.
A core storyline involves Ryan trying to work out the mystery as to why his albeit abusive father, died owing money and leaving no assets (save for a shiny, dark, muscle car). But each time we begin to be drip fed some much needed exposition during an exchange of dialogue, Director Davis decides to fill the soundtrack with some entirely unneeded song, drowning out much of the dialogue. It does get kind of infuriating when it happens repeatedly.
As mentioned on this forum by others, it also doesn't make much sense that this dead - end town sports a high end night club out in the middle of nowhere, that according to the spoken word in the film makes thousands of dollars a night, from a bunch of supposedly unemployed patrons. The third act features a couple of reveals, that just about anyone with half a brain, can see coming.
By virtue of a close comparison with The Dry, Locusts ends up definitely being one of those films, you can say unequivocally, had a good underlying concept and working parts, but should have ended up better than it ends up being, when assembling the film in post production and editing.
WOULD PREFER LOCUSTS EATING MY EYES
MadamWarden31 January 2022
Don't waste your time.
creykdal-595111 April 2020
Animal carcasses and hard liquor
Top_Dawg_Critic7 April 2020
For a low budget independent Aussie B-grade film, this was surprisingly and impressively entertaining!
This is novice director Heath Davis' third full length film, and he did not disappoint. And considering this is amateur writer Angus Watts' first ever dabble in filmmaking, his screenplay was better than some seasoned writers work I've seen lately. Cinematography was on point, with excellent landscapes. Casting and performances were great, and Jessica McNamee was certainly easy on the eyes. The editing needed some work, and the score, albeit fitting for the genre, was way too loud, I could barely make out the dialogue in some scenes. The pacing was a little slow, but bearable with the short and comfortable 85 min runtime.
This certainly isn't no big budget Hollywood blockbuster, but for a low budget indie film put together by newb filmmakers, it is undeserving of of anything under a 5 - new filmmakers have to start somewhere and should be rated based on their experience. Sure it's no 10 either, but it is very deserving of my 8/10. To see more of my 800+ reviews and 1000+ ratings, click on my username.
This is novice director Heath Davis' third full length film, and he did not disappoint. And considering this is amateur writer Angus Watts' first ever dabble in filmmaking, his screenplay was better than some seasoned writers work I've seen lately. Cinematography was on point, with excellent landscapes. Casting and performances were great, and Jessica McNamee was certainly easy on the eyes. The editing needed some work, and the score, albeit fitting for the genre, was way too loud, I could barely make out the dialogue in some scenes. The pacing was a little slow, but bearable with the short and comfortable 85 min runtime.
This certainly isn't no big budget Hollywood blockbuster, but for a low budget indie film put together by newb filmmakers, it is undeserving of of anything under a 5 - new filmmakers have to start somewhere and should be rated based on their experience. Sure it's no 10 either, but it is very deserving of my 8/10. To see more of my 800+ reviews and 1000+ ratings, click on my username.
5/10
peterfell3 April 2020
Go back to the 70s and Australian film making, This movie in line with those.
The scenery is fantastic it's pretty much true to Broken Hill, I should know because I live there.
As for the movie it's typically slow and not much going on but it is what it is, watch it for for it is.
Stale
Draysan-Jennings28 April 2020
With the exception of the strip club owner I found all the characters to be boring. Very dry film with no substance. Felt like I was watching the same scene on repeat. You don't have to pay complete attention to this movie to understand what's going on. Decent background noise at best. 5 stars.
NO COMPELLING STORY HERE
movieguy300024 July 2020
Another Aussie film with no real story. 1 star for all the great locations and how well its shot, all credit to the cameraman. The main actor is not interesting enough and the character I dont care about. This was so boring, I honestly cant believe this was funded. Getting Jessica Mcnamee in here too is kudos to you, she must have been desperate. The best scene is when you see the local thugs. Love Steve Lamarquand, he's the best thing in the film but as for the guy from book week, he's not believable=le at all as that type of character. And a strip club scene with no nudity and the lap dance with clothes on? Has the director been to a strip club. Believe it or not I actually champion Aussie films but this is a weak story and it's no wonder local Aussies wont support our industry.
Satisfying desert romp
hanzoff-4252221 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Ben Geurens is engaging as a wealthy software entrepreneur Ryan Black who finds himself entangled with a gang of drug dealers in his outback hometown. His brother played by Nathaniel Dean is an alcoholic loner living on the fringes and the pair have a love-hate relationship stemming from a shared childhood trauma at the hands of their late father, which is at the core of Ryan's dilemma. Things deteriorate rapidly and Ryan's stripper ex played by Jessica McNamee comes to his aid. Andy McPhee is solid as an old family friend who's seen the town fall from its dizzy heights as a booming mining town to a burnt out shell, and Justin Rosniak, Steve Le Marquand and Damien Hill are entertaining as a band of crackheads hellbent on rolling Ryan for all he's worth. There are a couple of entertaining moments in the local strip club, a feast of breathtaking footage of the Australian outback and some neat twists. I had great fun watching this film, its a solid tribute to 70's action films and is destined to become a cult classic amongst the great Aussie crime thrillers.
Dust and bones in the desert
c_woods-0334617 May 2020
Fantastic Aussie crime thriller with Jess McNamee and Ben Geurens as a fish out of water who finds himself up to his neck in crack dealers and hustlers in a rundown mining town. Not exactly an advertisement for Australian tourism, but a dark dusty suspenseful take on the age old city-boy-lost-in-the-outback story.
We need more Aussie films like this!
We need more Aussie films like this!
Best Aussie Outback Film In Years
daveandnicole-3661818 May 2020
An unexpected gem - a punchy, suspenseful outback flick with some neat twists and turns. So many Aussie films are cut from the same old cloth of political correctness, it's refreshing to see a film that ventures outside that stereotypical mould.
Rollercoaster outback ride
frenchquarters19 May 2020
Slow-burn outback thriller
andrewrollins-7903017 May 2020
This Australian outback suspense film from Heath Davis feels a bit like a slow-burn tribute to noir westerns like Red Rock West. Stunning desert footage, a great cast and a tight script with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The title is an interesting analogy for the barren-ness of the Australian outback after decades of exploitation which is a nice gritty backdrop to the story which revolves around a corporate bloke (Ben Geurens) returning to his run-down hometown where the locals are either drunk, corrupt or strippers. I found this sleeper on GooglePlay, definitely recommend to fans of gritty genre.
Rip-roaring outback thriller
smihcontact24 October 2019
Breathtaking outback cinematography, an amazing cast including Jessica McNamee and Steve le Marquand, some genuinely frightening moments sprinkled with laconic Aussie humour, and a layered plot with an underlying environmental theme, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the final scenes. Locusts is a classic piece of Australian genre cinema that stands tall amongst the greats like Wake In Fright.
Gritty Aussie Action Thriller
renthackham21 October 2019
A brilliantly written story is the backbone of this film, the cinematography is great and the red dirt and landscapes are really pretty, it's really well acted especially by the villains in the film which puts you on the edge of your seat. 100% would recommend.
Dystopian desert thriller
mikecrean-9780422 May 2020
Great cast, epic outback visuals, intriguing script with plenty of oddball characters, twists and turns and a toe-tapping soundtrack running through it, I found this an entertaining and engaging film, although it does suffer from a slow start and some subpar acting in parts. Definitely worth a look.
Gripping Aussie Thriller
brainfoodanz17 May 2020
Great Aussie flick
rollinskim-341163 September 2020
I saw this film on GooglePlay, and for an independent film it's surprisingly good. Don't know the cast but it's a cool story, well acted and looks great on the big screen TV. There's a lot of rubbish B movies out there right now so Locusts was refreshingly different, although not particularly original.
Complete surprise
dadofseven23 May 2023
Went into this blind not expecting much but it took me by surprise how much I liked it. Characters that you care about and a story that keeps you engrossed from start to finish. And let's not forget that car!! A few twists and turns to the story mixed with a touch of dark comedy here and there (bathrooms will never be seen the same) without overdoing it made it enjoyable. Can't believe I hadn't checked this out sooner. I'll definitely watch it again and again. Very well done all around. Now I'll search out some of the director's other films. Australian films have been getting better and better.
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