Noir Lovecraft. This? It kinda nails it. Gotta say, interesting mash-up of the two genres. For true authenticity though? Nobody went bat-shit insane before the end, so I gotta knock off at least a beer from the rating for that. Maybe even two. Because nobody. Not Nobody, not even H. P. Lovecraft himself, escapes this kinds of shit without going at least a little batshit crazy. So yeah, negative beers on the believability side, sorry HBO Studios, despite your full recognition of Nyarlathotep AND Shub-ChiggerWrath or something not sounding anything like that but still kinda like that.
1948 Los Angeles. Alternate timeline though, as magic is majorly prevalent in the world. To the point where even kids use it for shenanigans. But Private Investigator Phil Lovecraft will have none of it! Piss off, magic! Unfortunately for him, that comes at a cost because doing things the old fashioned way is a lot harder. So many tropes and stereotypes here, but mostly in a good way. It’s like a fun romp in Polanksi’s Chinatown, but through a Cthulhu filter. And with a smaller budget. And slightly lesser actors. But Clancy Brown does kick ass here as he always does, while Fred Ward does good as the apathetic but principled Investigator, and that redhead from The Big Lebowski, all making good on the Cthulhu mythologies!
This is a pretty interesting realization of the old-timey Lovecraft lore and his cuuraaaazy monsters and mythos, mixed in with a wider range of general mythological creatures. HBO back in its relative infancy made a lot of original films including this one, before getting into the original television series game. Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd actually picked a good combo here to realize the story. Sure, it’s a little sappy with the noir filter and maybe a few suspect practical effect creatures, but cinematography overall looks pretty good, all things considered. Minus that final-ish scene. That one? Just, well, kinda squint a bit, and imagine something a lot cooler and eviler. Suburban Cthulhu is kinda the retard of the whole Cthulhu family, so just smile and nod for this one’s debut. David Warner does a great job too as the slightly overacting Brit. Or maybe just normally-acting Brit. They can be quite excitable from what I’ve read, so maybe just completely normal after performing as a Master Control Program. Hard job to shake, you know. Always left wondering, “Is this a situation that requires me donning the MCP hat?” It can be a dilemma. Not surprisingly, usually similar questioning in regards to putting on his Evil cap from Time Bandits. Tough choices, I can see why it makes him a bit excitable.
