Greetings & Salutations Everyone!
In the midst of all the ongoing insanity in the world more and more individuals are turning to digital media for a brief reprieve. I have to admit, this one left me scratching my head in disbelief or perhaps I should say it left me undecided as to what I should even say about it.
Since 1988, Full Moon Features has produced an assemblage of low-budget horror, sci-fi, and fantasy movies. Some of which have individually made their own marks in their respective film genres. The combined film library together with any potential future works will no doubt ensure the Full Moon Features in its current form or perhaps any future incarnation will ensure that the infamous production company continues to release more movies years from now. One of its more well-known movie showcases is the ‘Evil Bong’ franchise which began with 2006’s ‘Evil Bong’ starring none other than Tommy Chong. The film follows a group of stoners who become trapped in The Bong World after smoking from and being killed by a sentient, evil bong named Eebee.
Today’s selection, for your consideration, is the 10th and final film in a franchise that has spanned 16 years (That’s probably enough stoners, weed, eye candy, and munchies to persuade the North Korean army to revolt against the government in Pyongyang).
Evil Bong 888: Infinity High. Directed by Charles Band and written by Band and Kent Roudebush. Starring series regular Sonny Carl Davis as Rabbit, Diana Prince, Whitney Moore, Robin Sydney, Elina Madison, Bree Essrig, John Patrick Jordan, Israel Sharpe, Adam Noble, Caleb Hurst, Bobby Ramos, Brooks Davis, Cody Renee Cameron, Christiana Cinn, Libbie Higgins, Allan Wayne Anderson, Thomas Fairell, Keep Chambers, Del Howison, Taylor Dare, Kaius Harrison, Noelle Ann Mabry, Alan Maxson, Circus-Szalewski, John Reinke, and Michelle Mais as the voice of ‘Eebee’.
We find the film’s protagonist Rabbit (Davis) on the verge of opening a restaurant in Beverly Hills in an attempt to go straight and leave his stoner ways in the past. Even with the help of his new Maitre DD Tom … Yes Tom (Prince), and master chefs Eebee (Mais) and Sal Monella (Sharpe) it’s nothing short of an uphill battle with a food shipment that won’t be there in time, stoned waitresses, social media addicted socialites, a Karen, a German chef who is confident one minute and the next minute panicking, cameos from other movies, tourists, the never-ending temptation of weed, and bong possessed by a malevolent spirit of course.
I’ll be honest. The film was good for a few laughs. With the cast, a decade + spanning franchise, and the history of the production company itself… I guess I expected more. There were some definite ick moments here and there but there was no horror, no scary moments, nothing that I would’ve expected. It was pretty lowball even for a ‘stoner comedy’. The franchise as a whole deserved a better ending. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say the people who made the film DIDN’T smoke ENOUGH weed when they were putting it together. I’ll give them 3 out of 5 stars for effort. If you’re in the middle of a B-Movie marathon, this is good for filler if you’re taking a snack break. It’s better than watching commercials at least. Then again, maybe it’s better if you’re watching it while stoned.
