Written by: Ryan Dailey
Sick is a film set during the current Covid-19 pandemic and is an exercise in mediocrity. The film tries hard to take elements from Scream,The Strangers and almost every other home invasion/chase movie and the results are not very good.
In this offering by director John Hyamas takes almost 40 minutes to get into the film proper. This is not a bad thing, if done correctly, but at that 40 minute mark, the characters still feel one-dimensional and seem like nothing more than fodder for the knife.
The opening is even cliche and typical. Tyler (Joel Courtney) is shopping at the local Wal-Mart rip off store when he suddenly starts to receive random, threatening texts from an unknown source. The killer follows said victim to his home where he is killed in one of the most boring ways imaginable.
At this point the film shifts focus to Parker (Gideon Adlon) and her friend Miri (Beth Million) as they retreat to a secluded lake house to quarantine themselves. In true slasher movie fashion, Parker’s scorned ex-lover, DJ (Dylan Sprayberry) shows up uninvited, trying to provide a means for the character of Parker to have some sort of back story, more so to give a Kevin Williamson style red herring to the proceedings. Not a small bit of irony, as Williamson has a co-writing credit on this “gem.”
There are two things that are proven by Sick. One, if you set a lackluster slasher flick during a pandemic, it will get made because Covid is a money maker in not only the medical field but also media. Two, Kevin Williamson is, much like the other Kevin, a one trick pony.
Sick is a boring hour and half ride to social commentary that honestly could have been written by a Karen.
If there was ever a movie to turn on for nothing more than background noise, this is it.
Sick is currently streaming on Peacock.