*By Aaron Hoffman*
If you’re looking for a movie that will scare you, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a movie that will surprise you, this still isn’t it. But if you’re one of the millions of guys looking for Megan Fox to strut her stuff, this is the movie for you.
The premise behind “Jennifer’s Body” is simple and full of potential. Take two lifelong friends, one a ridiculously hot high school cheerleader (Megan Fox) and the other her frumpy plain-Jane friend (Amanda Seyfried). Develop the characters a little, and then prepare the ultimate falling out when Jennifer becomes possessed and turns into a man-eating succubus.
As difficult as it is to believe, “Jennifer’s Body” isn’t the absolute train wreck that some were expecting. It’s just another mediocre horror movie about teenagers, and it’s neither the best nor the worst of its kind.
With that said, “Jennifer’s Body” is fundamentally flawed in a few key ways. It’s not scary enough to work as a horror film, satirical enough to work as a comedy or insightful enough to serve as a commentary on teen angst or sexuality. Perhaps the scariest thing about this movie is that it was written by Oscar winner Diablo Cody, screenwriter for “Juno.”
Similar to “Juno,” Cody’s script for “Jennifer’s Body” is filled with witty one-liners spoken by teenagers wise beyond their years. While the dialogue of “Juno” felt real and heartfelt, Jennifer’s Body tries too hard to be witty, and as a result often falls short, leaving interactions that seem shallow and forced.
Perhaps the movie’s only redeeming quality is Fox, but she did little more than serve as her usual role of pure hotness and sex appeal. For those just going to the movie to ogle Fox for two hours, they’ll most likely be pleased.
“Jennifer’s Body” is not remotely scary, original or even interesting as a horror or comedy. There are no inventive kills, no building of tension and all the scenarios play out with dulling predictability. It would be more enjoyable as a terrible movie you could at least laugh at, but instead it’s just a painfully average genre flick noteworthy only for a few one-liners and the innate sex appeal of its leading ladies. In the end, “Jennifer’s Body” does little more than put the suck in succubus.
