Over the course of the last 20 years, a lot of wannabes have sought out to be the next bad film movie maker. Dreams of being Tommy Wiseau trying to act like James Dean or failed attempts at turning eagles into evil avatars of Earth's destruction have been imitated to no avail. A good "bad film" needs to come from the heart, which is why people like Neil Breen and Scott Shaw exist in all of their beautiful ego driven glory. And then you got the DIY movement.
Every state in the union has one I'm sure, but Arizona presents a unique setting due to the topography and the ability to shoot year round. Aliens and dystopic futures are perfect for my home state. So Clay Moffatt and his friends have carved out their own straight to video niche and in the process, created Pocketman and Cargo Boy.
It was a silly concept, but as each film continues to move along, the story got more convoluted. What started as a cheap Spy Kids knock-off evolved into Doctor Who. Jaden Hill was just a good run of the mill agent and by the third film....he's a time lord? And he is messing with the time lines of the universe? It's pretty amazing Moffatt came up with this idea before the film Everything Everywhere All At Once hit the theaters. Can't even accuse him of stealing that idea so bravo!
It made sense I guess. The availability of some actors was evident as cast changes were made, and the shortness of the film implies everyone involved didn't have much time to spare. You can even say Jaden Hill's messing with the universe was a way to explain the cast changes, like him changing history came with dire consequences. They had a story there, they just didn't have the time or budget to make it happen.
Of course, this film still has all the tenants of Tubi streaming flare, like bonkers ADR and over the top, clear as day one take acting moments. But hey, they tried, and it's way more than I am doing while I sell paint to the world. Someone needs to give Moffatt a budget because he clearly has ideas to make a film....just doesn't have the means.
