The Faculty

Dimension Films | Release Date: December 25, 1998

8.6	USER SCORE Universal acclaim based on 328 Ratings

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HalfwelshmanApr 6, 2012

The Faculty delivers exactly what you expect from a highschool-comedy-horror. It has all the usual character archetypes played by soon-to-be megastars: the oppressed nerd (Elijah Wood), the whip-smart rebel (Josh Hartnett), the goth outcastThe Faculty delivers exactly what you expect from a highschool-comedy-horror. It has all the usual character archetypes played by soon-to-be megastars: the oppressed nerd (Elijah Wood), the whip-smart rebel (Josh Hartnett), the goth outcast (Clea DuVall), the misunderstood jock (Shawn Hatosy), miss perfect super-b*tch (Jordana Brewster) and the new girl (Laura Harris). Kevin Williamson's writing is sharp, funny and self-aware as always, and knowingly refers to the numerous earlier films The Faculty pays homage to. The film is consistently fun, with the best scene being the students driven to playing a rather unconventional version of Russian roulette through intense paranoia of possession by the film's parasitic invaders. The final act of the film does disappoint a little - its big, loud and unnecessary, and showcases the film's unfortunate lack of a decent budget. Though it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses other than this segment, The Faculty does still feel like it's lacking something. Perhaps its the fact that it would be fairly unremarkable teen schlock were it not for Williamson's contribution, or maybe its that Robert Rodriguez is allowed very little opportunity to inject his zany creative style into the film, and consequently it feels like it was helmed by any old mercenary director-for-hire. Even so, The Faculty is pretty consistently entertaining, with good performances across the board, a pleasing amount of laughs and horror and sci-fi movie references aplenty for the buffs in the audience.… Expand

0 of 12 users found this helpful012

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j30Jan 30, 2012

Robert Rodriguez follows up his other B-movie (From Dusk Till Dawn) with another B-movie The Faculty, which screams for a cult following. Robert Rodriguez seems to like settling for mediocrity. The writer Kevin Williamson tries to keep theRobert Rodriguez follows up his other B-movie (From Dusk Till Dawn) with another B-movie The Faculty, which screams for a cult following. Robert Rodriguez seems to like settling for mediocrity. The writer Kevin Williamson tries to keep the steam rolling from his work on the first two Scream movies, but is running on fumes. After all that being said I enjoyed the movie for what it is.… Expand

0 of 11 users found this helpful011

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SpangleSep 27, 2016

"Why are you naked?" - Zeke

Because what sexist film would be complete with a completely naked girl being the source of all of this mayhem and chaos at this school? How could a woman not be to blame for all that has occurred in The"Why are you naked?" - Zeke

Because what sexist film would be complete with a completely naked girl being the source of all of this mayhem and chaos at this school? How could a woman not be to blame for all that has occurred in The Faculty? It is really only the natural progression for a film that asks us to identify with Casey (Elijah Wood). A dorky kid who is constantly bullied, Casey is the classic underdog hero in film and despite obvious character flaws such as sniffing Delilah (Jordana Brewster) while hiding in the closet and despite creepily having a shrine dedicated to Delilah (okay, Jordana Brewster is attractive, but Jesus that is not anywhere near a free pass for being a 100% creep). I am not one to sit here and criticize how sexist a film is, but I feel is truly that obvious in The Faculty, which is a shame.

With sexism as its main argument against, The Faculty comes armed to the teeth to appeal to kids who were marginalized (read: boys who were not popular in high school) by having Casey be bullied, pine after the hottest girl in school, have parents who cannot give two **** about him, not be athletic, and be a complete loner not just save the school, but also manage to scoop up the girl of his dreams in the process. Written like a wet dream, The Faculty is a creepy film that continues to dehumanize women in its treatment of women throughout. Not just Delilah and Marybeth are marginalized, but girls are all frequently called **** and shown to be quite **** and aggressive **** You Girl" and Ms. Burke, in particular). Additionally, when Professor Furlong (surprise appearance from Jon Stewart) hits on Nurse Harper (another shock appearance from Salma Hayek) in a creepy manner, we are left to sympathize with him because how could anybody ever turn down such Oh and, lest we forget, the demonization of the unseen wife of Mr. Tate (Daniel van Bargen). In spite of his alcoholism, somehow she is the evil one for leaving him for somebody else. God forbid.

Other than latent and prevalent sexism, The Faculty is faulty in many other ways as well, if you are left unswayed. I can deal with a wildly unoriginal film, but this one is truly revolutionary in this regard. References to prior science fiction films does not get you off the hook for ripping them at every chance you get. It honestly felt as though ever line mentioned a different film and how it is possible that the events of this one were going to follow the same line. I love the Amazon Prime X-Ray feature, which shows you goofs, trivia, continuity errors, cast on screen, and other little tidbits about a film while you are watching it. For The Faculty, I was floored. Practically every shot had some tidbit about how it referenced a film. Some shots had multiple films. Truly impressive level of copying. I get the sense that if Robert Rodriguez had to use Turnitin for this film, it would come up with 0% originality.

Now, there are a few positives. In spite of these concerns, it is quite a fun film. I was certainly entertained by the film and I am sure many who can overlook my aforementioned problems will enjoy The Faculty. Rodriguez's films certainly always have flair to them and this one is no exception. A fast paced thrill ride, The Faculty may be unoriginal, but it does ape many of the better qualities of past films and is filled with camaraderie, high school hijinx/personalities, thrills, and teenage angst classic rock hits that many would request of a science fiction/horror film set in a high school. These overtures on the part of the film are, admittedly, hard to resist. It hits all the right notes with its plot and the return is pure enjoyment.

Additionally, Rodriguez has great attention to detail that clues you into characters or are simply quality jokes. From Zeke (Josh Hartnett) having "USA Sucks Big Time" in his locker to a car supporting the Herrington High School Hornets having "Me So Hornet' written on it, there are some subtle jokes along the way. The film also showcases attention to detail in delivering thrills by having a banner hanging in the gym the reads "Feel the sting" as the monster corners Casey. These details were not lost on me as a viewer and were among the reasons why I was so disheartened that it opted to be so unoriginal and sexist in its plot and characterization, respectively.

A fun and detailed film from director Robert Rodriguez, The Faculty has a solid cast filled with recognizable faces, plus Josh Hartnett with significant bedhead. That said, despite its boyish charms, the film is overtly sexist and as unoriginal as they come, thanks to familiar plotting, characters, and references. The film often feels as if Robert Rodriguez had just caught up with all of John Hughes' 1980s teen comedies, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, all films by Steven Spielberg, and all of Stephen King's books before opting to just smash them into one film.… Expand

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

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PanchogulMay 30, 2021

Creo que el User Score le da un excesivo mérito a esta película, no es mala, de hecho es bastante entretenida, pero está muy lejos de ser aclamada ya que es básicamente Invasion of the Body Snatchers con adolescentes y a menor escalaCreo que el User Score le da un excesivo mérito a esta película, no es mala, de hecho es bastante entretenida, pero está muy lejos de ser aclamada ya que es básicamente Invasion of the Body Snatchers con adolescentes y a menor escala geográfica, el elenco lo hizo bien pero los efectos especiales son muy pobres, incluso la versión de 1978 de la película anteriormente mencionada tiene mejor aspecto. ¿De culto? Tal vez pero sólo un poco.… Expand

0 of 8 users found this helpful08

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BroyaxJan 10, 2017

Rodriguez est un peu le fils spirituel de Tarantino, il aime à s'abîmer et se viander dans le nanar à pop-corn et dans le cas de cette "Faculty", à se vautrer sans honte dans le film pour ados avec tout ce que cela peut comporter en termes deRodriguez est un peu le fils spirituel de Tarantino, il aime à s'abîmer et se viander dans le nanar à pop-corn et dans le cas de cette "Faculty", à se vautrer sans honte dans le film pour ados avec tout ce que cela peut comporter en termes de vicissitudes basses de plafond.

On se tape donc les jeunes acteurs idiots (Josh Harnett, le blaireau de ces damoiselles) ou les jeunes actrices idiotes (la parité est respectée) mais pas seulement heureusement, car il faut bien des profs dans le bahut et un entraîneur gueulard en la personne de Robert "T1000" Patrick : c'est sans doute lui qui s'en sort le mieux en comparaison de Famke Jansen (la vamp à cervelle de blonde) ou Salma Hayek (l'insupportable poufiasse) ou même d'autres seconds rôles très inconnus au bataillon.

The Faculty s'inspire et reprend à son compte l'Invasion des Profanateurs et The Thing dans le monde très scolaire des **** cons qui luttent contre la xénomorphie rampante (et galopante à ses heures perdues) avec des stylos de poudre stupéfiante (la plume est plus forte que l'alien).

Entre gaudrioles et poncifs et effets digitaux à tentacules, le film sait néanmoins (presque) garder le rythme jusqu'à son final grand guignol trololol et se laisse (presque) regarder grâce à sa mise en scène maîtrisée. Je suppose qu'il faut sniffer des rails de sucre glace et descendre des shots de sirop pour apprécier à sa "juste" valeur cette regrettable série B.… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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akshatmahajanMay 16, 2021

There were already this type of stories before this movie came (Aliens land in small town, start taking over the humans and a group of people try to save humanity).

I watched it because I heard about this movie from social media and learntThere were already this type of stories before this movie came (Aliens land in small town, start taking over the humans and a group of people try to save humanity).

I watched it because I heard about this movie from social media and learnt about it's cult-classic status. There was nothing special in the movie. But I liked a few things about this movie like main characters and suspense. Overall, it was one time watch and would recommend everyone to give it one time watch.… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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JLauSep 27, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Aliens have invaded a high school, assimilating the staff and students but they can be killed with caffeine-filled drugs.… Expand

0 of 9 users found this helpful09

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