‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Extreme,’ a movie review

‘Shake, Rattle & Roll EXTREME’ logo / Regal Entertainment, Inc.

Trying to find that balance of releasing a movie that appeals both to the intellectual in you and the movie fan in you is no easy feat to achieve. But with ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Extreme‘ that fine balancing act was achieved by Regal Entertainment, Inc.

I, for, one, am a fan of horror films that have a greater reason of existing besides itself. In short, a horror movie that is not only out to scare you, give you jump-scares and frights, but the entertainment value of it is exceedingly high.

There has always been this excitement in the air each time a brand-new Shake, Rattle & Roll movie is being made because you know it will be good based on its long-celebrated history in Philippine Cinema, but more so on the choices of actors who will next get cast in it. A current movie of it is a timeline of the popular actors at the given time and also of the reasons why they were casted.

For me, when I look back to the previous Shake, Rattle & Roll movies, they always felt like a “yearbook” of sorts of actors that mattered and who could act. And this perception of mine is more solidified now that I am much older and relive those memories of my stumbling upon them and getting to see snippets of those past films on television decades ago as a young child. I say snippets because being so young then, they scared me.

In the current ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Extreme’ the feeling is no different; it is indeed a “yearbook” of the actors who are popular now; who have remained relevant; and the ones who we have to keep a close eye on because they have great potential to be superstars one day in movies. I refer to Mika Reins, Jana Taladro, Sarah Edwards, Miggs Cuaderno and Rob Gomez. The main stars (Iza Calzado, Jane De Leon, Angel Guardian, Jane Oineza and RK Bagatsing) did a fantastic job in their respective roles. They brought their “A-Game.” All of them have served their purpose in providing memorable onscreen characters for moviegoers to cheer for, root for and most of all, to survive in their ordeals, challenges and monstrosities they face.

Shake, Rattle & Roll: Extreme. Poster image from Regal Entertainment, Inc.

In terms of the three mini-movies in ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Extreme’, the evolution of Pinoy Horror was seen, heard and felt in all of them. Everything from the quality of the written material, the acting, the CGI, the cinematography, the sound design, the color treatment, the style of editing, and the choice of directors differed on each mini-movie. And of course, that includes the type of methods that were utilized here to scare the moviegoers. These factors, considerations and improvements are all reflective of the sub-genres of horror movies that are popular now and what basically work with the majority of moviegoers. The fact is, there is something here for everyone. No one is left behind.

I will go on the record and say that this is the only locally made and released movie in recent memory that belongs under the horror genre that gave me stomach-churning moments, creeped me out, and irked me. There are some genuinely scary scenes here which is rare nowadays given that practically all kinds of horror movies have been made. And for that to happen, it means the material was really good, well thought out and they dug deep for this to happen.

Clearly, there was a lot of motivation to make this movie as impactful, memorable and entertaining with moviegoers as it can be. The reality is that the movie studios in the Philippines are also competing with their foreign counterparts and trying to convince more moviegoers to watch them also. Definitely, in my estimation, in Asia, the Philippines is among the top 3 countries when it comes to the sheer superior quality of movies that are being made. It goes without saying that when it comes to the horror genre, the Philippines has an excellent track record. And Regal is still the best at it. And I can say that ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Extreme’ did very well. It has international appeal. I feel confident in saying that this movie is right up there among the best ever made in the Philippines in the last 20 years, at least.

Currently, this is as perfect a local horror movie can be. This is it!

I definitely enjoin everyone to watch ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Extreme’ now in cinemas.

My Final Score: 10/10