Street Trash 4K 2024

Greedy corporations are stifling small businesses, triggering a massive wave of unemployment that leads to a sharp rise in homelessness. Frequent power outages cause chaos due to energy shortages. Authorities are increasing the presence of police patrols and special drones on the streets to monitor and identify dissidents. Sounds scary, doesn’t it?

This pessimistic tone sets the stage for the remake of the 1987 cult classic (in certain circles) of the same name. Despite such a frightening tone, the film is rife with crude humor, hard-hitting satire, and the grotesque in all its forms.

Following the original, *Street Scum* doesn’t shy away from graphic depictions of physical deformities, injuries, and scenes of death. And believe me, that description is quite tame compared to what actually happens on screen. The practical effects look convincing, yet obviously trashy, in the best traditions of 1980s B-movies. The synth-pop soundtrack and colors cranked to the max reinforce the similarity to thematically similar works of that era.

The film clearly doesn’t aim for serious social criticism. According to the director, in this new version he sought to move away from the gloomy “darkness” and create more likable characters with whom the viewer would want to empathize. He succeeded to some extent. But there’s always a “but.” The humor rarely rises above the belt. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t smile once while watching, but most of the jokes are taken from the very bottom shelf of the secondhand humor store.

The narrative structure is quite chaotic. Every now and then, the plot veers off course. Shock moments arise unexpectedly and aren’t always appropriate. The finale turns into an absurd action movie altogether. The relative connection to horror (which I fundamentally disagree with) relies on graphic scenes of decomposing bodies, but first and foremost, what we have here is an absurd dystopia with silly dialogue and gallons of fluid in various colors. The film’s impact on the viewer is extremely limited. Alas, I did not enjoy watching it. This is not a recommendation to watch it; nevertheless, the film may find its audience.