YMMV / Tusk (2014)

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Is Wallace's fate actually a kind of salvation for him? He is shown to be crying, and a flashback juxtaposed to the scene has Ally saying that she was taught that it was good to cry because it showed one's humanity, it is what separates humans from animals. So perhaps becoming a walrus was necessary for Wallace to actually become more human than he had been prior to the change, which also means that Howard actually failed in his ultimate goal to irreversibly change a human being into a full walrus.
• Awesome Music: Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" playing in the climax of the film.
• Crosses the Line Twice: Wallace showing up to the house of the subject of a meme for an interview, only to discover that said subject found the meme so humiliating that he killed himself? Not funny. Wallace calling the guy selfish for making him schlep to Canada for no reason? Now it's funny.
• Dancing Bear: Remember that fucked-up movie with the three people who get "transformed" into one big centipede? Well, this one has a guy getting turned into a walrus! Bet you're intrigued now, aren't you?
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Matt Walsh's Johnny the Walrus could be called essentially a children's version of Tusk, both involving a Mad Doctor who want to "transform" a human into a walrus, down to sawing off the human's legs.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Wallace is a jerk who makes fun of disabled people for a living, lacks empathy for other people and even cheats on his girlfriend. But at the same time he finds himself kidnapped by a psychotic madman who drugs, mutilates, tortures and forces him into a walrus suit made of human skin. Even if he was unlikable, no human being deserves to be subjected to something like that. By the end Wallace has his mind and body destroyed, is destined to live the rest of his days in a sanctuary, is still trapped in that terrible suit and his girlfriend and best friend have started a relationship. Considering everything, it is hard to not feel at least a little bit of pity for him.
  • Howard Howe is a sadist and insane Serial Killer who is more than willing to subject his victim to horrific torture and surgery, but once he explains his Dark and Troubled Past it's not hard to understand why he's so messed up.
• Nausea Fuel: Wallace's "tusks" being made out of the bones of his amputated legs, for starters.
• Narm: The scariest parts of the movie are also some of the most hilarious, especially the climactic scene - A WALRUS FIIIIGHT! And the narm is completely intentional/expected for once.
• Narm Charm: The movie is still pretty scary, if you're on board with the premise.
  • "Tusk" playing over the climax. You hear those drums and wonder if you're hearing what you think you are, if the movie's seriously going to do it, and then it does.
• So Bad, It's Good: The movie was conceived when Kevin Smith and a buddy started joking about how ridiculous a hypothetical walrus-based horror movie would be, and then they went ahead and made it. Some have cited this as a flaw, saying the real charm to such movies is knowing they were made with complete sincerity, rather than the joke this one is.
• The Scrappy: Guy LaPointe, played by none other than Johnny Depp. What was meant to be a surprise appearance by a major actor in a relatively indie film was widely derided by critics as yet another one of Depp's insufferably quirky characters in a film that clearly does not call for it, with several guessing (correctly, as Smith himself later admitted) that Kevin Smith simply gave Depp carte blanche to do whatever he wanted, consistency be damned.
• Special Effect Failure: The Kill Bill Kid's mutilation at the beginning looks downright cartoonish, which is especially jarring since the effects later in the film are much better.
• Strawman Has a Point: Can anyone blame the Inspector for attempting a Mercy Kill solution to Wallace?
• Tear Jerker: Wallace's condition at the end of the movie. Even though he was a jerk, again being fused in a human-made skinsuit is beyond excessive for lesser evil behavior.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: One criticism is that an excellent performance by Michael Parks and a grotesque, well-done body horror were ruined by the comedic elements. Instead of a traditional horror-comedy (or even straight up horror movie), it became essentially a comedy, albeit a disturbing one.
• Took the Bad Film Seriously:
  • Michael Parks turns in a very convincingly insane performance, saying the most absurd dialogue with complete and utter conviction. As such, his character is perhaps the most legitimately frightening part of the movie.
  • Justin Long as Wallace is pretty great as well. Able to act arrogant and attention-hungry without coming across as too annoying. His screams of agony when finally turned into a walrus and expressive demeanor through the costume really makes you feel just as frightened as Wallace is.

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