I love Ron Perlman. Whether as the bad ass demon ass kicker “Hellboy,” or in a long-winded turkey like “Desperation,” there are not many instances where he can lose with me. In “Pro-Life” his performance is powerful, and I utterly loved him as the anti-abortion terrorist doing anything to get his daughter back from the clinic. He’s the highlight, here. “Pro-Life” drops down on a reality where abortion clinics have armed guards and fences that keep out protestors. Apparently, this is the near future but nonetheless, the whole concept of Carpenter’s installment is to somewhat paint the pro/anti-abortion issue into a more horrific light.
If a demonic entity is born from a woman who was raped by a creature still deserving of a future? The plot is goofy, I’ll give you that, but the sheer demented nature of Carpenter’s story is entertaining. Carpenter’s installment is a mixture of “It’s Alive,” and “Rosemary’s Baby” in which a monster is born out of wedlock. But what kind of monster is it? A monster born of sin and protected by Satan? Or love corrupted by a murderous group of anti-abortionists? “Pro-Life” is appropriately a twisted take on the war of the views on abortion, and I had fun, mainly because the cast makes this demented concept worth the watch, and worth the discussion in the end. Like, how big is Satan’s dong? And did she enjoy the…? Well, it’s an entertaining entry into a season of highlights.
Ah, almost like the purposeful rebuttal to “Imprint,” this reprise from John Carpenter is an entry either showing the horrors of abortion, or the horrors of having a baby out of ill-intentions. I was never clear on that, really. What is “Pro-Life” trying to say? Abortion is bad? Having a baby you don’t want is bad? Can someone clarify this for me? But you have to love the chutzpah behind titling this “John Carpenter’s Pro-Life” for the potential singular DVD releases. Egads. As for “Pro-Life,” it may hold with it the same stigma “Homecoming” brought with it. It’s a commentary on a very volatile issue, and it’s awfully heavy-handed. But it was clear that “Homecoming” had its message on the left. I wasn’t sure what “Pro-Life” was trying to say.
If it was trying to say anything for that matter. Is the monster a symbol for rape? A result of rape? Was the demonic entity Satan? What were his plans for Angelique and the baby? Why did it appear in a spider-form? What was the whole point? Why did the monster simply take his dead baby and stomp off and not slaughter the bitch who killed it? And, apparently Satan is against abortion too… okay. Not a lot made sense in this installment, and the writers just don’t seem to know where to go with it. Like the flip-flopping “Exorcism of Emily Rose,” this veered in all contexts and commentaries, and accomplished nothing. You have to love John Carpenter. And with “Pro-Life” I was considerably mixed on what he had to offer. It’s a heavy handed and awfully blatant commentary on abortion, but it’s also entertaining and the acting is just well done.