Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

Great mockumentary

Incident At Loch Ness is one of the best mockumentaries ever made. While not quite there with This Is Spinal Tap, it is a cut above many of the other contenders. The reason for this is because its star is German filmmaking legend Werner Herzog (who could be a Teutonic doppelganger for Gene Hackman) of Fitzcarraldo fame. The basic premise is that Hollywood screenwriter turned producer Zak Penn (played by the real Zak Penn- as all the folks in the film are `themselves') recruited Herzog and some other well known Hollywood types to dupe the press into thinking that Herzog was making a documentary film called The Enigma Of Loch Ness, all the while another filmmaker named John Bailey was shooting a documentary, called Herzog In Wonderland, about the making of that fictive film. Given the fact that not a shred of evidence for the existence of the Loch Ness Monster has ever been found, in nearly two thousand years, what this film is, then, is a fictive documentary on the making of a fictive documentary, or a hoax about a hoax about a hoax, or meta-meta-fiction. Yet, this does not imply the film is self-serious, in the least. Unlike, say, The Blair Witch Project, aka The Least Scary Horror Movie Ever Filmed, Incident At Loch Ness is played just for laughs, and, putting aside the absurdity that someone like Herzog would even undertake such a project, the real test becomes how many viewers will be gulled into thinking the film is a real documentary, for how long, and what will tip them off?
The narrative in a nutshell- Penn, Herzog, and crew head off to Loch Ness, where they have some hilarious misunderstandings, including Herzog's threatening to walk off `his' film, because Penn- the character in the film, not the real director of the film- is trying to `spice up' Herzog's `serious' documentary with such things as fake Nessie props, and a gorgeous brunet Playboy Playmate Of The Year named Kitana Baker.... despite its vast superiority, Incident At Loch Ness did a fraction of the business The Blair Witch Project did. That mystery may, and should, end up the next `documentary' subject for Herzog to tackle.
September 12, 2008

New super vision

I am a big fan of the stories about Loch Ness` monster and I like to watch different films on this theme. Unfortunately, most of them are very bad and unprofessional. But this one is great. It`s one of my favourite! I like this film so much. As for me I very want to visit Scotland and, of course, Loch Ness. I can give this movie 10 stars from 10. My recomandation to you: you must see it. August 5, 2008

Herzog & beefcake do not mix.

Werner Herzog always will go down as one of the most enthusiastic directors of our time as a man who consistently sought/brought new images to the consciousness of cinema. As such I personally consider him a saviour through which I can vicariously enjoy the act of creation. With all that said, this mockumentary is an absolute travesty to behold. Herzog of all people is the least suitable (genuine) person I can think who would want to be made a caricature of and mocked. His work is so vastly his own art that I just cannot understand why he would participate in something like this which then trivializes him by making him the crazy fool. If one can imagine Roberto Benigni dressing up as Bozo the Clown and going through the sets/locations he used for La Vita e Bella, all the while making jokes and being filmed, then you have accurately gauged how 'Incident at Loch Ness' portrays Herzog.

Grandiose analogy aside, in the past Herzog has made light of himself, for example, by eating his shoe when he lost a bet to a friend. He subsequently lamented on film at having being put into that situation by his own grandeur of character. Even then Herzog was able to use that as a spearpoint to hurl about some inspiring cinematic ideas; in this there is nothing that comes close to being even atlatl in that regard. Furthermore there is also nothing new 'Incident at Loch Ness' brings to the 'field' of mockumentaries either; it neither invented the 'genre' nor re-invented it in any way than in pure amounts of trite.

Avoid this in any way possible as the death screams of Herzog being torn apart by this bear of a picture is a most unpleasant thing to have to waste time in witnessing. July 18, 2008

Another one-of-a-kind film from a visionary moviemaker

Let me start out by saying that this film is best watched with no prior knowledge of it so I'm delivering this review as spoiler-free as I possibly can while stil giving you a solid overview. It you're interested, go see it. Otherwise, I'd recommend you further research it only after you view it so that you can truly enjoy what a bizarre and brilliant little piece of independent filmmaking this is.

The film begins with legendary director Werner Herzog setting out to film a documentary about the Loch Ness Monster phenomenon, letting us know right off the bat that he isn't a believer and that he wishes to explore the human psychology that allows us to believe in such a thing rather than engage in any sort of monster hunt. Accompanying him is big shot Hollywood producer Zak Penn, who never lets us forget that he's, well, a big shot Hollywood producer. His vision of the film-to-be differs greatly from Herzog's more enlightened one and the two butt heads constantly as Penn cosistently outdoes himself on the douchebag scale, attempting to spice up the proceedings at the expense of the film's integrity by adding a manic supposed crypto-zoologist and a playboy model posing as a sonar expert to the crew among other things (matching jumpsuits?). These touches are an endless source of amusement and insanity that mocks the process of modern mainstream documentary filmmaking by dissecting it, laying it out for all to see, and making you wonder: is there even such a thing as a true documentary, and are we all so easy to dupe?

References to Herzog's storied past abound, and the film continually pushes the limits of believability without ever letting you know just where reality ends and Hollywood begins. Assuming you go into this film cold there will be a point where you will shake your head and laugh at yourself, Zakk Penn, and Werner Herzog at the obviousness of it all. Where that point will be will probably vary from viewer to viewer, but you can't really say there's anything quite like "Incident at Loch Ness" out there. The cynicism, goofy score, dry wit, colorful crew members, and bizarre happenings of this film will certainly give you a new perspective on this kind of moviemaking if nothing else.

Werner Herzog is nothing if not unique, and this is considered by many to be among his most bizarre and creative works. While Zak Penn impressively gets the director credit on this (Herzog produced and starred among other things), I think we all know who the true visionary is here. "Incident at Loch Ness" lures you in with the promise of a legendary filmmaker exploring Loch Ness while skewering both Hollywood and the "docutainment" industry; daring the viewer to draw a line between real and staged human insanity. This film is definitely not for everyone. It starts out pretty slow and the humor and cynicism of it all may fly over the heads of some folks who were expecting either some sort of horror film or a straight documentary, but fans of the avant-garde should find this movie to be a breath of fresh air. Check it out.
January 29, 2008

"In Search Of" meets "This is Spinal Tap"

The one thing that kept me from giving this film four stars was the "Blair Witch"-like sense of doom hanging over the survivors clinging to the sinking boat in the last sequences. (I'm not giving anything away: one of the first shots is of floating wreckage and a body at the beginning). The last scenes made me wonder what a serious film of a darker threat under Loch Ness would play like.

But otherwise, this is still a pretty funny mockumentary that had laugh-outloud moments, usually involving the obnoxious "producer" making incredibly stupid statements or clashing with film director Werner Herzog. That Herzog has dealt with crazy people on film before--like maniac Klaus Kinski in "My Best Fiend" and nutjob Timothy Treadwell in "Grizzly Man"--makes him a perfect choice as the harried voice of reason trying to work with someone way over their head. Herzog's reactions to super babe Kitana jumping into the loch in a string bikini or walking in on the producers with their fake monster are hilarious.

Is this for everyone? I have no idea. The sudden shifts in tone, from serious documentary in the first third, to Spinal Tap-like hilarity on the loch in the middle, to the final third in a foggy danger, might throw off most people...but I liked it.

(It might help if you see "My Best Fiend" and "Grizzly Man" first, although both of those films are serious documentaries--and funny in their own way!) August 10, 2007

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