The VelociPastor, a movie released in 2017, is simply a masterpiece. 

Starring Greg Cohen as Doug Jones, and Alyssa Kempinski as Carol, the plot follows the two as they deal with the challenges of the curse that has been bestowed upon Doug. 

The story is that once Doug, a local priest, loses his parents in the best VFX car crash since Marvel, he decided to go “where God cannot follow,” also known as China. Once he is there, he goes through a change as he is cut with a prehistoric tooth found in the woods.   

Upon his return home, he is caught in the holy dilemma of if a cursed dinosaur-human can even be a priest. He then meets Carol, a woman of mystery, who then convinces him to fight the crime that is rising in the city: a gang of ninjas that are attacking women of the town. The story concludes with an amazing fight scene and a satisfying ending.

The effects in this movie are simply impeccable. It’s obvious what kind of movie this will be from the first scene— the car crash. In basic terms, the VFX is amazing. The practical effects on the other hand are lacking to say the least. It takes away from the film when there is humor that hits on these deep levels and then this makeup that is less than good to say it nicely. 

In the opinion of a critic, this pitfall of the practical effects does take away from the overall experience of the movie, although, not enough not to watch this amazing part of indie culture. The movie’s budget was only $35,000 in comparison to Marvel’s End Game that cost $356 million. 

The style of acting can be an acquired taste. The whole film is in a very ironic style with, at times, over-dramatic acting. On one hand it can be seen as a humorous tactic to inflect on the ridiculous nature of the plot in the first place. On the other hand it can be misconstrued as over the top and bad form. 

I believe that the acting of the film adds to the experience of the overall movie itself. I believe that if the movie had traditionally “good” acting that it wouldn’t be as funny as it is now. The acting does a wonderful job of framing the plot and how absurd the whole thing is. 

This is an amazing movie overall. There may be some pitfalls but that just comes with the indie movie scene. The plot is interesting, the acting is stylistic, the VFX are impeccable, the characters are innovative and so much more. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone. There may be some parts not suitable for small children, but any mature audience would be delighted to watch this corny thriller. For the budget of the film this is truly a masterpiece. Just wait until you meet Frankie mermaid!