Frogman

Film: Frogman

Year: 2023

Director: Anthony Cousins

Writers: Anthony Cousins and John Karsko

Starring: Nathan Tymoshuk, Benny Barrett and Ali Daniels

Review:

This was a movie that I heard about through podcasts. It went on a list of movies that I wanted to see before doing my end of year list. I got a press release saying that this came to Screambox, which is one of my streaming services. Since there wasn’t a new release at the theaters for me to see for 2024, I decided to make this a featured review for Journey with a Cinephile.

Synopsis: three friends in search of the Loveland Frogman finds out that he is more than just a local legend.

We start this back in August of 1999. There is a family on a vacation. What I like here is that we get an idea of everyone as well as seeing there could be deeper issues. The father is doing what he can for everyone to have a good time, but it gets on the nerves of the mother. The son is Dallas (Liam Hage) and he’s filming everything. His sister is Lizzie (Shea Mikel). This trip takes a turn when they get lost and pull over. It is then that Dallas captures an image of the Loveland Frogman.

There’s an interesting transition from here because this video is being seen on an internet video, trying to decide if it is real. Jeremy J is the host of a show called Monster Soup. He also introduces that another man, George (Jack Neveaux) also claimed to have seen this cryptid. Jeremy J decides that Dallas’ video is fake. Part of that decision was because he wanted to become a director and did a couple of shorts. This goes even more meta for us seeing that Dallas, now as an adult, is played by Nathan Tymoshuk. What Jeremy J said hits deep and bothers him.

We then see that things aren’t good for Dallas. He is staying with his sister and her husband. They allowed him to stay until he got back on his feet. It’s been two years and it is time for him to move on. This is where he decides to do a documentary to prove that his footage wasn’t fake and that the Frogman exists. He seeks out his friend, who is a videographer named Scotty (Benny Barrett). He declines to help at first. There is a paying job of filming a wedding. The issue is that Scotty hates doing these.

While these two talk, Dallas learns that their high school friend Amy (Chelsey Grant) is leaving to work in Los Angeles. Dallas isn’t sure that he’s invited to her going away party, but Scotty tells him to come. There was a night, not too long ago, that Dallas and Amy hooked up. Neither expressed their feelings about what happened and were afraid to put it out there. Amy asks Dallas what he’s been doing and he tells her about the doc. He invites her to be a part of it. She has time before leaving so she agrees to come along.

What Scotty and Amy thought was going to be a fun trip takes a turn when Dallas gets upset that they’re not taking it seriously. They go to Loveland, hoping to find proof of the Frogman. What they find will change their lives forever like the synopsis said.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is that this felt like it was going to be a version of The Blair Witch Project. Both are found footage films and we follow a similar premise. This one has Dallas being obsessed with seeing this cryptid as a kid. He decides to do a doc, taking him back to where it all started. Other things that they have in common is being a trio with two guys and a woman, they’re filming everything that happens and then they go into the woods. That is where the comparisons end. I also don’t want to influence anyone reading this and make you expect what that classic did.

With that out of the way, I like Dallas as our lead. Life hasn’t gone his way. He saw this cryptid as a child. The footage of it is his claim to fame. We learn that as a child, he wanted to be a director so he always carried a camera, hence why he caught it on film. Things haven’t gone his way and he’s struggling to find his place. Seeing Jeremy J mock him online and I’m sure there are others, this makes him want to prove everyone wrong. It doesn’t help that his sister and brother-in-law are letting him know that he needs to move out. He takes this documentary seriously. I do think he’s a bit intense, but Tymoshuk’s performance was good in bringing Dallas to life.

Let me then discuss his two friends. Scotty is also struggling. He works at a coffee shop and does videography for weddings. He’s doing what he can with his passion while still paying the bills. I like Barrett’s portrayal as he is fun loving. Grant on the other hand seems to have a chance to make it. She went to LA, was signed by an agent and she’s excited, for good reason. There are feelings between her and Dallas, but both are scared to put themselves out there. Like I said previously, Scotty and Amy are doing this for fun. I think they also believe that if they do this, Dallas will give it up and move on. Because they’re not taking it as seriously, this upsets their friend. Grant is also good at bringing Amy to life.

Now the last part of the story is something that I’m going to tread lightly with and that’s Frogman as well as the local lore. This is where I wondered if we were going to get Blair Witch, where we were going to have nothing happen until the last stretch, then end with a crescendo. I’m glad that this does things a bit differently. There are great callbacks here as well. We get so many throwaway lines from characters who are interviewed or from our trio that come back into play later. What is good there is that there are so many, but if you’re paying attention, they are there. This went places I wasn’t expecting, but I’m glad that it did.

I think I’ll then shift to filmmaking. The found footage stuff is good. There is an older camera being used so that explains the graininess. We also get information about the Frogman having special abilities so that could be a reason for digital messing up of the footage. I’m not always a fan of that, but I am forgiving at times here. This is more backloaded with effects. When we see the Frogman, it does look practical for the most part. I do think the framing helps here to keep it to the shadows or only giving quick glimpses so we can’t fully critique it. The sound design is good. The music were here is diegetic. No issues there. I’d say this is well-made overall.

All that is left would be the rest of the acting. I’ve already said our trio fit their characters and their good. Hage, Mikel and the actors who play the parents are good. Neveaux is solid as the other person who is known to have seen Frogman. Chari Eckmann, Michale Paul Levin, Brandon Santiago, Stephen Hage and the rest of the townspeople were fine for what was needed. I love that they’re embracing the Frogman like people do with Mothman or other cryptids. That feels real.

In conclusion, I wasn’t fully sure what we’d get here and this exceeded what I thought we’d get. This has good premises. Dallas is struggling to find his way and the only claim to fame he has is questioned. He’s determined to prove that Frogman is real and willing to not only put his life in jeopardy, but his friend’s as well. The acting is solid across the board. Tymoshuk, Barrett and Grant leading the way there. The rest push them to where they end up. This is well-made. Being found footage helps to hide things and gives it a more intimate feel. I’m glad they went practical with the effects where they could. This won’t be for everyone. I think fans of found footage or cryptids will enjoy this one.

My Rating: 7 out of 10