Nerdly » ‘Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss’ VOD Review

11th Jun2020

‘Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss’ VOD Review

by Alain Elliott

Stars: Taika Waititi, Sam Huntington, Rhea Seehorn, Dan Harmon, Matt Jones, Brian Posehn, Mindy Sterling, Kate Micucci, Britney Young | Written by Christopher Hewitson, Clayton Hewitson, Justin Jones | Directed by Vivieno Caldinelli

I do have to admit that the simple reason for me watching Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss is because Taiki Waititi stars in it. As is often the case, just because one actor yu like is in a movie (particularly low budget movies) it might not be the best reason to view it. But it’s Taiki Waititi right?!

As you might be expecting Waititi isn’t actually in the movie a whole lot but on to that later. Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss is a ridiculous comedy about a young couple who move in to a place that is clearly to good to be true. It’s well located, super cheap and is home to ritualistic suicides of a deranged cult – yeah that’s why it’s so cheap. These suicides involve people entering the apartment and ending their own lives in the bath tub. Quite a problem if you live there.

Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss, if you hadn’t guessed, is an odd movie. The comedy is mostly over the top,r idiculous and silly but thanks to a good cast, even when the script isn’t quite perfect, what’s on screen is usually funny. It doesn’t hit all of those notes but it still had me laughing plenty of times. That cast is full of people you recognise and plenty of well experienced actors. Including Rhea Seahorn (Better Call Saul), Sam Huntington (Good Girls), Matt Jones (Breaking Bad), Brian Posehn (Big Bang Theory), Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers), Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty), Kate Micucci (Big Bang Theory) Britney Young (GLOW) and many more!

Most of them know their comedy and are good at it. Seahorn, Micucci and Harmon are the highlights with often perfect comedic timing. Harmon in particular as the police officer Cartwright is a highlight. The moustached cop veteran cop of his is a stereotypical character but it’s great, especially when we discover his dreams of becoming a screenwriter. Waititi’s character is the leader of the cult and it is a bit more than a cameo and he is his charismatic self but he doesn’t get a whole lot to work with and if you’re watching just for him, you might not get much out of it.

If the main story wasn’t strange enough for you, then we get plenty of other things to ramp up the oddball comedy. Huntington’s character for instance decides his dream job is to make birdhouses. This doesn’t add anything to the story except laughs and in an even crazier scene where we see him talk life with an animated bird. As you might expect from a suicide cult, there is plenty of death. And even though the script gets a bit lazy and a huge majority of the cult drink poison to die, we do get some entertaining deaths involving knives,screwdrivers and an umbrella!

If weird comedies are your thing, Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss will have you laughing throughout. But it might be a little bit to strange for many people. Whether you enjoy it or not you’ll probably still stare at the screen when the end credits roll wondering what exactly you have just witnessed.