‘Mega Lightning’ VOD Review
Stars: May Kelly, Richard Kovacs, Gillian Broderick, Chris Cordell, Lauren Staerck, Karl Hughes, Julie Stevens, Marcus Massey, Elliot Eason, Kate Awoke, Lee Hancock | Written by Tom Joliffe | Directed by David Gregory
It seems like, with the recently released Firenado, that Scott Jeffrey’s Jagged Edge Productions are looking to take on the current kings of the low-budget natural disaster movie(s), The Asylum. They also share two more things in common, bad CGI and even worse acting!
Mega Lightning follows Meg (May Kelly) and a young woman who seemingly has issues with self-esteem and self-worth as she and her sister plan a party with their friends and respective boyfriends after her parents go away for a holiday. However, their plans as scuppered by an over-the-top lightning storm that seemingly targets the electricity in people like some kind of vicious [super]natural event – not only frying people alive but, in a particularly stunning shot, making them explode too!
However, like The Asylum, who couldn’t just give us a film about killer tornadoes, and instead added sharks into the mix, Mega Lightning isn’t just about the titular weather. Oh no, Jeffrey and co. add a serial killing madman into the mix here. Yes, it seems whilst the bad weather rages the bad actions of Richard Kovacs’ madman Johan rage on too. So much is the focus on Johan that Mega Lightning pretty much abandons the entire natural disaster aspect of the film in the latter third and turns into a slasher-esque, killer versus victims stalk and lash affair. The only connection to what has come before is the killer’s belief that the storm outside fuels him and his proclivities.
Speaking of Richard Kovacs, I have to give the man props for his recent work for Scott Jeffrey. He was a bastard in Dragon Fury 2, an even bigger bastard in Jack and Jill: The Hills of Hell and now he’s an absolute maniac in this film! Kovacs really is giving the great cinematic villains a run for their money and that’s only in the past few months! It may sound cliche but Richard Kovacs is definitely an actor to keep an eye on – his performance certainly elevated this film to another insane level.
The only thing was, after the film ended I was left with a burning question… Who the f*ck decided this film would benefit from a sword fight? Yes, you read that right, a sword fight. OK, so a sword versus knife fight but a sword? A sword? Its appearance at the end of the movie makes Mega Lightning really feel like “kitchen sink” filmmaking… As in the script throws everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink into the mix to try and come up with enough plot to carry the film’s 90 minute run time. What results from that is actually something of a garbled mess that actually out-Asylum’s the insanity of The Asylum’s own insane films. And who knew THAT was possible?!
You can’t really blame the filmmakers themselves for such a bizarre concept, after all, most of Jagged Edge (and Proportion) Productions are made to order for US distributors; with Jeffrey and co. given a budget to meet and the obvious Walmart and Target shelves to hit – aiming at people that will be lured in by high-concept titles and enticing cover art and made in timescales so small they’d make the aforementioned The Asylum cry!
** 2/5
Not one of Jagged Edge Productions’ best but certainly worth watching for Richard Kovacs’ performance, Mega Lightning is available to rent or buy now on Amazon Prime Video.
