#5 - Get Duked! (2020)

 

 Get Duked! (2020)

(dir. Ninian Doff) 

Four students embark on a hike through the Scottish Highlands in an effort to win the "Duke of Edinburgh Award" (which seems to entail a laminated certificate and not much else). They very quickly get lost and find themselves being hunted by none other than the Duke of Edinburgh himself (played by Eddie Izzard)! This is equal parts dark comedy, survival horror, and hip-hop musical, and there are quite a lot of scenes involving hallucinogenic rabbit poop.

This was pretty solid! It's often really funny, although I wish Eddie Izzard was given more to do. The four boys all do a great job and have more depth to their characters than you may expect from this kind of comedy. It does rely on the drug humor a bit too much, but at least the visuals during those scenes are super inventive and fun. I really dug the music too. The soundtrack slaps (with tracks by Run the Jewels, Vince Staples, and others) and it also has some original music sung by the cast that's a lot of fun.

I didn't really love how the story played out though. A lot of what happens doesn't make much sense when given any thought, and the ending isn't all that satisfying. There are a lot of really good gags and character moments though, so overall it's a blast and I definitely give it a strong recommendation, especially if you like British comedies.