Time: 104 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence & offensive language
Cast:
Jordana Brewster as Delilah Profitt
Clea DuVall as Stokely Mitchell
Elijah Wood as Casey Connor
Josh Hartnett as Zeke Tyler
Laura Harris as Marybeth Hutchinson
Shawn Hatosy as Stan Rosado
Salma Hayek as Nurse Harper
Famke Janssen as Miss Burke
Piper Laurie as Mrs. Olson
Chris McDonald as Casey’s dad
Bebe Neuwirth as Principal Drake
Robert Patrick as Coach Willis
Usher Raymond as Gabe
Jon Stewart as Mr. Furlong
Director: Robert Rodriguez

I had heard about The Faculty, I knew that it was some alien invasion movie directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson, who is known for writing some of the Scream movies. It was actually far better than I was expecting it to be.

The plot is pretty much as if the cast of characters of The Breakfast Club found themselves in The Thing or Invasion of the Body Snatchers situation, with the high school being taken over by aliens. It is absolutely a movie of its time, set firmly in the 90s with the dialogue, soundtrack, and of course the high school cliches and cliques. It is certainly dated in areas, and certain parts haven’t aged well, but it does tackle some of the typical high school stereotypes, at least with the main characters. It is enjoyably cheesy and campy throughout, while still having some genuinely tense moments.

There’s a great ensemble 90s cast here, delivering some good work. The main cast of characters including Josh Hartnett, Clea Duvall and Elijah Wood are really great in their parts, effectively conveying their characters and distinct personalities, and there are plenty of fun moments between each actor. Piper Laurie and Robert Patrick are also good as some of the villains, with Patrick particularly being a standout.

Robert Rodriguez directed The Faculty, but honestly you wouldn’t be able to pick that up without reading the credits. It definitely doesn’t have the same style and heightened feeling as his other movies, almost feeling restrained. It’s a very different kind of movie from him, but is still really well made. The visual effects look very dated now, but it kind of works in a 90s cheese way, fitting with the campy tone, and still has some good moments of body horror.

The Faculty is a very entertaining and charming 90s sci-fi horror comedy, with a really good script, solid direction, and a great cast. I would probably place this as among Robert Rodriguez’s best movies.