The Darwin Awards

Every year the Darwin Awards are posthumously awarded to people who have managed to kill themselves while involved in stupid activities, thereby removing themselves from the gene pool and making the world safer for future generations. It’s too bad though that The Darwin Awards couldn’t have removed itself from the straight-to-DVD gene pool and made the video store shelves safer for our generation. Detective Michael Burrows (Joseph Fiennes) is a forensic investigator obsessed with the psychology behind the people who participate in Darwin Award calibre activities. After agreeing to be filmed by a documentary filmmaker (Wilder Valderrama), Burrows is fired from his job and immediately hired by an insurance company to investigate how Darwin Award personalities can be identified to reduce insurance claims. Burrows is teamed with Siri (Winona Ryder), a sceptical insurance investigator. The two investigators and the ever present documentarian travel the country inspecting suspect claims while trying to figure out why people get involved in stupid and dangerous activities. The Darwin Awards is, to be polite, terrible. Joseph Fiennes’ performance as a forensic investigator who faints at the sight of blood is so awkward that it distracts from everything else on screen, almost overshadowing the film’s obscenely illogical plot. The humour is beyond sophomoric and may actually reduce intelligence. The only thing of any interest is the number of cameos by recognisable actors and celebrities, including David Arquette, Juliette Lewis, Julianna Margulies, Metallica and The Mythbusters guys. The disc is light on extras as well, with only a basic "making of” featurette, photo gallery and cast and crew interviews. Unless you are trying to qualify for a Darwin Award and need some inspiration, avoid this.