Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54% (Critics) / 55% (Audience)
Directed By: Robert Rodriguez
Written By: Kevin Williamson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Shawn Hatosy and Josh Hartnett
Studio: Miramax
Synopsis:Like so many schools today, Herrington High has passed its prime. Its walls are grimy, its textbooks outdated, its teachers burned out. Yet its corridors are packed with the future of America – loners, leaders, hipsters, nerds, brains and jocks. Like teenagers everywhere, they struggle with parents who don’t get it, teachers who never had it and hormones that won’t quit. But the students at Herrington High face a greater challenge – saving the world from alien domination. – (Source)

The Good:
Robert Rodriguez has a knack for making scenes seem totally energized even when hardly anything is happening and he uses that skill to make every shot in THE FACULTY look and feel exciting. And as much as Kevin Wiliamson’s penchant for writing 16 year old kids that talk like thrice divorced 40-somethings may irk me at time, it really works in this movie.
Also the younger cast was great from top to bottom as they all filled teen movie archetypes yet injected their own distinct acting styles and personality into their roles.

The Bad:
The script was a bit light in some areas and things felt incredibly rushed once the alien invasion became known to the kids. This movie could have mined a lot more drama and character development by allowing the group to bond a little more instead of throwing them together in one scene and then having all hell break loose in the next scene.

The Ugly:
Egads! The monster’s final form was a huge letdown and a total mess in design and execution.

Final Verdict: This BREAKFAST CLUB meets INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is a fun little sci-fi diversion that benefits greatly (and allows one to overlook any of the film’s glaring deficiencies) from the specific talents of Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Williamson and a nearly perfect young cast.

Grade: B-