source: Rites of Passage

Peter Iliff has come a long way since his first successful screenplay, Point Break. His new film, Rites of Passage, is a complete departure from the Hollywood norm. The film focuses around a group of friends in Santa Barbara who take a lot of drugs and trip out on some ranch. The film is clearly directed towards a younger audience, and for the budget they were given, I think they did a great job. There isn't much past the surface of the film, but it works great as a popcorn thriller that I enjoyed with my friends. It was great to see all of the recognizable spots around Isla Vista and SB where Rites of Passage was shot. Would I watch it again? Maybe not. But it was certainly an entertaining and relevant film for a college student like myself.

While this movie is no award winning film, it does seem to get audiences attention. From beginning to end the film keeps a fast and thrilling pace, which help my attention. I was lucky enough to hear the directors speak in person, so I consider my self a little bias after really liking then men who made the film. In terms of the actual quality of the movie I think it was a fairly good movie. Definitely marketed towards a younger crowd. Includes a lot of sex, drugs, and partying so if your are into that you will find this movie entertaining. Also, the film includes a lot of blood and murder, so if you like funny thrillers it is the film for you. Would I buy a copy to own? Probably not. But it was enjoyable to watch since it was filmed in Isla Vista, where I currently live. All in all Rites of Passage is a goofy thriller good for a night in with popcorn, and a few laughs.

This may contain SPOILERS please read with CAUTION!!! (SBCC student) Rites of Passage is a movie for the Isla Vista student community. I went to see this movie because I got the chance to meet the director before the premier. The movie was describe as a thriller with some connection to the Chumash culture. I have to say that for his first movie he directed he did a good job.The movie will not win any Oscars but it will win the hearts of the Santa Barbara student. I think in order to understand better the movie you have to be part of that community. Which the director did explain that it was intended for them. I give him 10 Stars for making the film for the I.V. Community (Film Student) Now I also believe that the movie could of been clean more. What I mean by that is that I notice some rough cuts with the editing. The characters need it to be develop more. There was no real connection with the audience and the characters. The main story wasn't explain clearly. For the Chumash culture it was more of people or in this case students who didn't understand the culture in its full. Therefore it was an interpretation of what they believe it meant. I give him 6 Stars for the movie in its self. But for his first film he directed in a low budget I say Good job!!

"Grandmother Malloy I've come to beg for your roots. I promise to do you no harm. I need to borrow your magic for tonight." After an anthropology student decides to take a few of his classmates to a family ranch in order to do a mock ritual for extra credit they get more then they expect. His brother seeing this as a chance to get revenge for his family decides to make the ritual a real thing. So going in I was thinking this was going to be decent. While I was not totally wrong it could have been way better. The beginning was actually pretty entertaining and a little funny. The longer it went on though the more it started to drag and I was just interested enough to want to find out what happened. What started off as an interesting idea devolved into the kids in an abandoned area start getting killed off one by one type movie. While this is not a terrible movie this is still just OK. Overall, a fun and entertaining beginning gives way to a formulaic ending that isn't as fun. I give it a C+.

I normally detest horror films but I found "Rites of Passage" to have just the right amount of suspense and thrills to keep my interest. I was impressed by the quality of the acting in this low-budget film and by the simple techniques used to scare the viewers and make them jump in their seat. For example, I like the way the camera moved and the creepy sound effects. This movie is intended to appeal to people who like to get scared and the producers understand the psychology behind it. This type of viewers enjoy watching horror and thriller films like "Rites of Passage" because they like the experience of building up tension followed by the tremendous relief they feel when the horror is over. I cannot judge the Chumash for disliking the film because I am not a native American Indian myself. Personally, I found myself liking the addition of Chumash rituals, whether they are true or not. I found Benny to be a very pitiful person who is trying to fight his battle with depression through the use of the Jimson weed. I think he longs to be a part of the Chumash culture by wedding a person of Chumash origin. However, his own depression and psychotic nature turns his desire into a disaster that eventually kills him and others. In the film, if I recall correctly, in the last moments before he dies, he sees himself following a heavenly trail, but he is then rejected by the Chumash. I think his psychotic nature and abuse of the Chumash rituals and Jimson weed led him to a sad and pitiful death. I firmly believe that Peter Iliff was not trying to offend the Chumash whatsoever, as he respectfully said during the premiere. I think everyone who is curious about the movie, should give it a chance and see it for himself to make up his own opinion. The only dislike I have concerning this movie was the over-use of the 'f-bomb'. I'm generally okay with some profanity, but in this case, I found it to be a tad too much.

The film had a lot of characters, which had great quick character development that created a lot of tension and intrigue. It was a fun movie with some great scenes. It was not offensive to the Chumash. It also presented Jimson weed in the dangerous light that it should have. I did not like the ending, but that's just because things end too fast (like most films). And I did not like portraying psychedelics in a negative light but I separate my opinions from the fact that it was a very entertaining, very well written and well executed film. For all the critics, I'd love to see a film you made.

I have to admit that I was very skeptical about watching a low budget film that I had heard nothing about, but Rites of Passage was a non stop thriller that had it all. I was very impressed what Peter Illif was able to do with the cast he was dealt, and also how he was ale to shoot the entire film in Santa Barbara. Their was controversy over the objectification of woman that this film supposedly has, but i thought it was a pretty accurate portrayal of how parties are in Illa Vista. Sure their were parts that went a little too far but its a movie what do you expect Overall the acting was much better then I anticipated. Slater delivered a solid performance and the supporting cast did a very nice job excluding the one actress who was given the role of the bad girl who always curses. The premise of the film was extremely original and is definitely hard to take seriously if you have not taken psychedelic drugs before or understand what they are capable of. I give Rites of Passage 2 thumbs up and recommend it to anyone over 17.

It is interesting to see the reviews on this film. As the Chair of Marketing/International Business/Finance at S.B.C.C. (Santa Barbara City College which was rated as the only community college in the top ten of the U.S. by the Aspen Institute last year) I have the opportunity to hear the voices of the demographic that this film was targeted towards, and I think most of the reviewers have NOT recognized this market niche in their perceptions of the film. As a matter of fact, approximately seventy students from Sweden and the United States attended the premiere last night in Isla Vista. After watching the film, many of them came up to me and said Mrs. Brown "the film was tight." They said it was a constant thrill ride and was surprised that more people had not heard about it. I said this was an independent film made by former Santa Barbara students who grew up to have amazing personal and professional lives, and dreamed of created a film that would reflect through film, many of the passions and choices of the time of weaved childhood/adulthood experienced during American college life. They understood that the themes of making choices of growth from "child/adult" to adult is what is the ultimate rite of passage that for many during their sojourn in college (especially in S.B.), takes courage. Innately, they knew that the faces and years may have passed for them from their own college days, different by the themes remain unchanged. They were right.

First - it takes WAY too long for this movie to get going. Second - I believe in respecting all cultures, but this movie was so ridiculous (talking sock puppet), that I don't know how any Native American could be offended by any representations in the film. Now, college professors and students look pretty stupid. There ARE some pretty amusing moments. Most from Christian Slater. Although I felt all the actors did a great job, the material? I wouldn't waste my time. The "4" is because I actually made it through.