Get Duked! is a horror-comedy movie directed by Ninian Doff and starring Jonathan Aris, Samuel Bottomley, Viraj Juneja, Rian Gordon and Lewis Gribben.
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Get Duked! follows four city boys who embark on a trek as they try to win the Duke of Edinburgh award. However, once on the Scottish Highlands, they realise that their only help comes in the form of a map and each other. On the way, they come face-to-face with the actual Duke, who has nefarious intentions.
The movie has a pretty simple premise, but a wacky execution. It’s basically a tale of friendship and comradery, as the four boys get to know each other better and realise their growing friendship. Although Duncan, Dean and DJ Beatroot have been friends from before, Ian is the newest member of the lot, having joined them for the trip. All of them are apparent “losers”. They are unliked at school and are thus bullied. However, they form an unlikely bond over the course of the trip and realise they may have more in common than they realised.
Get Duked!, thus, is all about their friendship and how they individually, and as a group, grow up from being self-centred to having each other’s backs. Honestly, for the better part of the first half, all of them are alloying as heck. They make stupid decisions and cannot see things that are right infront of them. But after the Duke and Duchess come into the picture, their whole world changes. As the story progresses, they become more likeable, and at the end of it, you probably feel some sort of love for these kids. It’s kinda heartwarming, and the characters’ bonds make it a decent watch.
What starts off as a fun and stupid trip eventually becomes a game of survival, with high amounts of hash and… rabbit shite. The Duke and Duchess are on a mission of their own, trying to rid the country of delinquents like the boys who tarnish their culture’s reputation. It’s a clever and funny satire, and the ending monologue reminds you of everything wrong with the world.
There are also two bumbling cops who try to nab a terrorist, a bread thief, a paedophile and zombies(!). In the end, though, they get to catch all of the above, except the zombies, ofcourse. The movie has its funny moments and the crazy way it is executed keeps you confused for the most part. The kids and adults behaving like lunatics after getting high on rabbit shite is quite the scene, and frankly alarming. However, it’s not a new or fresh concept. Get Duked! is highly entertaining though, and it’s over before you realise it.
Cinematography is great, by the way. The Scottish Highlands look stunning and the lush green fields and farms are captured in long shots with beautiful colours that make you want to run away somewhere. It’s charming and doesn’t make for a tiresome experience.
Summing up: Get Duked!
The primary aim here is to deliver a movie about friendship and love, with a hint of horror and satire, which it does pretty well. Get Duked! is entertaining and most of the time funny, and the impossible situations and scenarios are quite amusing. If you expect this to be moving or a masterpiece, then it will definitely feel like a let-down. However, as a movie that you watch to get entertained? Sure, this quirky 1-hour 26-minute movie is great. Because, honestly, where else do you see people getting high on rabbit poop? That should count for something.
Get Duked! is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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