Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘A Grim Becoming’

Written by Scott Edwards

Having to do a job or two that you do not like is just part of life and we have all had to do it. Knowing that it is not our future career is what helps drive us to find something better that we are more suited for. Sometimes however we can find ourselves being caught in these jobs and become complacent in them, no matter how much we hate them. It is important to know what you want to do with your future and while you can get trapped in a dead-end job, there is always a way to get out of it, but you have to have the drive to do so.
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While in a meeting, Raphael gets a call that he never expected to get about his nephew dying suddenly.  Needing to take a short leave from work to be with his family for the grieving process, he returns home, but the town has changed drastically. Taking his eyes off of the road and smashing his car through a hobo’s savings and crashing into a tree, Raphael becomes privy to seeing something that no mortal was meant to see as a Grim Reaper is on the scene and looking to claim a soul. As the homeless man dies in his arms, he also witnesses the Reaper turning into dust before his very eyes.

Arriving at the hospital to check on her boss, Carrie watches as Raphael seems to be suffering from some sort of madness as everything is freaking him out for no reason. Getting Raphael to the funeral, she sees that the bump on his head is a little worse than she expected and waits for him outside of the bathroom as he tries to pull himself together. But little does Carrie or anyone else know what is happening in the bathroom, as Raphael is having a meeting with Death himself who has a very important message for his new employee. Telling Raphael about the new power that he has acquired due to witnessing a previous Reaper claiming a soul, the young man will now be taking the place of the fallen Reaper, but Raphael is far from excited about this deal.

With Death appearing everywhere he looks, Raphael tries to explain that this power is not for him and tries to walk away. But there is no walking away from this pact that he unwillingly joined and while he may not be one for killing, the other Reapers are, and he becomes a target. Facing off with a fellow Reaper and winning, Raphael will do everything within his power to keep his loved ones from his or Death’s touch. But some things are easier said than done as Raphael soon finds out when his nephew’s girlfriend is trying to kill herself and is added to his list of souls to take. Fighting off another division of Death’s army, Raphael finds out that there may be a way out of this deal he never signed on for and needing to find another Reaper who is not too keen on killing, it takes Raphael down a road less traveled, yet very bloody.

A humorous look at a tough topic, especially if you do fear the Reaper. Right from the get-go of this movie, you get to see how Death’s evil touch gets used in so many ways and even find out why the Reapers are part of his arsenal. The resilience that Raphael brings to the table is uplifting and while he tries to find a way to rid himself of this new curse that was given to him, he chooses to try and use it to protect the innocent. With plenty of death, easy to read marks, fun at a funeral, trying to explain the unexplainable, a zombie girl with a hunger, a beautiful Life character and the chance to do something to change the world, this is just a fun movie overall and once you start to understand the humor being displayed, you realize that it is alright to laugh a little bit. Stay Scared.

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