10 Movies That Worked Despite Their Absurd Premise

Fiction is stranger than life in these movies that had no right being as good as they were.

Crank 2
Lionsgate

Movies come in all shapes and sizes; from the crowd-pleasers to the arthouse darlings, the indies to the Hollywood blockbusters. They're generally made with an audience in mind and usually, a trailer alone is enough to discern if that's you.

Some movies, however, seem to be designed to alienate viewers before their bums have even touched the seats. Often a bizarre high-concept premise mingles with the fear of the unknown to leave potential audiences with a feeling of bemusement rather than excitement.

Yet judging a book by its cover is famously advised against. Without doubt, countless prospective fans have missed out on their newest obsession thanks to an obtuse premise that's either too weird for its own good or near-impossible to market. Those adventurous enough to dive in, though, may just find their curiosity rewarded.

While far from guaranteed, when the quality of a movie matches the absurdity of its concept, the experience is often unlike any other. Those that make good on their bizarre promises sit in a league of their own, making for highly original and memorable viewing. Good luck recommending them to your friends, though.

10. Crank: High Voltage

Crank 2
Lionsgate

The duology of Crank movies have never purported to be high art. Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor instead conceived of a premise perfect for facilitating non-stop, high-octane action. The first movie saw Statham's Chev injected with a drug that slowed his adrenaline to a crawl. On his vengeful tirade, he was forced to keep his adrenaline up by doing things such as getting into fights with policemen and having intercourse in public.

The sequel is where the writers swung for the fences, though. Waking up in a daze following the previous movie's climax, Chev discovers that his heart has been replaced with an artificial one. He soon finds out he must keep this new organ charged while he hunts for those who took his original beat-maker. How does he do this? Jumper cables attached to a car battery, live wires atop a utility pole and yes, having intercourse on a racetrack to generate static energy. Look, when the movie features characters such as Poon Dong and Dark Chocolate, it's best to leave your critic's cap at the door.

After a climax that has to be seen to be believed, Crank: High Voltage cements itself as a deliriously silly movie that just wants the audience to have fun. And it succeeds.

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The fourth best writer living in Bristol named Alexander Erting-Haynes. When not writing, found shamelessly gushing about Majora's Mask, The Office (UK) and Shaun of the Dead.