This wicked odyssey of blood and cheese puts a new spin on the classic tale of “Heidi,” finding our heroine (Alice Lucy) all grown-up and living an idyllic life in the Swiss Alps with her beloved grandfather (David Schofield) far above an increasingly-dystopian landscape presided over by Our Very Swiss Leader (Casper Van Dien) – a ruthless dictator bent on world domination through dairy. But when her goat-herding lover (Kel Matsena) is brutally murdered by government thugs for distributing illegal cheese, Heidi embarks on a wild quest for vengeance that will bring her toe-to-toe against fierce female prison inmates, cheese-fueled Swiss super-soldiers, ninja nuns, and more, as she fights to take down the tyrannical regime and restore freedom to Switzerland.
Synopsis
‘Mad Heidi’ is a gore-fest delight with a satirical look at grindhouse exploitation films. In this film we have a fun ride with Alice Lucy who gives a breakthrough performance as Heidi who can handle her own against someone like Sisu or John Wick with her ragtag team of misfits. It’s clear what the filmmakers Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein are making with their choices of collaborating with cinematographer Eric Lehner, capturing the essence of a spaghetti westerns such as ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly’. The way they capture the backdrop of Switzerland is awe-inspiring.
The plot of the film itself is rather ridiculous and over-the-top but that’s to be expected in a retro grindhouse homage and satirical style of filmmaking we’re seeing here. The government of Switzerland is making sure their citizens eat a lot of cheese that somehow has a supplement in it that helps the government control their minds. Pascal Ulli gives an hilarious mad hatter type performance as Dr. Schwitzgebel the man in charge of what goes into the mind controlling cheese.
The true scene-stealers here in ‘Mad Heidi’ are Kel Matsena who gives a performance that would make Rudy Ray Moore proud as Goat Peter who I would love to see a prequel or spin-off based around. Also, Almar G. Sato delivers great action sequences that help out Alex Lucy and their chemistry is undeniably great. In the end, while ‘Max Heidi’ isn’t game changing. It’s still a wonderful time at the movies.
Overall Grade: 3/5 Stars
